PAST vs SAT

When I took the PSAT Freshman year, I hadn’t known it was happening until it did. There was no prepwork, no warning as to what would be on the test, nothing. My score came out as 580 in reading and 610 in math. The PSAT is out of 1520, so that isn’t an 1190. I looked up percentiles (What percentile of PSAT am I, what does that correlate to on SAT scores) and it’s not perfect, but it translates to around a 1290. The school I’m looking at (Northwestern) typically admits people in the 1480-1580 zone, but since my GPA is below average for them, I want to compensate by aiming for the upper area of that, or possibly even getting a 1600 (doubtful, but would help a lot). Most people will say that you usually can’t improve your score by 300-400 points, and I agree and wouldn’t want to rely on that. However, I’d assume that that basic rule is taken given that the initial test was prepared for. This was not. I want to know if studying at all would bring me to a point where I’m in a range close enough that intense studying and prep programs would bring it up to that 1540-1600 range (don’t know if that made sense, but you get the gist). Does it sound like I’m in a place where that would be possible?

I think you certainly have the potential to make huge gains by studying diligently for the SAT. You’re already ahead of the game by taking the PSAT during freshman year. At the same time, I’d discourage you from limiting your college list to schools that demand that big of a jump in score. Start exploring some incredible safeties and matches now, and choose a reach later.

I got a 1260 on the psat sophomore year (freshman year it was 160/240-- the scale was different) and then 1390 junior year and then later junior year i took the sat and got a 1500, so dont worry