<p>So I looked at my mark today and I was definitely bummed out. Much lower than I expected. At least a 100 points less than what I usually get for critical reading and math. But in my previous practice tests, I've taken at least 3 consecutive ones like a month before I took the actual SAT, and I consistently scored 2150. Critical reading was always my forte, and surpassed 700 by a fair margin, and math was always my lowest ranging from 670-750. </p>
<p>however, in the score I recieved today, I scored 600's in TWO sections. This nearly never happened to me before. If ever, I only scored one 600 once, and it was a high 600. I was unbelievely surprised and it really made me downcast because I studied extensively for 5 hours each day during the summer and paid hundreds and thousands of dollars for the mock tests and sundry text books etc and I feel so inadequate and dumb and sad... </p>
<p>I don't know if it makes a difference that I'm only in grade 10 (Canada) and most people take it in grade 12 I beleive, but still, I trained so hard and only a 2040. It was my first attempt but considering my training I am more than crestfallen.</p>
<p>Like I just can't believe I only got 640 for critical reading. I always always scored really well in critical reading, it was always my highest. I doubt I could have gotten more than 10 wrong I really doubt it.</p>
<p>I was also really iffy about my erasure marks, because I tend to circle really really darkly (which is a stupid idea I know) and I erased at least 30% of my answers for critical reading, so idk I'm pretty set on getting a handscore </p>
<p>I was just wondering, is there a time limit to when I can register for getting it handscored? Like within 5 months after the test, or a year or .........?</p>
<p>Thank you, and sorry about my rant I am just so incredibly disappointed in myself and this really took a blow on my self esteem. </p>
<p>And if you guys have any tips for miraculously improving my score that would be more than amazing</p>
<p>You spent 5 hours a day training, and you spent thousands of dollars on your prep? And after all that you were so unsure of your answers, you erased 30% of them? Makes me think that perhaps the people or materials you were paying for maybe weren’t such experts. Also, some kids do tend to score a lot better when they’re a little older. I think it’s important to prep but–5 hours per day all summer–wow! It may be that other activities are actually more beneficial past a certain point. At some point you should understand the types of questions you’ll face and have figured out how to optimize your timing, and maybe doing endless practice tests isn’t going to help much more at that point. Do you read quality, high level materials regularly–fiction and nonfiction written at a high reading level with words that stretch your vocabulary? Have you finished the math covered on the SAT in school yet (and are you comfortable with all of it), or are you trying to learn math from a test prep book or class? My daughter reads widely and has been doing competitive math since 5th grade. I think both of those things contributed more to her score than the Barron’s SAT book she worked through (which didn’t take nearly 5 hours per day).</p>
<p>I guess I’d contact the college board to ask about the hand-scoring, perhaps you did confuse the machines with all that erasing.</p>
<p>Excellent advice above. As a general rule, people have better reading comprehension when they are familiar with the subject, so the wider the reading you’ve done, the better–reading the newspaper daily and looking at various reviews, science, business, and technology articles, etc. is probably better preparation than doing endless sections. WRT the math, there are limited types of questions they ask, so at this point you should be familiar with the questions. And yes, you’re a little on the young side: sometimes people’s brains just need a little time to cook. :-)</p>
<p>Youll do a lot better in 11th and 12th grade. It its kind of arrogant to say 2040 is a bad score, thats a great score that most people dream about.</p>
<p>Sometimes with overprep you can overthink your answers. Also keep in mind that you should NOT change your answers unless you are 90%+ sure that the new answer is absolutely correct and/or that the current answer is 90%+ absolutely wrong. Usually your first answer is going to be right… gut instinct. </p>
<p>Take a break, maybe look at the ACT (although it will definitely help you to wait to take that test as it is very much based on classroom learning).</p>
<p>Sometimes the stress of actually taking it can impact your results over taking it in the comfort of your own house. Did you time yourself when you were taking the practice tests?</p>
<p>What material are you using for prep?</p>
<p>Particularly as a sophomore taking the SAT for the first time, there would be no reason to have your test hand scored. Wait a year and take it again. </p>
<p>gah thank you for your consolence everyone.
The people at the tutor place where I got my training say that there’s no difference between whether you take in in grade 10 or grade 12 because SAT is so exclusive in terms of its logic and formulaic questions I guess</p>
<p>I studied with the blue book, and an amalgamation of different companies i think McGraw Hill was a big one. I studied with the Princeton book for the last two weeks but strangely the Princeton book gave me far lower scores than the blue book but oh well</p>
<p>im sorry for being so arrogant with my “horrible score” 2040 but if you paid thousands for training and consistently much higher you would feel sad too and on top of that my disappointed parents…</p>
<p>alright I guess I will take it again next year in grade 11. Does anyone have any recommendations as to when I should take it? I heard March and May/June had the best curves because all the slackers take it then apparently…? ;o</p>
<p>“The people at the tutor place where I got my training say that there’s no difference between whether you take in in grade 10 or grade 12 because SAT is so exclusive in terms of its logic and formulaic questions I guess”</p>
<p>These people are grievously wrong.</p>
<p>PS: “consolence” is not a word. Neither is “alright” (yet…) :)</p>
<p>PPS: no months have easier curves than others (of course some tests have easier curves, but that’s unpredictable). In fact, the students taking the test have no bearing on its curve–that’s set prior to the test date.</p>
<p>do you really think my mark will improve if i take it next year?
