<p>My little sister is a sophomore and just took her first PSAT 162 and Practice SAT's 1500...can she get those scores up by junior year if she takes private tutoring and studies all summer? </p>
<p>Her goal is to get 2000-2100...is it even possible to get a score up that high based on the PSAT and SAT scores? (Even if she's willing to put in the effort 110%?)</p>
<p>Absolutely. I didn't take the SATs until 11th grade and my first time around, I got a 1900. After studying with a private tutor, and taking the test for a second time, my score went up almost three hundred points.</p>
<p>I took it twice, first time got a 1930, second time I had a 2170. I improved Writing and CR both 130 points, and superscore gave me the 2190. I didn't use a private tutor, classes, or anything, I just did some problems out of the official test prep book.</p>
<p>yes.</p>
<p>what was her rundown for each section of the PSAT?</p>
<p>*Obviously, her worst sections call for the most study time, and the CB tips on the PSAT score report are VERY important to take note of</p>
<p>for each section these seem to be widely accepted as study methods...or at least by all the high scorers I have talked to...</p>
<p>--CR--
*study word lists for the vocab...eliminate answers that dont make sense if only some of the words are familiar</p>
<p>*make sure to actually read passages. While it takes time, its really the only way you can pick up the tone and what the writer is implying, which almost always is 1/2 questions and can make or break a CR score</p>
<p>--M--</p>
<p>*review the concepts. THOROUGHLY.</p>
<p>*learn the tricks and how CB will try to mess her up
(both the above can be found in any decent review book)</p>
<p>--W--
*amass an army of possible essay ideas. Practice writing a handful of times, usually with a practice test -- making an outline in 3 minutes can also be good practice to see if she will be prepared for possible essay prompts which all have to do with basically the same things</p>
<p>*practice practice practice the grammar rules; they are what they are, and they must be learned for a good score on the W section</p>
<p>The CB bluebook is an obvious must. Taking 4 of the 8 as actual practice tests and using the other 4 for practice problems un-timed is considered a good use of the BB.</p>
<p>So, yes. it is possible...especially if she'll be putting in %110 effort. Learn the tricks and have some idea of the concepts, and a 2100 or even 2200 is easily attainable</p>
<p>In my sophomore year I got a 158 on the PSAT. In my junior year I got a 168. </p>
<p>First SAT- 1850
Second SAT- 1940
Final try (after a decent amount of prep, but nothing extreme)- 2100</p>
<p>It can be done. That's a 520 point increase. The absolute best book for math is Gruber's, if I used it more I'm sure I could have gotten my math over a 700. Barrons is also pretty good for math. For writing I've heard Rocket Review is good, but I basically just used the BB and went over every single writing section in the practice tests. Reading is tricky. I didn't study for reading because it's the only section I'm naturally good at. Some people think studying vocab is useless, but I actually think it's worth doing. I have a larage vocabulary, but everyone could brush up on definitions. Flashcards are good.</p>
<p>PSAT she recieved 53cr 50m 59w. She's more worried about the SAT's 400m 550cr 560w...but it definetely seems possible for her to raise the SAT score from what you all have said. Thank you all for the advice/info!</p>
<p>first sat: 1920
second: 1960
both junior year</p>
<p>senior year: third sat: 2210.</p>
<p>Absolutely, just need to find the right approach to prep and build a good study habit to keep on, because once you lose focus, then it will take forever to prep and score won't improve. Get some help around here~</p>
<p>theres definitely room for improvement. after a few practice tests, the answers pop out at you, especially for the cr and writing sections. as for vocab, that just requires time and commitment and if she does vocab in school.
