<p>Well i got my scores back, and didn't do nearly as good as planned.</p>
<p>I didn't take any prep course for these, but plan on doing so before taking again, do you think after taking a prep course my scores can really go up that much?</p>
<p>Anyway here the break down:</p>
<p>Critical Reading: 580
Math:510
Writing:600</p>
<p>1090/1600
1690/2400</p>
<p>By “that much” how do you mean?
It really really depends, it’s a person by person basis. I mean, I don’t have a success story for you. But – were you sick on the day you took the test? Super anxious? etc…
Prep does help, however! 
You won’t get a 2400, but you can improve!</p>
<p>I recommend taking practice tests and studying from your mistakes
(with a help from teachers and friends)
I studied like that and my score rose significantly.</p>
<p>well my goal is just 1200, i’m still a junior and probably shouldn’t have taken them so early in the year btw</p>
<p>Seeing as you’re aiming for a 1200, it’s not that far off. Improving your math should be easier than improving CR, and just by looking through your mistakes on questions and brushing up on basic algebra and geometry skills will bring up your score. You might also want to look into books that specifically concentrate on math (ie math workbooks for the SAT).</p>
<p>skateperson88:
prep courses help a lot! i took prep classes and improved my score by 350 points…so yeah, if you can, i think you should take prep courses. it all depends on your level of motivation of course
otherwise the best u can do is keep practicing hardcore
hope that kinda helps</p>
<p>I know someone who took a prep course over the summer and his score went up by like 20 points. I don’t know about you, but they aren’t always beneficial. I think its better to work on your own, but it really depends on the person. A 1200 isn’t that hard as long as you can improve your math to a decent 600. Just keep practicing and you will get there, especially if you have a year left.</p>
<p>I don’t know about prep courses, but you definitely can improve your scores significantly. I raised my composite score by 190 points. I, however, did not take any prep courses. If you can get your hands on an SAT preparation book with practice tests, that would be the best. The thing that I think helped me the most was just taking a lot of practice tests. You should make sure that you are getting satisfactory scores on the practice tests before you take the SATs again, keeping in mind that the practice tests, depending on the authors, are usually somewhat harder than the actual SAT.</p>
<p>Start by looking up Ziggi’s method here on CC. If you are serious about improving, it will really help.</p>
<p>My son first took the SAT and ACT in Dec/Jan of Junior year as a Litmus. He did OK, but just ok. He then met with a private tutor 4 times @ about $60 a pop. His score went up nearly 100 points on the writing and about 65 on the Verbal. Math stayed exactly the same. He still didn’t do nearly as well on the SAT (or any subject tests) as he did on the ACT (which was actually more in line with his grades as well). </p>
<p>All of this to say…I recommend you consider taking the ACT as well. And the truth is, it seems a lot of schools that accept the SAT want a couple SAT II subject tests to apply, but if you take the ACT, that’s all you need to take. Bottom line, some do better on one test over another and certainly prep helps a lot (as does studying for anything).</p>
<p>studying with and without help should make a huge improvement.
personally, i went up 190 points from studying.</p>
<p>taking the ACTs is also a good idea, some people do much better on them for some reason. my friend got 1850ish on the SATs but a 33 on the ACTs (not nearly equivalent).</p>
<p>I actually increased my math score 110 points (590 to 700) from when I took in Otc. Junior last year to this December. I think mainly because Im taking Ap Calc and the stuff on the SAT seemed way easier in comparison but I also studied a little form the SAT study guide. So its possible I believe</p>
<p>prep classes will only help. if you really want to improve its the right decision. good luck man!</p>