okay well thank you so much for your inputs everyone, i guess there’s always a second chance
best wishes to all of your future endeavours~</p>
<p>I think, if you were my child, that I would be greatly concerned with your attitude and anxiety. </p>
<p>You should talk to your parents. Between the comments about taking the test with slackers, to the non- recognition that taking the test much earlier than most, and scoring quite well considering your age? You need a dose of perspective. </p>
<p>I hope you have a trusted adult in your life that can help you. Your post alarmed me greatly.</p>
<p>Despite the training, sometimes the simple fact of sitting there for almost four hours in a test situation has an effect that you might not have anticipated. So consider this your dry run. You have decent scores in the bank. And despite what your tutor center told you, there’s something to be said for maturity and wider exposure ITO the test. Dust yourself off–persistence in the face of obstacles is a much more important trait in terms of success than test-taking is. </p>
<p>BTW, I wouldn’t put too much stock in what Princeton Review said your scores would be. They don’t write the tests, just incredibly simulations. Go by the Blue Book. And now put it aside for awhile and focus on other things in your life. You’ll do fine. Really.</p>
<p>Princeton typically has more difficult tests, which then cause you to appear to have lower scores, so that when you take the real ACT, your scores would be pleasantly higher :-)</p>
<p>@dylanhawlit i got 1320 critical reading + math
but typically speaking my critical reading is always a great booster like 30-50 points higher than most
Idk if i’m aiming for the Ivy’s i just want to get into a decent school in the states and I was planning on taking SAT subject tests in grade 11 or beginning of Grade 12 after I recieve a satisfactory SAT reasoning score… Is it necessary to take Algebra 2 for Ivy’s or any decent school for that matter? I was thinking more along the lines of Biology… </p>
<p>@Decorative22 Sorry about that, it’s just that there are so many pressuring and demanding mindsets instilled within me, and i told my parents how I thought grade 10 was a bit too early but they seem to disregard that because SAT is kind of formulaic in a sense so they thought as long as i get an adequate amount of training and exposure to the questions i should have been fine</p>
<p>@charlucas sigh but I have tried so many dry runs in the past and it always gave me a decent score, I’m just so flabbergasted at how much i’ve decreased because from my recollection I wasn’t too frightened or out of it during the exam
And you’re quite right; I think one thing I gained out of this is that nothing in life just comes with the first shot, you have to consistently work hard for it i guess
Maybe next year SAT I’ll be pleasantly surprised </p>
<p>@crazymonster ahhh I see, ok thank you that made me feel better </p>
<p>Yes, Ivys will want to see you have progressed past Algebra 2. Many Ivy applicants have taken math through AP Calculus BC and a number have gone beyond that, yes, even humanities applicants. If you were to stop at Algebra 2, you would not be prepared for college math (or science).</p>
<p>Wait, you’re in 10th grade and you’re not in algebra2 yet? So…you’re currently taking geometry and wondering why you’re not getting top marks on a test when you haven’t completed the relevant coursework? Not sure who is advising you but taking the SAT halfway through geometry isn’t going to get you your best score.</p>
<p>Also, for the very top colleges, your math program is behind where the competition will be. May be ok if that’s the best your school does.</p>
<p>@Peezus wow kudos to you! that’s certainly an inspiration, thank you @crazymomster wait sorry I’m not very familiar with SAT subject tests, I’m probably done algebra 2 at school (sorry I’m Canadian, actually never heard of that) because this year I’m taking Grade 11 functions, and next year in grade 11, I’ll be doing advanced functions and calculus and vectors so I hope that’s sufficient…</p>
<p>@Dylanhawlit sorry I’m unfamiliar with these American terms, I’ll be done Grade 12 math basically (calculus + vectors, advanced functions) next year, and this year in grade 10 I’ll have done grade 11 functions. I got so confused by algebra 2 because I thought it was an SAT subject test category ahh sorry I’m a bit iffy with all these American terms because in Canada we call them entirely different things, but I know that I’ll be done Grade 12 math + a bit of university math by next year </p>
<p>@mathyone sorry for the confusionnn in Canada we don’t call them Algebras we call them entirely different things… yes I guuess I’m done Algebra 2? Basically I’ve finished half of grade 11 math and half of grade 10 math at the time when I took the SAT’s. My knowledge in math was more than capable it’s just when it comes to application and thinking argh I have nothing to blame but my brain OTL </p>
<p>@chrisncal2, ok, it sounds like you are in what we would call precalculus or at least algebra2. The most common sequence of math classes in US is:
algebra 1
geometry
algebra 2, usually including trigonometry
precalculus
calculus
I’m sure you can find info on the web as to typical curriculum for these classes if you want to compare.</p>
and on top of that my disappointed parents…</p>
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