<p>history mom, check to see if they superscore. Then, you can have her focus more on the math.</p>
<p>All of the schools ds applied to superscore. It really had no effect on DS, because both scores went up each time. From start to finish his CR and M went up @120 pts. He took it 3x.</p>
<p>ducktape-- why did you take it twice? ...</p>
<p>1st time: 2170
Wr: 770
Cr: 740
M: 660</p>
<p>2nd: 2230
Wr: 800
Cr: 720
M: 710</p>
<p>Superscore: 2250</p>
<p>I'm content :)</p>
<p>It helps to learn the patterns on the math section. I was sufficiently far ahead in math (took calc BC last year as a junior) that I'd basically forgotten all of the simple algebra, so reviewing it and learning to recognize where they try to fool you helped a lot. My math score obviously isn't phenomenal, but I am quite happy with it.</p>
<p>I think your math score rocks! My girls both struggled with the geometry because they hadn't taken any in so long and they are pretty sure that that is the major reason for their low score.</p>
<p>I also think they may have gone in a little cocky and not been sufficiently on the lookout for the tricks.</p>
<p>Oh that and math is just not either of their strongest subjects.</p>
<p>My Daughter scored:</p>
<p>Math 650
Verbal 800
Writing 720</p>
<p>This math score was very frustrating for her as she had already completed math courses through AP Calc AB and felt she should have been much higher.
She took practice tests weekly and studied with a math tutor for 10 weeks.
Her second test was 100 points higher but only a 40 pt. increase in math.</p>
<p>Math: 690
Verbal: 800
Writing:780</p>
<p>my D did well the first time, took it again with a goal to boost Math, though she did no special test prep. Overall results stayed in the same score range.</p>
<p>First time (Jan of Jr year):
Math 620; Verbal 780; Writing 770
Total 1400/1600; 2170/2400</p>
<p>Second time (Nov of Sr year):
Math 660; Verbal 730; Writing 740
Total 1390/1600; 2130/2400</p>
<p>Superscored:
1440/1600; 2210/2400</p>
<p>First Time:
Math: 660
Verbal: 680
Writing: 640</p>
<p>Second Time:
Math: 720
Verbal: 730
Writing: 720</p>
<p>So I was pretty lucky that I was able to raise all my scores.</p>
<p>First Time:
Reading - 570
Math - 620
Writing - 630
Total ~ 1820</p>
<p>Second Time:
Reading - 590
Math - 600
Writing - 690
Total ~ 1880</p>
<p>Third Time:
Reading - 600
Math - 640
Writing - 680
Total ~ 1920</p>
<p>I stopped after that because there was no way I was going to sit through the SAT again for a fourth time just to break 2000, and I still needed to take the subject tests. (Japanese w/ Listening - 760, Chemistry - 700)</p>
<p>I went from:
Critical Reading: 720
Writing: 720
Math: 680
total: 2120</p>
<p>to a
Critical Reading: 740
Writing: 790
Math: 800
total: 2330</p>
<p>For the second one, I studied vocabulary for about 10 minutes a day for maybe a month and used Barron's 2400 as well as Kaplan's book of like 12 practice tests. I only took a few practice tests - I focused more on Barron's 2400. I didn't really prepare for my first test aside from a prep class that I had taken almost a year prior to the test date (so I don't think I actually remembered anything from that).</p>
<p>1st SAT - 1940 (June 2007)
670 CR
620 M
650 W</p>
<p>2nd SAT - 2010 (October 2007)
650 CR
650 M
710 W</p>
<p>3rd SAT - 1980 (December 2007)
700 CR
610 M
670 W</p>
<p>Superscored I have a 1350 CR + M and 2060 overall. I guess I am generally satisfied with my SAT I, although I kind of do regret not taking an SAT prep course or something. When I took my first PSAT I had 159 and went up to a 179 on my second one. I have generally tended to improve over time with mine. For my first SAT I was pretty relaxed and calm about it and did much better than I could have hoped for, especially since many students near the top of my class did not get into the high 1800's, even though many of them are rather bright and talented. Before taking my 2nd SAT I tried to focus on my math score by working through the Collegeboard book and I guess that it helped a little. I never focused very much on CR + W because I knew that they were my strong points and that Math would be the section to ruin me. I guess in the end it kind of did, since it has damaged my hopes of getting into ultra-selective universities, even though I have taken as many AP courses available to me and am at the top of my class. </p>
