Hi-should a student who is starting out as a junior with a reasonable English SAT score (600) but a very low math SAT score (400) even spend time on SAT prep? I know there are real limits to how much a score can be improved. I’m thinking she can improve her English score (especially in the writing section) but I think it will be a struggle to get past 500 on the Math. She’d learn some real math along the way but retaining math skills has always been a challenge for her. This student has reasonable grades (high 80s and low 90s) but only in non-honors classes. Obviously, we are not looking at selective schools–we will focus on schools where there is a wider range of abilities. The student has many other strengths that will serve her well such as being very hard working, fantastic personality that will work well in anything that involves sales, very organized, highly motivated, etc. This student is interested in currently pursuing either Psychology or Communications so I don’t think many math courses will be in her future (I have to check if Psychology does). We live in New York State and almost all of the SUNY Schools require the SAT. The score she has now is below the 25th percentile for all of the SUNY schools she’d be interested in. We of course will look at other schools but a very poor math score may mean that the SUNY schools are out.
Thoughts?
Personally I think test prep can help a lot. There are patterns and certain kinds of problems that appear consistently and a good prep course could make a big difference.
Since she is a junior, she has time to improve her score. Most of the kids I know test early in their junior year to see where they need to improve.
I would do some prep - even the best students benefit from a little test prep, and retest in the spring.
It may depend on the reason for the low math score:
- General math skills.
- SAT math skills.
- SAT (not math specific) test taking skills.
In the latter two cases, SAT prep for those specific skills can matter significantly. General math skills may improve as the student progresses in the math courses in high school.
Some students do better on the ACT than the SAT, while others do better on the SAT than the ACT.
Psychology will require at least one course in statistics, and probably a research methods class where being comfortable with numerical data will be helpful.
I personally think it’s worth a little prep, assuming she’s interested and willing.
Adding to the above good advice, timing of tutoring and taking the test depends on what math class the student currently is taking. If algebra 2, scores should improve just by virtue of taking that class. In that case, your student might wait until april/may of jr year to take the SAT, and begin prep a few months before then.
thank you. She is taking Algebra 2 now.
Do not give up just yet! Over the years, I have seen many, many students improve from 400 to the mid 500s (and sometimes higher). Not all of them, but enough that it is not a rarity. But the first thing they all have to learn is this: go MUCH slower!
So for example, in the non-calc, consider going so slow that you only answer maybe 1 - 12 and the first couple of grid-ins, taking random guesses on the multiple choice that you don’t get to.
Same idea in the calculator section…maybe answer 1-20 (at most) and maybe 3 or 4 grid-ins, using all of that extra time to fight more stubbornly on the easy and medium questions. Again, random guesses on the multiple choice questions you don’t actually have time to work on.
For a kid who starts at 400, this approach is more likely to have an impact than anything they learn in algebra 2!
Also, you don’t have to take this advice on faith: have her sit and take a timed test doing it this way (using one of the official released tests, ideally #5, #6, #7 or #8). Score it and see what happens…
If she’s taking Algebra II now, it’s likely that she simply hasn’t learned enough math yet to hit a reasonable score in that section. I’m an SAT tutor, and I can tell you that this is a very common “problem” with juniors. I’d recommend starting prep in January with the goal of taking the test in the spring, or doing some prep over the summer with the goal of taking the test in the fall.
In the SoCal community where I live, SAT prep (often YEARS of Saturday morning SAT courses!) is de rigeur for the ambitious, high-achieving Asian students who pack the local schools. Cultural factors aside, I don’t think that they would expend this degree of effort and resources if their collective experience did not indicate that it paid substantial dividends. Indeed, a case could be made that it is precisely such extensive preparation that goes a long way to making these “high-achieving” kids high achieving in the first place.
On a more personal note, my daughter (who took the SAT a few years ago under the 2400-point system) found that even a moderate effort at independent self-study could yield significant benefits. On her first attempt at the SAT, with virtually no prep at all, she scored a 640 on the Math section. The second time around, we got her a Barron’s study guide, and a week or two before the exam date she began working her way through it. Her Math score increased by a substantial 100 points, to 740. I believe that this increase was instrumental in helping her to win a couple of substantial merit offers and to gain admission to some top universities. I imagine that systematic prep undertaken over a longer period with some professional guidance would have had a yet greater positive effect than her more casual, self-directed effort.
In any event, prep helped her greatly (she was not a “mathy” student in high school), and I’d wager it would do the same for your student!
Absolutely have her do SAT prep!!
And get the book “Up your Score, the Insider’s Guide to the SAT.” It’s full of real strategies on beating the test. They’re the same strategies I use with my SAT classes, though I will warn you that they try so very hard to be current and hip that it becomes almost comical. That said, it’s easy reading and the strategies work.
At the level you mention, a bit of effort can bring about significant changes in score.
I also suggest that she work with the Barrons SAT book. After each exam, they have a grid telling you which topics align with which questions. She can highlight the ones she’s getting wrong. After a few sections, she’ll see which topics are costing her the most points, and attack those topics specifically.
And, sorry, but I’ll have to politely disagree with @averbank. If your daughter is getting ballpark 400’s in math, then the Algebra I and Geometry topics she’s already learned can bring her a much higher score. There aren’t enough Algebra II questions on the exam to account for all the points she’s missing. And that’s good news, since it means that higher scores are already within reach.
I totally agree with one of the posters above that if you target a 500+ score you do not have to answer all questions and specifically the hard questions. It might be one of the old Panda books if I remember correctly that it had a table of how many questions you need to work on for a certain score but that can be easily calculated but looking at the published curves on line at the College Board website. This method frees a lot of time for the student to work on the easy questions and get more correct answers. Also it might get the student a more confident feeling knowing that they do not have to go over the whole test and stress about time.
As for Algebra 2 I think it can only help. It is not that the student needs very specific advanced topics to do well but going through Algebra 2 gets you through a review of Algebra 1 and it help solidify some basic concepts. Especially if the student is not in advance classes the Algebra 2 course would be more of a basic math course that will help in general.
No worries @bjkmom! Every tutor is going to have a different experience. I find that the topics typically covered in Algebra II (linear equations, inequalities, graphs, polynomial and radical expressions, quadratic equations, functions, exponential expressions, and trigonometry) correspond nicely to the “Heart of Algebra” and “Passport to Advanced Math” sections of the SAT, and that students generally feel more confident taking the SAT in the second half of their junior year for that reason. But it’s also absolutely true that a good book can help a student bolster their existing math skills enough to see a significant improvement in their score. I really like the point @ucbalumnus made, that there are three factors to take into consideration:
* General math skills, which might improve with school alone.
* SAT math skills, which could be remedied with prep (on her own or with a tutor).
* SAT (not math specific) test taking skills, which could also be remedied with some type of prep.
So @browniemom, you’ve definitely got options!
I would absolutely do it. You may be surprised. I have a junior at a very small rural school and am looking at prep courses now and she hasn’t even taken the test yet. I think as parents we should do all we can to help them improve, even if its only 100 points.
thanks everyone!