Total Score 1120 / 1600
Math Score 570 / 800
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score 550 / 800
I am going to take Algebra II in Sophomore year. Has anyone risen from this score and made 1500+ on their actual SATs in Junior yr? Do I have hope?
Anything is possible. D20 took the SAT in school April 2019 and scored 1400. Was unhappy with score and took it again in May after doing some test prep online and in a test prep book. Scored 1490. (Obviously, she was a junior at the time.) She also took Acc Algebra II as a soph and AP Calc AB as a junior. She felt that those classes did help with the SAT.
Will you be doing any test prep?
It’s not impossible to raise your score 400+ points, just very hard. Khan Academy has a good free study service sponsored by College Board.
@cstp28 Yes, this is the start of my test prep and I was given the timed at home SATs to see what areas I need help etc. I will be taking some form of Calc for Physics in Jr year or pre-calc summer of sophomore-Jr.
With a score like yours, it’s clear you need to review or learn the concepts tested on the SAT.
I would guess that in the history of the SAT, someone has, but it would be rare. Mostly because taking the SAT Freshman year is quite uncommon. Before that, students take it as part of talent tests and scores are automatically deleted. Starting in 9th, scores are kept, so this is now permanently on your College Board record. I’m curious why you decided to take it.
If you believe College Boards claims about what the scores represent, and chain together their expected increases over time, the expected result would be 650/640=1290.
I’m sure these results have wide variations, so anything is possible. 200+ point improvements are out of the norm
Why does a Freshman scoring better than 62% of Juniors and Seniors, on a test design for Juniors and Seniors, make this “clear”?
From my experience, the concepts tested in the SAT are meant to be aligned with what most student’s are taught their Junior year of high school.
The math tested is typically up to Advanced Algebra/Algebra 2
The EBRW and Essay are usually concepts students dive into in AP Lang, which is typically a junior year class.
This is not a test created for Freshman so it’s expected that a freshman wouldn’t do too well. Like @RichInPitt, I am curious why you choose to take it so early.
Unless they’re extremely smart and contacted to take the test early, typically freshman don’t take the SAT because they don’t know the concepts yet. There aren’t many cases of 8th graders/freshman who aren’t baby genuises taking the SAT, which is why I understand the skepticism from the other replies, but your score is bound to go up if you pay attention in class.
So yes, you can bring it up!
I don’t agree with AP Language being required prep for the SAT. EBRW is reading comprehension, logic, word choice, etc. My D scored at 99th percentile half way through 8th grade Honors English.
@RichInPitt, I do see your point. AP Lang is a stretch especially since a lot of schools don’t offer it. I was more so making an example of my own experience with the SAT, my school system doesn’t offer Honors and my lit classes were very surface level until Junior year when I took AP Lang. It isn’t a fair assumption that all schools and students would have my experience so your argument is noted.
I would say though, that the Rhetorical Analysis Essay students are taught to master in AP Lang is very helpful for the SAT Essay portion so I’d still recommend the class.
It could be the case that all regular Junior year English classes, AP Lang/Lit, and Honors English classes starting 8th grade prepare students for the EBRW/Essay. After all, it should be a goal for schools, but there’s no way to make sure of this.
I’d say AP Lang is a safe recommendation since everyone is taught the same skills but your school officials likely know better than me, especially if they keep track of scores, and they could give you a tailored recommendation.
This is your baseline. Where you are without the benefit of the sophomore and junior year curriculum under your belt and prep in the test questions so that you gain familiarity with how to read and approach the questions to get the answer within the time limits. You have plenty of time to improve your scores. I would not overly rush the process as you do need to have the base curriculum up through the end of 10th grade (especially in Math). I don’t know many people who took a real SAT that early so it is hard for me to say how your score is reflective of most people at the same age /level / grade. You have time. Don’t rush and avail yourself of the necessary prep before you go back in for another test. GL!
You should look at the charts and esp. the % for those who took it as the same age you did ( grade 9). My kids took it in 7th grade scores were not 1600 but they were 99%. Be mindful that many taking it early are naturally higher scoring since the only reason one needs to take an early SAT is for gifted programs like CTY and Duke or for a handful of scholarships for Gifted kids ( Caroline Bradley).
It’s generally not a good idea to take it in 9th grade as it stays on your record while the younger kids scores are deleted.
I did read somewhere that score rise roughly 60 points a year without prep.
Who publishes SAT percentiles at ages younger than 10th grade?
CTY and TIP publish for their students, but that’s a very, very skewed sample set and would greatly understate a general population percentile.
(Fred and his blog has way too many data errors in various postings for me to consider it to be meaningful.)
should be well on your way
If you want to improve your SAT score to a 1500+, I suggest that you review Algebra 1 and Geometry. I say this because if you practice for the SAT only, it may seem as if you have mastered the general concepts of such subjects though you haven’t. It may seem prolonged, but it’s very helpful. If you choose to do so, you should use Big Ideas Math Algebra 1 and Geometry. They’re actual math textbooks, and it covers a lot of material covered on standardized tests, such as the SAT, ACT, PSAT, SHSAT, GRE, and etc.
I don’t know what you have been told about the SATs but they are not a test of innate abilities. They are a test of how you can respond to a set of questions of a certain type. MOST IMPORTANTLY, as others have mentioned - it covers material that you have not yet studied.
The PSAT 8/9, which is the SAT, modified for 8th and 9th grade, has 1120 at the 91st percentile for freshmen.The SAT is somewhat harder, even for the material which you are expected to know, so you are doing decently well.
Practicing on test taking is not a bad idea, but the most important factor which will increase your scores by 300-400 points, even without prep, is simply learning the material in class.
If you gain mastery of the material, and learn how SAT tests are written, and develop the right strategies for testing, you’ll do well. However, there is no way to figure out just how well you will do on the SATs, not this early.