<p>And if you couldn't already tell, I really hate the enormous importance that SAT's hold in the college admissions process.</p>
<p>Well, my own son's scores went from:</p>
<p>CR: 540
M: 700
W: 520</p>
<p>up to:</p>
<p>CR: 650
M: 660
W: 600</p>
<p>He worked just on the reading and writing portions by using bluebook and he took a course through testmasters180, which he thinks made the difference.</p>
<p>I took it 3 times with no prep before or in between them.</p>
<p>1 (Jan)- 710 CR/740 M/790 W
2 (Mar)- 700 CR/760 M/750 W
3 (June)- 730 CR/800 M/780 W</p>
<p>I took it twice my junior year and once in my senior year, looking at the Barron's prep book literally only the day before the first and third test.</p>
<p>Nov - 650 CR, 730 M, 730 W 2110
Jan - 660 CR, 690 M, 750 W 2100
Dec - 770 CR, 760 M, 780 W 2310</p>
<p>Honestly, just tell your kids to relax. I shouldn't have taken it twice my junior year; there was really no reason. The last time I just knew it'd be my last shot, but that my scores were decent to begin with and it wasn't a big deal.</p>
<p>hellohelloduh - how did you improve Math from 680 to 800? What specific book was most useful for Math and which particular sections? i.e review material or strategies for Math?</p>
<p>what dates were the 2 tests taken? THANKS SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!</p>
<p>lovemom- I did all of the problems in Barron's 2400. They tend to be a lot more difficult than the math problems on the actual test but I think overpreparing helped in my case. There was one difficult problem in Barron's that ended up being on the SAT so I was really grateful that I had done those problems.
The math score also has a lot to do with luck - if you get a difficult math section, just 3 questions missed can vastly change your score. My math section for my second test (June 07) was quite a bit easier than the one on my first test (March 07).
Make sure your daughter thoroughly checks her work.
Lastly, if she honestly doesn't know how to do a problem, tell her to skip it.
Hope this helps!</p>
<p>rc1290, how did u raise your CR score so much? it doesnt even sound like you prepared at all.</p>
<p>Thanks hellohelloduh :-) i have some q's for u;</p>
<p>1) is it typical for the March test to be more difficult than the June test? </p>
<p>2) Will CB "equate" the scaled scores to reflect this change in the degree of difficulty?</p>
<p>3) was only Math easy or were the other sections also easy in June? </p>
<p>4) If you are not a strong math student, should you wait until you finish Precalc to take the SAT I also? </p>
<p>5) She is weak in Hard Algebra questions, is there a quick crash review that she can do tonite or tomorrow of the important formulas etc? She did 2/3rd of the Barrons 2400 problems and then said they were too difficult, she is aiming for around 730 (from a 680 Jan. test) </p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>First time (as a sophomore, April 2006):
CR 640
M 740
W 690
(2070)</p>
<p>Second time (as a junior, June 2007)
CR 740
M 780
W 790
(2310)</p>
<p>I went up 240 points total and was accepted to Georgetown EA this year. I believe that I went up partly because I had another year of school under my belt but more importantly because I didn't have as much anxiety about the test. The first time I took it, I froze a little on the CR section. I'm glad that I took it during my sophomore year, though, so I could know what I was going into. For the record, I didn't do much test prep stuff between tests. I did use the Kaplan book for a couple weeks before the second test.</p>
<p>I went from:
March 2007
CR - 680
Math - 710
Writing - 650
(2040) </p>
<p>December 2007
CR - 760
Math - 780
Writing - 800
(2340)</p>
<p>No additional preparation; I was just more focused and relaxed the second time.</p>
<p>I think the way to go is definitely studying the Official SAT study guide. Doing well on the SATs is really a whole 'nother skill. If you take all 10 tests in the official guide you should be completely used to the test. Of course your innate ability limits your score to a certain extent, but if you can get a 690 without studying you’re probably capable of scoring in the 700s.</p>
<p>The use of Aderal or Ritalin without a prescription is illegal, but yes, it can boost your score by increasing focus. However, caffeine has a similar, less powerful effect, and is completely legal. I would recommend testing yourself.</p>