SAT prep question

[Porridge]

I hesitate to ask this, but I'll just throw it out.

If your child took a practice SAT and scored a 1510, would you have them do further test prep to further optimize the score? If yes, what kind of test prep would make the most sense? I think the math score was almost perfect, the language score was the lower of the two.

This would be for the standard paper version of the test (December 2022).

[mlktwins]

First thing I would do is have her take 1 or 2 more practice tests. There are some that are harder than others - you can google this info I believe.  See where she is after that. One of mine had high practice test scores that didn’t translate to the actual test the first 2 times he took it. Your DD may not have that same issue 😊.
 

As for test prep, I would have her go through the strategies in this https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=SYC4B6E24P61&keywords=L]black+book+sat+prep&qid=1667641710&sprefix=l+black+book+sat+prep%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1

This book has as been recommended here quite a bit.

For anything more, I would use Khan for the parts she wants to beef up.  

I would also have her try the ACT at some point just too see which works better for her.

Edited November 5, 2022 by mlktwins

[Roadrunner]

If you have a junior, just work through several more tests. If you have a younger kid, do nothing for now and scores will likely improve as he gets older. 

[cuckoomamma]

I agree with the others and would try different times of day/diffetent circumstances . I have one who thrives on the adrenalin of testing and another who loses a tremendous amount of points going into the test site.  If your child is accustomed to inschool testing this may not be an issue for them

[kokotg]

My answer would probably depend on whether they're aiming for very selective colleges or not. There are some situations where there's really just not much advantage to getting a super high SAT score (schools where a lower score is perfectly fine that don't give merit aid based on test scores).  If it would be helpful for admissions or scholarships to get as high of a score as possible, then I'd keep going with some fairly light prep (15 minutes/day on Khan or something along those lines). I actually didn't push my kids to do that many full length practice tests (I think each of them only did one before each test), and that worked well for them, but that depends on the kid of course. 

[gstharr]

My now 12th grader took last year's December exam as his one and done (well, he took it  in 7th and 8th, but none since).  He was always outstanding on math, but weaker on reading and grammar.  For prep, we allocated about 25% math and 75% rading and grammar.  We realized after doing about half of the College Board's official practice test that his reading results were out of his control. Too dependent on the passages and type of questions.  But, SAT grammar is a game that you must the know the common test trick and traps.  Use Panda Grammar for a good explanation of the most common grammar test tricks.  Then, follow wiith Erica Meltzer's Ulitimate Guide to SAT Grammar.  Meltzer's materials are better at demonstrating the grammar traps with test like quesitions.  Also, get the companion workbook because it has 8 or 10 very good practice tests.  We went from missing 6-8 grammar questions to 0-1.  Mastery of the grammar portion, gave him breathing room on the readings sections on the actual SAT exam.  good luck.

[Guest]

Thank you all!

[lewelma]

My son raised his score from a 1500 to a 1580 with 6 weeks of study (800 in math both times, and 700 to 780 in verbal). We went through the verbal section and pretended to be lawyers. The exams must be objective for a private company to be able to defend a single answer is correct. So although a question says "which is the BEST answer", it actually should say, "which is the ONLY answer" and that answer must has object proof. Learn to find the specific words in the passage that *prove* one answer and only one answer is the right one. 

[Malam]

I would have him study his incorrect questions deeply (duh), and then do some different official practice tests to ensure his score isn't a fluke. Can you give a section-by-section breakdown of his score? A section like writing might be easier to optimize than reading.