Q & A

“What’s a good score on the SAT?”

This is the question I hear more often than any other as an instructor.  And the answer is … you tell me.  What’s a good score for one student might be unrealistic for another.  Is a good score one that will get you a scholarship?  One that will get you into Harvard?  But what if you’re not trying to get into Harvard?  What if a scholarship isn’t your first priority?

As a student, the question you should ask yourself if, “What are My goals?”  Do you have a list of target schools?  Now is the time to align your goals with what it will take to get you into those schools.  Start by calling the Admissions Office yourself, or go to the CollegeBoard website (www.collegeboard.com) and search for the schools you’re interested in.  Then make a spreadsheet in Excel that helps you track each target school, the SAT and/or ACT score ranges you need to reach, their requirements for GPA, and Subject Tests, and start a “by the numbers” system of ensuring you’re targeting the right schools and not setting your bar too high or too low.

There are also resources available online that can help you sort out which schools are “test-optional” – that is, which schools don’t require SAT or ACT test scores as part of their application process.  (You’ll often find that other requirements, such as Subject Tests or additional writing samples, may be required in place of SATs and ACTs at these schools.  This information is best obtained from the Admissions Offices themselves.)

[If you don’t yet have a sense of what schools you want to apply to, this is definitely the time to talk to your guidance counselor, or possibly enlist the help of an independent college admissions consultant.  There’s no right or wrong way to start forming your list—geography and school size are typically the first factors that come to mind, but if you’re looking for a unique major or an activity that may not be offered everywhere (fencing, for example), those things should probably come first. 

Selecting target schools is a topic that could take up an entire guide on its own.  It can feel overwhelming if you don’t have a plan, but it’s also extremely exciting if you do it the right way.  There’s a simple two-by-two-by-two method that I recommend to anyone who isn’t sure where to begin—if you need some guidance, I’ll be happy to walk through this with you.]

The bottom line—the idea of a “good score” is too vague to use as a starting point in your test training.  Think about what it will take to get into the schools you’ve set your sights on.  That’s a good score.  Think about where you might score based on practice tests or your PSAT – then add 250-300 points.  That’s a good score.  The sooner you change the way you define a good score, the sooner you free up your mental energies to concentrate on more important things.  Like how to raise your current score to the level you want or need it to be.  How many more “right answers” do you need to see the score improvement you want?  What are the areas that give you the best opportunities to earn those right answers?  What are the strategies you can use to improve your performance in those areas?  It’s great to say, “I need to go up 400 points to reach my goal score.”  My goal as an educator is to show you how to get there.  And if you’ve never taken an SAT or ACT course before, or if you have and didn’t see the improvement you were hoping for, that “how” might surprise you.

And by the way—if after using this guide you decide to continue working with me to improve your scores, whether with my complete guide, online coaching, or live instruction, you won’t be thinking about improving your score by “XX0 points”.  You’ll be looking at your performance in terms of right and wrong answers.  It’s tangible, and controllable—scaled scores are not.  But we’re getting ahead of ourselves …

Like I said, “What’s a good score” is the most common question I’m asked—but it certainly isn’t the only one!  Here’s my “Top 12” (and a couple bonuses) of others that come up frequently—some of them might be things you’re thinking about as you go through the test preparation process:

 

1. “Do I need to take a class or work with a tutor? Can I study for these tests on my own?”

Yes, to both questions!  You need to be honest with yourself about what kind of student you are.  Working with a tutor or taking a class (live or online) can give you the structure some students need to commit the time needed to see a real increase in their scores.  There’s no magic to this—it takes real work, real dedication, and sometimes real sacrifice of other activities.  A structured learning environment can make that easier to manage.

Another benefit to classes and tutors is that you get an outsider’s perspective on what you can do to raise your scores.  You can be the most dedicated, committed student in the world, and lock yourself in your room with dozens of practice tests and a stack of vocabulary books—and guess what?  That’s not going to help you see a big improvement on these tests!  “Studying” for the SAT by doing one practice test after another, without training in between, is kind of like getting on a scale every day, looking at your weight, and saying you’re on a diet.  You’ll only start to see real results when you work strategically from day to day.

 

2. “What do I need to memorize for the SAT?”

Very little.  Look at the beginning of every Math section of any practice test.  You’re given a number of common formulas and even some examples of special triangles.  Does it help to have them memorized beforehand?  Of course—you’ll save some time flipping back and forth to check the formulas.  Is it necessary?  No.  Is it more important than remembering strategies like Picking Numbers and Backsolving, which you’ll see later in this guide?  Definitely not.

Vocabulary words?  That depends on your larger goals.  If you’d like to improve your writing abilities or just generally expand your vocabulary as you get ready to go to college, then definitely, memorizing words will help and boost your score, by about 30-40 points.  If we’re speaking specifically in terms of the SAT, it’s more important to understand how words are created, and how to take them apart, than it is to try and memorize everything you might see on Test Day.  And we’ll look a little more closely at what this means in the Critical Reading segment of this training guide.

 

3. “Why does the CollegeBoard say the SAT isn’t something you can study for?”

