<p>Our daughter is a junior in high school and she took the new SAT for the first time in Jan. and she scored a 570 on math, 570 on critical reasoning, and a 560 on the writing section which gave her a total of 1700. She is scheduled to take it again in May to see if a second time around will improve her scores. She will be taking the ACT for the first time in April. Can anyone give us an idea on what to expect point wise if there is an improvment and do you recommend she take one of the many SAT prep tests out there beforehand? Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>i would recommend that she get a private tutor or if there's an sat workshop somewhere in ur area available. i took a workshop 30 mins away from me and it has helped me alot and it included 2 simulations</p>
<p>some people take the sat prep class at school but i've heard it doesnt do much</p>
<p>Thanks for your input and I agree with you about the prep test at school. One of her friends took a prep test four different times and she scored a 1200.....not too good.</p>
<p>My philosophy is SAT prep class/tutors can only motivate you to study for the SAT. Besides some "tips" they can give you, I think most of what you do for the SAT is individual. If your daughter has the self-motivation to study on her own, then you should save your money and just buy practice books for her to study on her own. If not, then a class/tutor could work.</p>
<p>for CR - memorize vocab/read more/practice
Math - know all needed formulas and just practice
Writing - know grammar rules and just practice</p>
<p>I think Cr is the hardest to improve, but overall the SAT is not a hard test if you know how to approach it, and are prepared</p>
<p>also remember to read answer explanations to understand why you got the question wrong</p>
<p>That's true Cory. Just for personal experience, I am bombarded with a constant workload from my AP Classes, so I would have never studied without the workshop. Having to go to the workshop for 8 sundays in a row forced me to do the work and practice.</p>
<p>Is SAT Prep recommended? 100% yes.</p>
<p>Prepping, yes. You need to see how she can endure a very long test, it's a test of stamina also. I packed special food that gives my daughter lasting energy.</p>
<p>Very good point.....she tends to go strong in the early part of the day and then level off around 8 or 9 p.m. Good thing these tests are always early. I will make sure she packs a healthy snack too.</p>
<p>I am realizing that the definition of Sat prep is practice, practice, practice and it doesn't really matter if you do it on your own, in a group , or with a tutor as long as you have the right material and are putting the time in becoming familiar with it. Correct?</p>
<p>This sounds like the best alternative for us as we spent sooo much $ on chemistry tutors during first semester. She is self-motivated and I think if I even mention signing her up to work with a tutor for SAT prep that will be all is needed to get her started studying on her own. She scored a 1700 first go round and is taking it again on May 5th. Hopefully with some additional preparation on her own she can raise her score although for most of the colleges she is planning on applying to 1700 is not a bad score. She wants to pursue a degree in middle or high school education and attend a small college here in N.C.</p>
<p>Thanks Cory.....sounds doable and makes sense and she needs to put forth the effort if she truly wants to raise her score. We just cannot afford the $1500 + that tutors here charge for the SAT prep course and her school doesn't offer a class, and I've heard they aren't usually the best route to go. We're just trying to be realistic here.....she isn't going to apply to an Ivy League school just to major in middle or high school education and she knows she wants to attend a small school somewhere here in NC. The only school she is thinking about applying to that would be considered a stretch for her would be UNC-Carolina and that would be a possibility if she can get her SAT score around 1900, but she will probably decide against it since it is a large school.</p>
<p>SAT prep courses aren't necessary. Honestly I don't think there is too, too much anyone can do to raise their score. It's really supposed to be an aptitude test, not a achievement test- that's what the SAT IIs are for. I took the test once, never studied for it, and got a 2270. </p>
<p>Her scores in all three areas are pretty similar, but work with your daughter and ask her which section she felt the most comfortable with. The math on the SAT isn't very hard- I think that would be easier to pick up in the short run than some of the more complicated grammar rules for the CR section. </p>
<p>Just make sure she spends more time on her actual schoolwork than on SAT test prep, because in the end, all it'll help her with is the SAT.</p>