i got a 164 psat freshman year then 207 junior year</p>
<p>My youngest child is a girl and currently a freshman in hs. She definately needs practice tips for preparing for the SAT. I read the prev. posts and I'm wondering what BB stands for? and also what CB bluebook is?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>CB bluebook and BB are the same thing... The Official SAT Study Guide by CollegeBoard. It's a big blue book that you can order from just about any online retailer or pick up at your local book store. I think it's about $25. From the suggestions I've read on this board, it is recommneded that you use this book alone for practice, since it's created by the makers of the SAT and therefore the practice tests will follow the same psychology. If you go through all of the practice tests in that book, you can sign up for CollegeBoard's online practice course and get more practice tests not found in the book. Then if you still want/need more practice, there's the older version of the blue book, which is 10 Real SATs.</p>
<p>I got around a 1900 the first time I took it and raised it to a 2170 when I took it again this year. And I did no studying/tutor/classes or anything. </p>
<p>Huh, I wonder how I'd do if I actually tried on things?</p>
<p>a friend of mine went from 1500's-1800's in 1 month.</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore and I took the PSAT recently. I got a lower than expected score on the critical lens and math sections. Does anyone have any tips on how I could improve my score for these two questions. I'm also confused on how to approach the writing section. Should I read through the passages or skim through them. Also, how should I manage my time and how many questions should I skip?
Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks</p>
<p>I do not recommend following UPW's ideas, those are far too time consuming and do not usually equate to a significantly increased score. I highly recommend reading over Xiggi's SAT book and purchasing Grammatix. The only thing I did for PSAT prep was purchase the BB and did one CR passage every night for 3 weeks and improved my score 130 points.</p>
<p>i'd definetly agree that what I outlined is lengthy. The OP seemed to indicate "a whole summer of studying"; of course different studying methods would be better if cramped for time. </p>
<p>I don't see how, however, the methods I listed "don't usually lead to higher scores". They are used by the SAT review course at my school, which has 90+% improve from soph PSAT to any junior SAT by 100 pts or more</p>
<p>Study...I scored a 1730 as a soph and raised it too a 2050 by senior year</p>
<p>Sophomore Year PSAT: 160
Junior Year PSAT: 188
Junior Year SAT: 2050</p>
<p>I took prep but I also worked really hard to improve my score outside of what my tutor assigned me.</p>
<p>You do not need a tutor. It's a waste of time and money. (personal experience).
I was able to improve my score by a couple hundred just practicing and learning from my mistakes</p>
<p>I have posted this same thing many many times on this site....I had success in raising my score. 167-->2100</p>
<p>my PSAT score was a 167 when I took it in the fall of my junior year. I was kinda depressed because there were more than like 20 people who qualified for national merit and tons who scored in the 180-190 range. That kinda got me motivated. So i looked over some practice book stuff before I went to a testing center and took a diagnostic test. i got a 1780. So i guess it went up a little right away. but then i set up a schedule for a study plan. Every saturday morning from 8-10 i would meet with a study group and would work over problem sets. In addition to this I also worked sections on my own. honestly though i didn't do many until the month before the June test. I ended up doing all the bluebook tests before i took it in June. I ALWAYS timed my sections and wouldn't allow myself extra time. I thought to myself you dnt get any during the test so why should I practice with more.
As for my vocab...i would pick a couple words and try to use them during the day. i know it sounds dorky but it worked pretty well. When i used them i would always remember the words.</p>
<p>During my saturdays i ended up going through CR and Math SAT strategies books. Every month I took another diagnostic test. My second test which was at the end of april I got a 1960. Then I took another at the end of may and got a 2040.
on the June SAT i ended up getting a 2100. </p>
<p>I did all this during my spring term of school. Which was actually my busiest too because of tennis season and I was working on a rocket for a national competition. BUT!!!
As for time management It wasnt too bad until may because of AP exams, finals and SAT subject test. Most of my work was done friday nights and saturday mornings. It sucked not really having social friday nights but i just told myself it will only be 2 months of this and then it will all be over. At the end of May i cranked things up a bit and would do maybe two/three sections every other night night.(since i was only doing correct timing, that is only like 50-70 minutes every other night.) nothing insane by any means. It was just to keep my mind in SAT mode and to have it thinking like the SAT. I think people way way way way overanalyze when it comes to studying. Like it is more effective in my opinion to spread it out over time. do one section a night for 3 months and i guarantee your score in that section will go up.</p>
<p>then again i think that a lot of it was a didn't care about the PSAT at all. and then I woke up and realized i was toying with my future so i kicked into gear. </p>
<p>Good luck with your SATs and stuff. I hope that helps</p>