And why do they sell SAT Study Guides at the same time?  Well, maybe that’s a loaded question.  The test-makers are right—you don’t really “study” for the SAT, not in the traditional sense.  You don’t memorize dates and facts, you don’t prove Geometric Theorems or recite the Periodic Table, you don’t conjugate verbs in foreign languages and you don’t analyze Joyce.  You train for the SAT, much the same way you’d train for a big game.  You repeat mental movements again and again until they’re second-nature; you run multiple-choice sprints and learn to pace yourself for a four-hour testing marathon.  You learn to adjust your swing when you see a curveball coming; you accept that sometimes a walk is as good as a hit, and that occasionally you’re going to need to sacrifice an at-bat to move the runner over.  (Have we beaten the baseball analogies into the ground yet?  Okay, we’ll move on.)

Think of it this way—Test Day is Game Day.  You train the same way, you psych yourself up the same way, you work through all the same nerves and butterflies.  And then you get out on the “field,” and you nail it!

 

4. “I’m only in Algebra 2. Should I wait until it’s done to start preparing for the SAT?”

No—if you’re in Algebra 2 now then you’ve already seen 99% of the Math concepts you could face on Test Day.  SAT Math is all about Algebra, Geometry, and Arithmetic.  You’ll be better served going back and reviewing things like fractions and number properties before you worry too much about Algebra 2 concepts.  In fact, what gives students more problems on the Math section isn’t Math they haven’t seen before—it’s Math they haven’t seen in a year or two.

As an added bonus, the strategies for solving SAT Math problems most neatly apply to anything that involves Algebra—so you’ll learn ways to quickly and easily work around even the most complex Algebraic equations.  And even if you’ve forgotten things like FOIL and PEMDAS!

 

5. “Do you recommend taking the SAT more than once?”

Almost always, yes.  Now here are some ground rules to go with that recommendation:

• Take it more than once only if you plan to work in between tests to improve your score. For example – if you take the test in early October and then plan to take it again in early November, by the time you get your October scores and see how you did, you’ll only have about 10-14 days to get ready for November.
• Taking it twice is common; three times, not unheard of; beyond that, I don’t recommend it. Statistically and historically, students don’t see much of a score improvement, if any, after three attempts.  And colleges may start to wonder why you took so many times if you didn’t improve.  If you show an improvement from your first score to your second, it shows you worked at it—and that says something to an Admissions Officer.  But just taking tests for the sake of taking them is rarely a good idea.
• Will you also be taking one or more ACTs? What about Subject Tests?  “Test burnout” is a very real thing.  I can help you organize a timeline whether you’re in, or about to enter, your sophomore, junior, or even senior year of high school.  It is possible to fit in multiple tests without going overboard, without stressing yourself out, and without affecting your regular schoolwork.  If you’d like to work with me, a testing schedule will be one of the first things we plan together.

 

6. “How do you [that’s Me] prepare students for the SAT?”

I teach to you to see the processes that can lead you to more right answers, and ultimately a higher score.  A score closer to where you want to be.

To go back to the baseball analogy, think about a hitter who wants to improve their swing.  They work with a coach, learn where they should plant their feet and how to hold the bat; they work on timing, keeping their head straight and their eye on the ball, and swinging through it.  After that, they perfect it all through their time in a batting cage.  That’s where they see the biggest improvements—and that’s where you will, too.  I teach the concepts of how to raise your score by learning the test inside and out and knowing how to spot shortcuts and triggers; I teach the strategies and how to weed out wrong answers to find the right ones.  I’m also a big believer that once you’ve learned all of those things, it’s time to “get in the cage” and put it into practice.

This system puts a heavy emphasis on self-study, on simulating “the real thing” through homework assignments and practice tests.  Those tests – full-length practice exams designed to be taken under the same timing conditions and restrictions as the actual SAT – are the surest way of training yourself to know how Test Day is going to feel.  Having the discipline to block out the time to complete full-length tests in a single setting is the best way to really learn how to make the section-by-section time limits work for you, not against you.  Without them, you run the risk of limiting just how beneficial this approach will be.

Remember, the test is a marathon, not a sprint – and you build up marathon endurance by putting yourself through the paces of realistic exams!

That’s why this system is as flexible as it is.  You can meet with a tutor or go to a class every week, but if all you’re doing is checking homework assignments and going over the questions you missed, you’re leaving a stack of potential points on the table.  You also need to

 

understand why your right answers were right, and you need targeted instruction on the types of questions that continue to be your challenges.

In short, you can call it “coached self-study.”  I teach you all the tools you need to get the score you want, help you map out where you’ll earn the most points, and show you how to work efficiently, effectively and accurately within each section.  You’ll put it into practice through regular assignments and practice tests, and I’ll continue to guide you down the road to the score you need.  You may want me to come to your house to do this, or you might not – it’s up to you and your family, and either way you’ll have the tools you need to raise your score and a detailed plan for how to do it.

 

7. “I think I’d feel better working with a company I know/the company my school recommends. Is that a good idea?”

