I’m applying to many mid-level schools, but my top choices are University of Michigan and Northwestern. I got a 1440 on my first SAT, a 1320 on my PSAT, but I’m retaking the SAT in June. I got a:
780 on Math
660 on EBRW
I got a 710 on my EBRW for the PSAT, so I know I can bring that back up. But is it possible to raise my score significantly?
It’s always possible to raise your score. Anyone is capable of getting a 1600.
I’ve read that 130 points improvement is possible.
Take full-length, timed practice tests on Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat
Speaking as an SAT tutor, yes you can raise your score. The mid-15s is a realistic goal for you.
I would almost exclusively focus on EBRW if I were you. The most you can improve in math is 20 points. You are probably already capable of hitting an 800 on math, you just need to make sure not to make careless mistakes. If you do want to do some math practice, though, I’d recommend the official SAT practice tests–the 8 online plus the few that are circulating on reddit. Additionally, the math section of the GRE (a standardized test for grad school admissions) is similar in many ways to SAT math, but it is consistently harder. I often assign GRE math practice sections to my higher level students.
That being said, you should devote most of your efforts to EBRW. First, if you haven’t already, do an official SAT practice test and score it. Look at the answers you got wrong and try to understand why you got them wrong. Chances are, unless you are already flawless or nearly flawless on the writing section, you will need to review various grammar rules. Make sure you know and understand those rules through and through and make sure you know how to apply them. There are also composition questions which are a little trickier–try to get good at those as well. There are some strategies for them, but I am not sure that there is any good resource that explains these strategies. You are smart, though, so you should be able to figure them out.
With regards to the reading section, here are several pieces of advice:
Do you feel like there are a lot of words in the passages that you are unfamiliar with? If so, you should probably study vocab. This is a straightforward way to increase comprehension of passages.
Do the practice sections untimed (not in a rush at all) at first until you have at least the reading score you want, or preferably a higher score than the one you want. The goal here is to understand how to read the passages, how to deliberate over answer choices, how to look for evidence, etc. Once you understand how to do all these things well, then–and only then–should you worry about timing.
Know that there is a clear cut and convincing reason why each right answer is right and why each wrong answer is wrong. Understanding the passages well, understanding the questions well, understanding how to dissect lines in the passage, and understanding how to look for evidence are the skills you will need to develop to find this clear cut reason.
As you take practice tests (and this really goes for all sections) draw a star next to any problem you are not completely confident about.
Go over the questions you got wrong and the ones you starred. Try to understand why the right answers were right and why the wrong answers were wrong. There are official explanations online. Try not to use these at first. Once you have gone over all the problems you got wrong or starred, then you can look at the explanations.
If you have any questions, let me know. I hope this helps!