7th grader recently took SAT test scored 520 in English and only 480 in Math. This student hope to take SAT again at 11th grade hoping that he could achieve 1550 or above. Is that possible consider that he has years to prepare? Is it possible that he could study by himself with out a prep courses? Thank you.
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@BunnyWu Please understand a 7th, 8th and 9th grade student does not need to study for the SAT. They gain more test knowledge each year with natural class progression. The early testing is simply a tool used to measure their academic progress throughout those grades and to give them exposure to the testing environment. That is all! You cannot compare his score to that of an 11th grader; it should be compared to other 7th grade scores. His score already puts him well over the 95th percentile for his grade. A 7th grade student, even AIG, hasn’t taken the required subjects that are being tested on the SAT. Even for an AIG path, he will have only taken 1/4 of the math for the SAT by the end of 7th grade. If your 7th grader takes an honors and then an AP route, the PSAT and preACT in 10th will show what areas need improvement. After that you could decide what test prep, if any, is necessary for the official PSAT, SAT and ACT. Please take these tests in 7th-9th with a grain of salt, and please do not start pressuring your son about the score or make him start studying for the exam in middle school. I am begging you as a mom who has been down this path with a high stat, over achieving kid; please do not worry about this until at least the summer after 9th grade. The path for these kids beginning freshman year is brutal, with a lot of pressure. It is a 4 year roller coaster ride of ridiculous amounts of homework, tests, ECs, sports or music competitions, etc, etc, etc. It’s seemingly never ending, and the stress is horrendous. Top schools want to see a well-rounded, interesting and passionate student. Please let him take the time now to find some interests and passions outside of school. Enjoy and let him enjoy his last 2 years of “childhood.” There is plenty of time to stress and worry in high school. He is right where you would expect him to be for an AIG 7th grade student.
Your 7th grader is already average for an 11th grader! 1000 is very good for a student who is only in 7th grade.
Just doing well in normal middle school and high school math courses will improve his math SAT score enormously.
There are of course good SAT preparation books available. Where we live the local community center has SAT preparation courses. High schools frequently will provide SAT preparation. Also, we found a very small company near where we live (I think that the entire company was 3 people) which was very good for SAT tutoring. There is likely a similar outfit near where you live. There are quite a few options.
However, if your child is in 7th grade, you have quite a bit of time before you need to even think about SAT preparation. For now I think that your child should stay ahead in his class work, and have some fun being a child.
Read.
Lots.
Novels, newspapers, magazines, short stories, biographies, history, science - pretty much everything.
Reading netflix subtitles can be a great way of improving reading speed. I also recommend reading the passages from the SAT Practice tests over and over again.
I mean, it’s never too early to start prepping for the SAT. Reading lots of books will help. Doing the old SAT grammar sections will also greatly help with your understanding of grammar. Khan Academy provides 10 free practice tests which are very similar to what you would see on the SAT. The answer keys are also posted by the College Board.
please don’t overwhelm your kid with 4 years of studying. if anything, just encourage him to read books.
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Completely agree with @nomood . @BunnyWu , just reading your one-paragraph post made me feel stressed and anxious on your son’s behalf. He’s in 7th grade - he probably hasn’t even taken algebra yet, nor had the spurt of adolescent brain development that makes a full grasp of algebra possible. Just encourage him to do well in school and read for pleasure, and table this concern until he takes the PSAT in 10th grade. See where he is then. If you really want to carry out a stealth campaign to improve his math abilities, instrumental and choral music have been shown to have this effect. Reading and making music will enrich his life; test prep will not… and in the end he’ll do just as well or better by postponing the test prep grind for at least 2-3 years.
agreed