Few questions about upping SAT-score

[Osmosis Mom]

Dd took the SAT this spring. As she retakes it, then is her highest component going to be the one they take into account, right? She got a good writing score (9), but a less impressive critical reading score so are they going to add these together or take the highest writing and the highest critical reading? Which brings me to asking what you recommend for enhancing her critical reading skills? I seem to think I should get her somethng from Critical Thinking, but would like to see what the consensus is. For math, she is reviewing viw CD SAT's review and is going to re-do TT Geometry with the DVDs this time.

[Laurie4b]

Dd took the SAT this spring. As she retakes it, then is her highest component going to be the one they take into account, right? She got a good writing score (9), but a less impressive critical reading score so are they going to add these together or take the highest writing and the highest critical reading? Which brings me to asking what you recommend for enhancing her critical reading skills? I seem to think I should get her somethng from Critical Thinking, but would like to see what the consensus is. For math, she is reviewing viw CD SAT's review and is going to re-do TT Geometry with the DVDs this time.

 

Each college does SAT scores differently, but it is common for a college to take the highest score from each section and use those scores; so to answer your question, if she scores lower in writing next time but higher in critical reading, they will take the first writing score and the second critical reading score.

 

I'll be interested to see what others say about the critical reading. My guess is that the answer is different depending on why her score is lower than you'd hoped for. Some kids are excellent readers but have trouble with the tricky nature of the test questions. For those kids, I suspect multiple practice tests are best.

 

For other kids, their reading skills need to be improved. At that point, you'd need to analyze why--vocabulary? Comprehension? Speed of reading? Generally, a high school education using advanced reading materials is the best preparation--but critical reading is probably the area that is hardest to specifically target for improvement.

[MyThreeSons]

I think that a significant amount of time should be spent on test-taking strategy and skills. For example,

 

 

• 
  
• Very few, if any, questions really require use of a calculator. But if you do use a calculator, become very familiar with it.
  
• There is a "guessing penalty", but it is wise to guess in some situations
  
• Sometimes it's better to try out the possible answers rather than solve the problem the traditional way
  
• Always go back and make sure you've answered what they've asked for -- they will often have a partial answer as one of the choices
  
• Make use of illustrations. If it doesn't say "not to scale", it is to scale.
  
• Make sure you know how to do the grid-in answers properly!
  

 

Practice test books are good, but make sure you don't skip over the strategy sections!!

 

HTH

[Osmosis Mom]

Laura and Laurie -Thanks for answering.

 

She needed to work on her geometry, but I'll show her your post, Laura. She is pretty analytical so I think she can use your advice.

 

I think her vocabulary is less than exceptional which might be one of the reasons behind the low critical reading score. Well, it wasn't that low, but we are trying to up her score in general. She feels bored with the regular vocab workbooks so I'll have to think what how to help her in this area.

[readwithem]

For about a month before her test date, my dd did one timed section (25 min or so) of the test each day (from CB's "blue book"). She alternated and of course there were some days she didn't have time for a section, but she probably did 20-25 sections total. She developed strategies for reading the test, finishing timely, reviewing, etc.

[klmama]

She feels bored with the regular vocab workbooks so I'll have to think what how to help her in this area.

 

I don't recall the name of the book, but I remember reading about a method that helped a young woman improve her vocabulary skills. Her father had her read some hard book - Pride and Prejudice comes to mind - and highlight every word she didn't know. She then had to look them up in a dictionary, write out the definitions, and practice them in the evening with her father. It seems she had a required minimum number of pages to read daily - 20 maybe? In the beginning, she spent hours on that because of the time it took to look up all the words. As she went along, her knowledge of the words she had learned helped her read more and more pages a day with fewer problems. Anyway, it expanded her vocabulary, and it also expanded his as he learned what she had learned!

[Osmosis Mom]

I don't recall the name of the book, but I remember reading about a method that helped a young woman improve her vocabulary skills. Her father had her read some hard book - Pride and Prejudice comes to mind - and highlight every word she didn't know. She then had to look them up in a dictionary, write out the definitions, and practice them in the evening with her father. It seems she had a required minimum number of pages to read daily - 20 maybe? In the beginning, she spent hours on that because of the time it took to look up all the words. As she went along, her knowledge of the words she had learned helped her read more and more pages a day with fewer problems. Anyway, it expanded her vocabulary, and it also expanded his as he learned what she had learned!

 

I think we'll have have to do something like that. Just pretty mother-intensive, but I guess that's what it is going to take.

[Brenda in MA]

Also Nadia,

 

If she hasn't done so already, have her try the ACT instead. Ds found it less intensive on the vocabulary sections, and many fewer "trick" questions. All the colleges he looked at took either the ACT or SAT.

 

Best wishes,

Brenda

[Osmosis Mom]

She is going to take the ACT, but due to some jealousy-issues then she wants to perform great on the SAT to be different from older sister.

[coopers5]

I really don't think there's any substitute for having students read challenging - challenging - literature - the great works - works that can be intimidating - regularly and requiring their analysis of it.

 

I just don't think kids will score high on CR without reading hard stuff, regularly. They've got to sit down and tackle the hard stuff.

 

Studying vocabulary cards, that's not going to do it.

They are a nice enhancement - but a regular analysis of challenging literature is the best way.

 

If you have younger children - keep this in mind as they are coming up - lots of reading, discussion, read through the summer. Don't just let them choose their books at the library; you help. Or they choose two easy reads - you choose one hard one, etc.

[Osmosis Mom]

Well, this dd's strenght has never been in her vocab skills despite her reading all the stellar works. All my kids -with the exception of my technical ds 11- read great literature (and less strenous on occasion).

 

I liked the idea of her actually working from one of her books and a Jane Austen should work.