<p>I got an 1870 on the SAT and a 28 on the ACT. I know these are relatively good scores, but what colleges will I be able to get into? Like are they ivy league good? If not, how much would I need to raise my scores for them to be ivy league good?</p>
<p>You would have to raise them to about 2250+ to get them “ivy league” good</p>
<p>Oh wow. Okay… So how could I do that? I didn’t study at all for the two tests I mentioned so I know I can definitely do a lot better. On the SAT, I got CR 630, M 660, and W 590. On the ACT, I got English 30, Math 30, Reading 25, Science 26, and Combined Writing/English 28 with an essay score of 8. So how could I improve these scores? I already have the two official study guides for both the SAT and ACT but what else can I do?</p>
<p>Well. GET THE BLUE BOOK! On College Board It’s like the Official SAT Study Guide or something. Do all the tests in there. Just do a lot of practice tests! That’s what I did and my score went up 180 points :)</p>
<p>I’ve seen bigger improvements happen, but you should know that you’re shooting for the moon here in going for about a 400 point improvement beginning as high as you are.</p>
<p>First thing: pick ONE test and concentrate on it. Colleges want one or the other, not both, so don’t divide your energies. I’ve always thought the SAT was the easier test to master, but that’s just me. Pick whichever you like better.</p>
<p>Then practice EVERY SINGLE DAY for more than a few minutes, and try to identify your weak areas and error patterns. Writing on the SAT is the easiest section to improve in and it’s currently your weakest, but WHY? What kind of questions, specifically, are you missing?</p>
<p>Note that the most important part of practice is going back through the test after you’ve taken it to make sure you REALLY understand your mistakes, and to really start to identify the patterns in the kinds of questions you’re missing, and the kinds of questions the SAT is throwing your way.</p>
<p>I like to look at test prep a lot like a professional baseball player might look at a pitcher he’s never faced before. Try to identify the patterns: the better you can predict what he’s going to throw at you, the better a chance you have at hitting it.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>An 1870 is perfectly adequate to gain admission to most Public Universities and many (non ivy league) schools. Do realize that ivy league schools are extremely competitive for admissions. I suspect trying to increase your SAT score by upwards to 400 points may be extremely hard. Please don’t forget a lot of fantastic schools across the country take into considering your GPA and transcript grades with lesser emphasis on SAT or ACT scores. There are schools that do not require SAT/ACT for admittance.</p>