Could be.  The “big box” companies can offer a lot of things that independent instructors like me can’t.  They’ve got million-dollar research teams and seemingly unlimited technological resources behind them.  In many cases they offer money-back guarantees.  If you’re looking to work with a tutor, they often have large pools and rosters so that if you don’t “click” with one, you can’t switch to another.

On the other hand, they may not offer the flexibility in lesson planning and the “pay-as-you-go” convenience that independents can.  Those guarantees aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be.  And technology is fantastic—the computer-generated practice test feedback you get is pretty dazzling to look at.  But without a real person there to help you interpret that feedback, and show you how it translates into your next steps towards reaching your goal, its value is limited.

 

8. “Can you guarantee I’ll get the score I want?”

To be very up front, unfortunately that can’t be guaranteed.  Test training is a team effort, and as much as these preparation methods have been proven over the years there’s still no way to guarantee any one student’s performance on Test Day.  But I do guarantee this – if you study with this system, stay faithful to the assignments that are tailored to your particular strengths, challenges and goals, and put it all together by sitting for full-length practice tests along the way, you’ll go in on Test Day seeing the SAT or ACT in a very different light.  You’ll feel prepared, confident, and ready for anything that might come your way on the test—because you’ll have seen it all in your practice ahead of time.

I also guarantee that if you don’t get the kind of score improvement you’re hoping for, we’ll examine your performance, see where things went right and where they went wrong, and develop a plan that keeps you moving toward your goals.  In a world where many, if not most, students take the test more than once, colleges love to see improvement from one test to the next.  And you will improve, if you stick to the methods and strategies you’ll learn with me.

 

9. “I don’t really know if I want to commit to anything extensive. Can we get started and then play it by ear?”

Yes—and it’s better than that.  Starting with me can be as simple as taking a diagnostic exam and then reviewing the personal feedback, recommendations, and lesson plan that I provide.  There are a couple of comprehensive programs I can provide, but this is largely an á la carte service.  After each homework assignment and each practice test, you’ll receive the same kind of tailored feedback and analysis so you’re always working towards a particular end result.  You’ll always be working towards improvement where you have the greatest opportunities, something we’ll determine together.  You might want me to come to your home once a week, twice a month, or not at all.  And that’s completely up to you.  Two of the best things about this system are its flexibility and its customization.

 

“OK, now seriously—what’s a good SAT score?”

Without knowing what your college goals are, I can’t quote a number—but I strongly recommend visiting the College Board website to start compiling a list of the scores you should be targeting depending on your particular wishlist for college applications.  I’ll be happy to help plan this with you also so you’ll know what your goals should be before we start working together.

“Is it true that the ACT is easier?”

Well, maybe—but first, we should define “easier.” Many students feel more comfortable with the ACT because of the way it’s scored—there’s no wrong answer penalty, for one thing—but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier.  That strategy of when to guess and when to skip plays to some students’ strengths, and not to others.  Some other things to consider:

• The Reading passages of the ACT are, in general, longer and more dense than those of the SAT—but the questions are asked in more straightforward language.
• You need to know Trig, and the Math section is an hour long. On the other hand, there are no Grid-Ins, so it’s all multiple choice.
• There’s a Science section on the ACT. On the other hand, you don’t need a lot of Science knowledge to do well on it—it’s more about putting your critical reading skills to the test as you read about scientific experiments, and then interpreting data from graphs and charts that correspond to those experiments.

 

 

• The essay portion of the ACT is optional, and comes at the end of the test, not the beginning. Still, many of the more competitive colleges will want to see a second writing sample in additional to your Personal Statement—so you might find the essay isn’t “optional” after all.

These are some of the main differences—there are others related to section structure, strategies, and timing.  In general, if the SAT is a sort of chess match where you can plan out your next move, work strategically, and try to outfox your opponent (the testmakers), then the ACT is more like a boxing match.  Get in the ring and slug it out for four rounds (five, if you opt for the Essay section), and may the best man or woman win.

In general, the answer to “Is the ACT easier?” is going to vary depending on what your own strengths and challenges are.  But don’t worry.  We’ll talk through all that together.

“Do you offer instruction for the ACT?”

Yes, I do.  Because the ACT isn’t as strategy-based as the SAT, my ACT training is more about understanding the content you’ll see on the test, managing your time effectively, identifying content knowledge gaps, and practicing full test sections to get you comfortable with the longer (compared to the SAT) section-by-section times.

“How much prep time will I need?”

That’s something to be determined based on what kind of improvement you’re looking for, whether you’ve taken the test or a preparation course before, and how much time you have before your planned test date.  Generally speaking, you want to leave yourself at least 8 weeks to get ready for an SAT or ACT, but your personal prep plans can be customized to work within whatever time frame you have in mind.

“So you’re really not going to tell me what’s a good SAT score, are you?”

Nope!

 

In the extended version of my preparation guide, we look more closely at topics such as Score Choice,  extended time, PSAT scores, and Subject Tests.  For now, though, I hope this has given you a better understanding of how you’ll prepare for your SAT or ACT if you’d like to work with me!