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Have you received a disappointing score on your first SAT? Are you wondering how much can you improve your SAT score? You may have put in a lot of time and effort to prepare, and you’re wondering why you didn’t score better. Or maybe you didn’t study enough or you didn’t study the right things. And now you’re wondering whether it’s worth it to study more and retake the SAT.
No matter the reason for getting a disappointing score, the good news is that there is still hope for getting a great score! This article will help you get over the hump and achieve your desired SAT score. We’ll look at some possible reasons you didn’t get your desired score as well as strategies for improving it.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- #1: Do I Have Any Knowledge Gaps?
- #2: Am I Making Careless Mistakes?
- #3: Do I Have Pacing Issues?
- #4: Am I Following a Topical and Structured Study Plan?
- #5: Am I Using Inefficient Math Solving Strategies?
- #6: Am I Using Inefficient Verbal Strategies?
- #7: Do I Have a Handle on Test Anxiety?
- By How Much Can You Raise Your SAT Score?
- Summary
- What’s Next?
Let’s take a look at seven questions to ask yourself. The answers will help you pinpoint some needed improvements to your SAT studying, leading to a score improvement.
#1: Do I Have Any Knowledge Gaps?
You must master hundreds of concepts to get a great SAT score, but you have no idea of which concepts will be tested on exam day. Some students choose to ignore concepts that they feel are especially difficult. They mistakenly think that jettisoning a few concepts, such as absolute value or the cosine function, will not affect their score. They reason that the probability of encountering a question on any given concept is low, so skipping a few is not a big deal.
The above strategy is not wise. Not only could you face an absolute value question directly, but you might also encounter a question that tests both absolute value and another concept. Thus, it’s just not a good idea to skip any SAT topic.
As a result, it’s critical to identify any knowledge or skill gaps you have, in order to improve your overall score. Your ability to answer SAT questions correctly increases in direct proportion to the number of skill gaps you close.
Your ability to answer SAT questions correctly increases in direct proportion to the number of skill gaps you close.
So, let’s discuss how to identify your skill gaps.
Work on Your Weaknesses
It’s relatively easy to identify a math weakness when you are considering single-concept questions. For example, if you miss a question about the probability of getting 2 heads in two flips of a coin, then you know that you need to concentrate on the rules of probability.
However, identifying knowledge gaps can be difficult if you’re missing questions that test multiple concepts in a single problem.
Math Weaknesses
To identify your weak areas in math, you may need to break down a question into its steps. For example, if you’re answering a Coordinate Geometry question about a shape plotted in the Cartesian plane, you may need to complete the following steps:
- Look at the graph of the figure.
- Determine the appropriate formula for the shape (e.g., circle, line, parabola).
- Create the equation for the particular shape.
- Use algebra rules to simplify or solve the equation.
What would happen if you were correct all the way to step 4, but then you made an algebra error? Unfortunately, you’d get to the one-yard line but not score the touchdown!
A big mistake would be to assume that missing the above question would indicate that you’re struggling with Coordinate Geometry questions. But if your mistake was actually in step 4, then it is instead an algebra error. You would need to review the algebra concept in more detail rather than coordinate geometry.
TTP PRO TIP:
Ensure that you correctly identify the math topic that kept you from getting a question correct.
Verbal Weaknesses
In the verbal arena, it is equally important to identify one’s weaknesses. Recall that you’ll be tested on both reading comprehension and grammar and usage on the SAT Reading and Writing sections. Let’s look at a sample SAT question.
Example – Grammar
Typically, underlines, scribbles, and notes left in the margins by a former owner lower a book’s _______ when the former owner is a famous poet like Walt Whitman, such markings, known as marginalia, can be a gold mine to literary scholars.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- value, but
- value
- value,
- value but
Solution:
We see that there is a contradiction given in the sentence. While books with margin notes are usually less valuable, we see at the end of the sentence that they are more valuable if a famous person has made those notes. Thus, we see the need to use “but” to indicate the contradiction. We can immediately rule out choices B and C.
The only difference between choice A and choice D is the inclusion of a comma between “value” and “but” in choice A, which is the correct answer. (The technical reason given is this: We are joining a main clause to a subordinate clause that precedes another main clause, and thus the comma is needed.)
