PSAT between sophomore & junior year scores...

[justkeepswimming]

Is it reasonable for a diligent student to work toward an 18-20 point increase between sophomore and junior year taking the PSAT?  The weak spots are the expected weak areas, things we're already working on this year.  

 

Just not sure what the normal jump between most student's sophomore and junior scores are?  Anyone have any btdt experience? :)

 

(leaving this post here in case others do have btdt experience, but enlisted Dr. Google and found that a 20 point gap should be doable, especially considering the weak spots aren't hard-to-fix weak areas.)  :hurray:

[Hoggirl]

Somewhere I read that the *average* increase between sophomore and junior years is 10 points. My ds's score went up by 17 points just as one "real life experience."

[readwithem]

My dc's score increased about 30 points - it's been about 5 years so my memory is hazy.  She took it cold in 10th grade and did a practice test to prepare for 11th grade.  

We also moved the summer before her junior year, and the school where she took it in 11th grade was WAY better for a testing environment.

[Luckymama]

Ds's score went up by 12, I think. His score started out quite high.

 

Dd's went up by 25ish points.

[Ann.without.an.e]

nevermind, I will make my own topic and not hijack yours, lol.

[Elise]

We are still waiting on test scores for our junior, but I'd say that my girls' scores seem to go up about 10 points a year. They had had all the math necessary before their first go at it, so there wasn't a huge jump there. I do think test prep helps a lot!

[Kendall]

My first went up only about 10 but he had a higher sophomore score(214)

Second went up 24 I think  (had gone up 10 from freshman to sophomore)

This year by third child's score was up 31 freshman to sophomore, so I don't know what will happen next year

 

so yes, it is quite possible.  We really didn't prep except doing a few practice tests.

[TranquilMind]

Is it reasonable for a diligent student to work toward an 18-20 point increase between sophomore and junior year taking the PSAT?  The weak spots are the expected weak areas, things we're already working on this year.  

 

Just not sure what the normal jump between most student's sophomore and junior scores are?  Anyone have any btdt experience? :)

 

(leaving this post here in case others do have btdt experience, but enlisted Dr. Google and found that a 20 point gap should be doable, especially considering the weak spots aren't hard-to-fix weak areas.)  :hurray:O

Sure...oldest went up 35 points.  Some of that was due to maturity, I'm sure.  She was accelerated and each year was a total change.  I should have kept her at grade level for her benefit. 

[BakersDozen]

My 17yo raised her score 20 points with absolutely no test prep at all - just another year of English and math under her belt.  Now her score was really low especially compared to scores on this forum, but whatever, her score went up.

 

We have not received our scores for this year yet but on the last practice test (taken under real test conditions) my ds raised his score by at least 20 points and 14yod raised hers by 40 points.  This was with test prep and again, low scores comparatively.  

 

Definitely possible.

 

 

 

She was accelerated and each year was a total change.  I should have kept her at grade level for her benefit.

I learned this the hard way, too.  

[Another Lynn]

My 17yo raised her score 20 points with absolutely no test prep at all - just another year of English and math under her belt. Now her score was really low especially compared to scores on this forum, but whatever, her score went up.

 

We have not received our scores for this year yet but on the last practice test (taken under real test conditions) my ds raised his score by at least 20 points and 14yod raised hers by 40 points. This was with test prep and again, low scores comparatively.

 

Definitely possible.

 

I learned this the hard way, too.

What kind of "another year of English" resulted in natural growth/increases ? Please give specifics, thanks.

[Jen in NY]

DD#1: scores went DOWN 7 points. (?)

 

DD#2: scores went UP 12 points.

 

They both prepped about the same amount.... not sure what was up with that.

 

DD#1 did have a significant jump from PSAT scores to SAT scores though. Jury's still out on dd#2.

[snowbeltmom]

What kind of "another year of English" resulted in natural growth/increases ? Please give specifics, thanks.

I am not womanintheshoe, but my son's reading score increased from the high 60's to the high 70's between sophomore and junior years.  In his case, I don't attribute his increase to maturity.  I think in his case his score increase was do solely to improving his vocabulary. (He is the type of kid that will skip over a vocabulary word he doesn't know while reading, rather than stopping to look up the definition.)

 

Most of my son's mistakes were on sentence completion sections his sophomore year.  He went through both Direct Hits Vocabulary books over the summer and got all of the sentence completion sentences correct this year. 

[Another Lynn]

I am not womanintheshoe, but my son's reading score increased from the high 60's to the high 70's between sophomore and junior years.  In his case, I don't attribute his increase to maturity.  I think in his case his score increase was do solely to improving his vocabulary. (He is the type of kid that will skip over a vocabulary word he doesn't know while reading, rather than stopping to look up the definition.)

 

Most of my son's mistakes were on sentence completion sections his sophomore year.  He went through both Direct Hits Vocabulary books over the summer and got all of the sentence completion sentences correct this year. 

 

Thank you; that's helpful!  Anyone else care to chime in ?