SAT questions, re-test?

[BlsdMama]

DD takes the SAT November for the second time.

 

We've done relatively little prep up until this month.  We took a practice test yesterday.  Critical Reading was almost 700 and Writing was 650 if she got an 8 on the essay - I'm assuming she'll do better than that.

 

Two questions:

 

SuperScoring - If I send in these Nov. scores, if she takes it again later this year and improves, will the colleges see both scores?

 

Improvement - If we were to spend a couple of months working at prep consistently, would we see much movement on those scores?  Two 700+ might be nice.

 

(She is weak in Math.)

[regentrude]

DD takes the SAT November for the second time.

Two questions:

SuperScoring - If I send in these Nov. scores, if she takes it again later this year and improves, will the colleges see both scores?

Yes. Some colleges request that all scores are reported. Some request only the highest. Some superscore, others do not.

This said: your signature says your DD is a senior. What admissions deadlines is she looking at? For any school with a December deadline, those scores will not be in time to be considered for admission.

 

ETA: Most colleges do not care about the Writing score, but look only at Critical reading and math.

 

Can't comment on improvement, sorry.

[BlsdMama]

She's a senior debating on an extended year ( late graduation) or a gap year. We're weighing our options.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

DD takes the SAT November for the second time.

 

We've done relatively little prep up until this month.  We took a practice test yesterday.  Critical Reading was almost 700 and Writing was 650 if she got an 8 on the essay - I'm assuming she'll do better than that.

 

Two questions:

 

SuperScoring - If I send in these Nov. scores, if she takes it again later this year and improves, will the colleges see both scores?

 

Improvement - If we were to spend a couple of months working at prep consistently, would we see much movement on those scores?  Two 700+ might be nice.

 

(She is weak in Math.)

 

If you sent the first set of scores, and you sent the Nov set, then yes, a school will see both.  Whether they superscore depends on the school.  I'd wait until you see what the other scores look like, then send whichever, or both.

 

As for prep -- that happens to be my side job.   Go get the McGraw Hill SAT book by Christopher Black;  it's the best I've found and the one I use with my  clients.  That 650 will go up with some grammar work, and she's only about 5 questions away from a 700.  There are 15 things the SAT tests in grammar, which is not huge -- get better at those few things and the number can really go up.   Black's book also has an excellent chapter on essay prep -- especially page 444!

 

I'd still go through the math chapters, since I've seen even weak math students bang out a 600 after prep.  The funky thing about SAT math is that it isn't all math.   Only the SAT takes a concept from 2nd grade and combines it with a concept from 9th grade and turns the whole thing sideways.

 

Some of it is straight semantics:  Most people would say "10 minus 6 equals 4."  The SAT might say "When 6 is subtracted from 10, the result is an integer greater than 3."   Reading left to right, it's all too easy to think "6-10."

 

There are flashcards in the back of the book and a great vocab section in the front.   There's room for improvement, even in her 700.  If she works through all of the Black book, then get the Official SAT Guide for practice tests.  That guide has theory in the front, but I find it to be not terribly helpful.

 

[BlsdMama]

We started PWN the SAT last week with the blue book. I was really certain the reason her math scores were not what we wanted due to the amount of math she's completed. It is a contributing factor BUT with this book, I can see it's a lot more about reasoning and sitting through the problem ( disgusting out how to solve) than doing the math. We're working on plugging in and backsolving now.

 

We haven't sent any scores yet. She has wanted a gap year and I spoke with her first choice selection yesterday. They don't frown on a gap year as long as it was intentional rather than a lack of motivation on the part of the student.

 

Which means we have some time to our advantage here to hike up her score.

 

This was our first practice test this school year. She took the SAT last year with no prep. So, next month will be her second, but if she does the gap year, then we have a little more time. I'll look into Black's book. I am enjoying PWN the SAT.

[Kareni]

To raise math scores, she needs to work problems and figure out how to reason thru them quickly rather than plug & chug.  A helpful site is freevocabulary dot com...scroll down and print out the SAT Math Notes.  Scroll all the way to the bottom and click the link on the right and print out his 'seminar math problems'.

 

 

This looks good, Heigh Ho.  Thanks for sharing the information.

 

As for prep -- that happens to be my side job.   Go get the McGraw Hill SAT book by Christopher Black;  it's the best I've found and the one I use with my  clients. 

 

...  If she works through all of the Black book, then get the Official SAT Guide for practice tests. 

 

Tom,

 

Thanks for this, too.  May I ask if these two resources are the only ones you use in your tutoring?  I'm particularly interested in math prep materials.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Tom,

 

Thanks for this, too.  May I ask if these two resources are the only ones you use in your tutoring?  I'm particularly interested in math prep materials.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Yes, I use the McGraw Hill book for lesson content and section practice.  If a student needs additional practice, that's where the Blue Book comes in.

 

The way McGraw Hill breaks down math makes a lot of sense, as do the alternative techniques the book illustrates.  A dirty little secret of SAT math is that it's not all math.  Although the College Board states plainly that the SAT is not a logic test, some of the math questions certainly are more logic than computation.  That's why a student who just finished half of algebra II can do as well as the Calc A-B whiz.  Actually, I've had advanced calc kids who had to learn to slow down and not take the most complicated path to an answer.  The SAT tends to be a bit of a leveler like that,

[Kareni]

Yes, I use the McGraw Hill book for lesson content and section practice.  If a student needs additional practice, that's where the Blue Book comes in.

 

...

Many thanks for the added insights, Tom!

 

Regards,

Kareni