Answer: A
Note that even if you don’t know the technical words describing sentence structure, you can still obtain a clue about the correct answer choice based on the meaning of the sentence. This allows you to eliminate one or more answer choices, thus giving you a greater probability of answering the question correctly.
TTP PRO TIP:
You don’t necessarily need to know the technical words describing grammar questions to eliminate answer choices and increase your chance of answering the question correctly.
Maintain an Error Log
Using an error log is an effective method of identifying your knowledge gaps and making sure you periodically address them.
Use an error log to keep track of the types of questions you get wrong and the reasons for your mistakes. For example, if you are analyzing a math question that you missed, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Did I have the knowledge or skills needed to answer the question?
- Was there a formula that I needed but couldn’t remember?
- Did I forget how to perform a specific mathematical operation (for example, factoring a quadratic equation)?
- Did I misunderstand or misread the question?
- Did I fall for a trap answer choice?
Each time you identify a math weakness, you move one step closer to earning your desired SAT score.
It’s critically important to analyze the questions in both problem sets and practice tests. To become aware of your errors, be sure you review each question you missed or guessed luckily to determine exactly what went wrong and to classify the type of error you made.
Each time you identify a math weakness, you move one step closer to earning your desired SAT score.
Keep track of your errors throughout your SAT prep. Good news: our TTP SAT course provides an error log that allows you to easily track and analyze your errors.
Carefully Analyze Your Practice Test Results
When you are reviewing your SAT practice tests, you need to thoroughly analyze every question to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Each SAT practice test contains 44 math questions and 54 verbal questions, so you don’t want to take even a single question for granted.
When you’re analyzing your performance, it is important to be honest with yourself. Don’t give yourself credit for a lucky guess. For example, let’s assume you answered an algebra question by backsolving, which means you plugged each answer choice into the question until you found the right answer. Yes, you got the answer correct, but don’t tell yourself that you have mastered algebra questions. Instead, take the time to review how to solve algebra equations.
Remember that you cannot rely on being able to “game” the SAT test. If, between practice tests, you don’t identify and correct any gaps in your knowledge, you shouldn’t expect your score to improve from one practice test to the next. In addition, your test day score will show no improvement, either.
Don’t be surprised if it takes you 8-10 hours to thoroughly analyze each practice test and study the topics that correspond to your weak areas. To learn more about this process, read our blog about strategies for taking SAT practice tests.
TTP PRO TIP:
Use your practice test results to analyze your strengths and weaknesses.
#2: Am I Making Careless Mistakes?
Careless mistakes are the most critical errors you can make on the SAT. They are unforgivable. You have lost your concentration and as a result you have made a mistake that you have no business making. Careless mistakes come in all shapes and sizes, and they are all costly.
For example, you might overlook an important fact in the given information, such as “x is greater than 2.” You might make a calculation error, such as simplifying 6/22 as 2/11. You might overlook the word “except” in a reading comprehension question stem. As a result of a careless error, you get the question wrong.
If you make even one of these careless errors, your SAT score will suffer. Thus, reducing your careless mistakes will have a big impact on your overall score. You can read our article about reducing careless math errors to get more insights.
TTP PRO TIP:
There is no excuse for making careless errors on the SAT. Eliminating them will have a significant impact on your score.
Careless Mistakes Are Unforgivable
Careless mistakes don’t typically reflect gaps in your mastery of the material. Rather, they are frequently the result of poor habits, such as:
- reading questions too quickly
- rushing too quickly through calculations
- relying too heavily on mental math
- taking sloppy and disorganized notes
- Letting your concentration wander
Careless mistakes are especially frustrating because they cause you to miss questions that you should have answered correctly. So, if you make careless mistakes, avoiding making them will certainly result in an improved SAT score.
Careless mistakes are especially frustrating because they cause you to miss questions that you should have answered correctly.
The good news is that careless mistakes are preventable. You can learn to avoid making them.
You Can Completely Prevent Careless Mistakes
Know if you tend to make careless errors. The very act of acknowledging your tendency to make them is one of the most effective things you can do to avoid making them. If you are aware of your propensity to make careless errors, you can catch yourself in the act of making them.
Consider the following scenario: you get a question wrong because you solved for x instead of y. So, you know to double-check what the question is asking before you choose your answer. You make sure, for example, that you don’t choose Martina’s age when the question stem said to determine Brenda’s age.
