Hey everyone! So, these are my scores (not great):
CR: 650
Math: 600
Writing: 660 (Essay:11)
Total: 1910
I really want to get up to a 2250, but is a 340 pt increase unrealistic? I am currently a junior, and I am signed up for the SAT in June. What can I do until then? What pt increase do you think is realistic? Thank you in advance!
Practice and learn your mistakes.
I was basically in the same boat as you and actually improved 410 points. I would buy the official SAT study guide. (blue book)I found it really helped me more than the other books (Kaplan, Princeton Review, Barrons), because there are 10 real SATs so theres nothing better than practicing from original questions. What I did was practice taking practice exams. On the weekend I would take a practice test…then I would focus on figuring out my mistakes. After I was was 100% certain that I understood everything I got wrong, I would take another practice exam and just repeat that process. I would also check out this site - TheAnaProject.com …lots of great SAT tutorial videos.
I hope that helps!
I went up 300 points in total by taking practice exams and recruiting a teacher to help me in my weakest subject (math).
Going up 340 is not unrealistic. But obviously going up 340 from a 1300 is easier than going up 340 from a 1900. Best of luck
First off you have 4 months so don’t panic.
You should take some more practice exams from the SAT Online Course or from the Blue Book. Go over your mistakes and analyze why you got them wrong (Ex: Didn’t know grammar concept such as verb tenses or didn’t read the passage carefully enough etc.)
Then you should buy some Vocab Books like Direct Hits or The Insider’s Guide to SAT Vocabulary.
Vocab, if you know the words, is almost like free points.
Reading: Learn to read passages more carefully and don’t pick the “right” choice like: “Slaves should deserve more rights” or “Neil Armstrong was an idol to Americans.”
Pick the choice that is in concord with the Author’s point of view and the theme of the passage.
Writing: Study some basic grammar concepts like Subject Verb Agreement and Verb Tenses. Don’t use your ear when doing the Writing Section. use your knowledge about written English, and try to explain why this answer is wrong using grammar rules and not your ear.
Essay: Gather some examples and just apply them to your essay. If you have 2 good examples and you go in-depth about how they relate to the thesis (with specific details and illustrations), you should probably at least a 9.
Math: Just do math problems. Try to figure out what you don’t know. Are you making stupid mistakes (which means you know how to do it) or do you just now know how to do it. The Math SAT tests on is up to Algebra 2, so try to review your core concepts.
Finally, if you don’t know how to do a problem, just skip it. This will help save you time and it’s the worst when you run out of time for the SAT and it will lower your score by a lot.
Hope I helped. I went from a 2000 to around 2200 now, I’m taking the test in March.
Hi mczi98,
I improved my SAT score from 2050 ( Jan 2011, Junior year) to 2350 ( Oct 2011, Senior).
I did quite a bit of practice during Junior year summer with the help of a local institute.
Jan, 2011: Reading:680; Math: 700; Writing: 670
Oct, 2011: Reading:780; Math: 780; Writing: 790
If a higher score is important to you here are my recommendations :
1) Take the test in October to give yourself summer time to practice.
2) Do not take the test in June as you need to focus on your Junior year grades (I had heavy AP courses).
3) After doing all preparation in the months before:
totally relax on the day before the exam.
Have good sleep the night before
( I went to Disneyland the day before Oct 1. 2011 exam. )
You also can achieve if you practice well and get suitable help to fix YOUR mistakes.
I wish you Good Luck!
S went from a 195 PSAT to 2250 SAT in 3 months.
The answer to OP’s question is yes, it’s unrealistic, but - as some posts here attest - it’s not entirely impossible. I would advise the OP to build his or her list of colleges based on who and what he or she is NOW, not based on a very unlikely scenario in the future. I have posted the basic facts elsewhere, but will repeat them here. They come from the College Board itself. Remember,they have a vested, material interest in encouraging students to take the SAT as many times as possible. Their official statistics show that the majority of students (approximately 55%) will improve their scores when they retake the test. Ten percent of the students who re-take have no change, and 35% actually decrease. Of those whose test scores increase, though, the average 3-score improvement is 50 points. That means that raising your score by more than 50 points is statistically less likely than lowering it. The increases described above are extremely unusual. You are only setting yourself up for disappointment if you decide to apply to colleges where you would need scores of 2200, or even 2000, to get in. If your score skyrockets, then you can add some reaches (those ultra-selective colleges will still be reaches), and drop a safety or low-match. I also encourage you to set your sights realistically, so that an increase of, say, 100 points will be a justifiable cause for celebration and not a disappointment.