i took my first practice test today for the NMSQT and got a 690 on the reading and writing section (35 on reading, 34 on writing). is that good? i have no idea. most people seem to get higher on here, but then it is my first practice test and i’m definitely aiming for 37s at least on both tests next time. 690 out of 760 is roughly 90/91%, so i have to take it up to 97% for sure.
The 690 would translate to above a 700 on the actual SAT which is good. Don’t worry about other people’s scores. It’s your first test so of course you will improve with studying. The vast majority of people who got 1500+ on the SAT probably started with lower scores and worked their way up.
@sciencenerd123 thank you! that’s very reassuring
I only got a 680 on the reading/writing portion of the PSAT and a 1390 overall, but got a 1550 (with 750 reading/writing) the only time I took the SAT, so yes, you can improve. The difference between the two scores is because I never prepped for the PSAT, but did for the actual SAT. If that’s your first test, you’re in good shape to improve.
@summerhazed I’ve heard that multiple times. For instance, someone scores a 1270 as a sophomore, but then they get a 1320 as a junior and then they end up getting like a 1510 on the actual SAT. I’ve heard of this at least five times.
@user2003 When I did the PSAT as a sophomore I got a 1120, as a junior, I got a 1320, (680 reading 640 math) The collegeboard offers you a potential SAT score range, my score range for reading was around a 660-760 I believe, and a 620 - 720 for math. I ended up getting 740 reading and 700 math. Don’t worry all that much about it, just remember to study and take practice tests to ensure you are on the higher end of that range. I studied about 4 months for the SAT, and did 3 practice tests a month, as well as Khan Academy, and did over 1500 problems on there. I believe for most people (atleast at my school) they end up with a score around 100-200 points higher than there PSAT on the last time they take the test. In my group of friends we all scored around 1270-1380 on the PSAT as juniors and ended up with scores about 100-200 points higher than our PSAT. Do not take what I am saying as “Oh I do not need to study anymore” we would have had the same PSAT score on the SAT if we did not study, so make sure you do practice tests, and Khan Academy, and possibly even UWorld if you can pay for it. If you stick to a good study schedule on Khan, and do 3 practice tests a month you will improve! I also think another reason for my score improvement is that I did my math section w/o a calc. as I forgot mine lol. So I was pretty much screwed on a few of the math with calc problems. But yeah, if you study I highly doubt your score will not improve, there are already a few people on this thread telling you about there success.
I really didn’t study that much. I just used Khan Academy and took 7 practice tests the weeks leading up to the exam. For math, which was my biggest improvement, I just watched all of their videos to review, and I ended up with an 800. The reading section I did not prepare for well enough, as I got a 36 on it, the same as the PSAT. However, my writing was a 39, but I didn’t study for that specific section. I got really lucky to get a 1550, since the practice test I took just before the exam was a 1490, but it’s definitely possible to improve over 150 points even without much studying.
I got an 1100 on the PSAT and ended up with a 1520 ¯_(ツ)_/¯
My best advice is do the College Board practice tests. The real SAT is very, very similar, and I would have done much worse on the test without the practice because it employs many of the same question formats as the real SAT. Give it a try!
update- i gave a second one today and got 37 on reading!!! writing wasn’t as good; i got the same score (a 34), probably because i got tired and finished it in a hurry. that makes a 710 out of 760, which is good i think, but i’m aiming for even higher next time
That’s good for being a year out from the test!
How’s your math score? That is, if you have a baseline for that. If you stay consistent with the preparation and take advantage of the Khan Academy prep, you should have great odds regardless of where you live. I say that because NM qualification is determined by state of residence, so it’ll be harder if you’re in Texas, California, or basically the entire Northeast. Best wishes!
@gotted711 thanks! i’m trying to cover the syllabus before i give the math section. i’ve never had any exposure to the us curriculum, so i’m going to have to study math according to what they teach you guys right from 7th to 10th grade. i have no idea what to do to do that, though. i’ll probably use khan academy, but i want to ask if you know any good (math) textbooks or workbooks for those grades? i don’t want to miss a single topic. i’m kind of lost, but i think i’m supposed to start from what you call pre-algebra?
Yep. If you don’t have a definite curriculum to study, Khan Academy will probably beat any workbook out there because KA is partnered with the company that makes the test (College Board). They also have like 7 old tests that you can print out and take, along with some decent answer explanations so you can see which skills you should apply where. And if you do the diagnostic tests online, KA will automatically tailor your practice to focus on skills that you don’t have mastered, so you won’t waste time with easy problems