<p>Thanks.....why does this subject seem to be so half & half? It seems like it all depends on who you talk to about what direction to take. I keep reminding myself that she isn't wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer or attend Harvard or Yale.....she is way too down to earth for that and I think it's important to try and match ones college choices with ones personality and likes and dislikes. Our daughter is a sweet, simple, funny, trusting and loving person and all she has ever really wanted to do is teach. We want her to do what she wants to do, what she feels she will be good at, but if she majors in education we are encouraging her to get her master's in case she finds teaching to be to binding and rigid then she could move into adminstration where she would hopefully have more input. Our daughter attended private Christian school (speaking of rigid) until her sophomore year when she decided to switch to a public school and she loves it. I know it is so tempting for a young person to go after the high paying jobs which often requires a grueling expensive college education but my husband retired from the fire dept. after 25 years of service only to start his own business making three times the money he was used to making BUT now he has three times the pressure and responsibility managing a business that employs 50 people. Life is always a trade-off I guess but don't be fooled by thinking those high paying careers don't come with their own 'price'.</p>
<p>i really think sat prep can improve scores. idk, quark, some people are just naturally able. this girl i know who happens to be a pothead (lol) took the sat for the first time got a perfect score on english and a combined in the 1400s, i dont know what overall was, probably high i can't imagine her not getting in the 700s for writing (all without any prep) not everyone is though. practice does make perfect. i get a's in all of my ap classes yet i can't get in the 1400-500s naturally, so i had a workshop i attended and am hoping to practice a bit more for the next time i take it in june.</p>
<p>my brother took a prep class...and his scores went down.
i have a friend who took a gre prep class...and she scored only 20 points higher.</p>
<p>it depends on your learning style. i am very stubborn and need to work at my own time and pace and focus on specific things that make me nervous, studying as much or as little as i deem necessary. i never took an SAT class (went up 300 points on my own) or a GRE class (scored 99th percentile), just because i know what i personally have to work on.</p>
<p>the number one tip i would give to anyone studying for standardized tests is to take as many practice versions as possible. there will be NO surprises when you actually take the test.</p>
<p>So....the moral of this story is to start smoking alot of pot BEFORE you take the SAT for the first time?!? Darn....I forgot to tell my 16 year old daughter that, what kind of mother am I???? ! JUST KIDDING.......I did find this funny though. You kids keep me laughing and feeling young.....again. I am a product of the 70's.....need I say more?</p>
<p>I think critical reading is the part most like an "aptitude" test, because it's the most difficult to study for. People who are just regular readers always seem to have an easy time with it, while people who rarely read outside of school seem to struggle. From what I've seen at least. </p>
<p>However, I think Math and Writing are easily raise-able. Maybe if you're not a natural math person, it could be a little difficult, but as long as you know all the formulas and how to apply them, it shouldnt be that hard. It might take just a little creative thinking though. Writing is just grammar rules, and how easily/quickly you can spot errors in sentences by applying those rules. Know all the rules and the writing shouldnt be a problem.</p>
<p>My D prepped. 2 weeks over Christmas and she went from 2050 or 2090 to 2350. Her actual SAT is 2300 in Jan 07. She kept getting stuck at 2150 for a long time and said she did say she was not smart enough to get to 2300+ but after a while she got the test pattern and scored 2350 from an actual SAT that she took from collegeboard online. At that point ,she realized she could stop and did. Her goal was 2400 first time because somebody we knew did get 2400 hundred after prepping. I did spend $60 for prep books and got the free online SAT.
Motivation for higher test score is merit aid, the higher the SAT and GPA, the higher chance she may get some scholarship money because our EFC is very high. No ambition for Ivies for D.</p>
<p>Can you explain more about "the test pattern" as I have heard this mentioned several times before and not sure what it means. D and I looked over her SAT test and scores this morning in preparation for when she takes it again in May. She will be taking the ACT in April. Thanks.</p>
<p>Ehh, the SAT isn't really an aptitude test if we define 'aptitude' as innate ability. I took an SAT practice test 3 or 4 months ago out of curiousity and, surprisingly, I got something in the low 600s for math. I bought a book of practice tests and just did about 4 practice math sections. Got my practice scores into the 750-800 range. </p>
<p>The writing section of the test can DEFINITELY be prepped for (it's just knowing mechanics) and the critical reading, while the most difficult to prep for, can be learned through voracious reading and poring over vocabulary lists. </p>
<p>I've taken both IQ tests and the SAT and if IQ tests measure innate ability, then the SAT certainly doesn't.</p>