Another example is failing to note the word “except” in the question stem. Previously, on the paper version of the SAT, you could underline or circle the word “except” to remind you to choose the answer choice that didn’t work. But with the digital SAT, you don’t have this option. Thus, you have to devise another tactic to remind you.
Making careless mistakes is quite common among test takers. Correcting them takes a bit of effort, but you will see a positive impact on your SAT score. Use your error log to help you understand the types of careless errors that you tend to make. So, make an entry into your error log any time you get a question wrong due to a careless mistake, as well as the nature of the mistake.
TTP PRO TIP:
Take steps to identify and eliminate careless errors you tend to make.
Pace Yourself When Answering Questions
The biggest mistake many test-takers make is trying to power through the SAT as fast as possible. They think that answering questions quickly will result in a higher score. But instead of concentrating on speed, you must approach your work carefully and methodically. For many test-takers, this approach involves doing something they dread: slowing down. The key is to concentrate only on the problem at hand. If you move slowly and purposefully through each problem, you will make fewer careless mistakes and improve your score significantly.
Concentrate only on the problem in front of you, working through each step as efficiently as possible. Don’t rush.
It is better to take your time and go carefully through five questions, avoiding careless errors, even if doing so forces you to guess on the last question because you ran out of time.
TTP PRO TIP:
Working at a slow and careful pace reduces the number of careless errors you make.
#3: Do I Have Pacing Issues?
The importance of test pacing in improving your SAT score cannot be overstated. Using the wrong pacing strategy can contribute to your inability to increase your SAT score.
For example, some students get stuck on one or more questions, stubbornly refusing to move on, even though they are eating up precious time on what is probably a lost cause. They believe that they should be able to answer it correctly and can’t seem to let it go. In other cases, students give up on questions too quickly if they feel they are taking too much time to come up with a correct answer.
Great timing on the SAT is like grilling the perfect steak. Undercooking the steak is no better than overcooking it. Either way, it’s ruined. If you spend too much or too little time on a question, you may be setting yourself up for failure.
Use the Countdown Clock
The digital SAT provides you with a countdown clock at the top of the screen. Using this clock will help you with your test pacing. Note that the countdown clock tells you how much time remains to finish the current section. Let’s discuss a simple strategy to use for each of the two SAT sections.
Math Section Pacing
Recall that the Math section consists of 2 modules. Each module gives you 35 minutes to answer 22 questions, which averages to about a bit more than 1.5 minutes per question.
The most direct math pacing strategy involves using the “12 and 17” approach. This means that when you are halfway through the questions (starting question 12), you should be halfway through the time allotted (about 17 minutes on the countdown clock).
This strategy is very basic, but its simplicity makes it easy to apply.
If you want to use a more sophisticated strategy, you can use the “12 and 24” strategy. This means that when you are starting question 12, your countdown clock should show about 24 minutes remaining. This strategy takes into account the fact that questions in each module are generally presented from easiest to hardest. Thus, you should be able to finish the first half of the module faster than the second half. The “12 and 24” method is built on this assumption.
TTP PRO TIP:
Use either the “12 and 17” or the “12 and 24” pacing strategy for the SAT Math modules.
Reading and Writing Section Pacing
The Reading and Writing section contains 2 modules, each of which presents 27 questions and gives you 32 minutes to complete. This averages out to 1 minute and 10 seconds per question.
Pacing is a bit more complicated on each Reading and Writing module. Of the 27 questions on each module, you will first be presented with 15 short reading passages (1 question per passage), followed by 12 writing questions. Since the reading passages generally take longer to answer than the writing questions, you do not want to use an “average-time-per-question” countdown approach.
Rather, you want to spend about 1 minute 30 seconds on each reading passage and 45 seconds for each writing question. Because all the reading passages come first in each module, you should adopt an unbalanced but logical “14 and 12” pacing strategy for the Reading and Writing section. This means that as you are starting question 14, your countdown clock should show about 12 minutes remaining in the section.
TTP PRO TIP:
Use the “14 and 12” pacing strategy for the SAT Reading and Writing modules.
#4: Am I Following a Topical and Structured Study Plan?
Too often, I’ve spoken with SAT students who asked me the question, “How do I improve my SAT score?” yet were not following a structured study plan. Many of these students were using SAT study books with hundreds of random questions. Or they downloaded free SAT practice tests and used them as their study strategy. They were hoping to master SAT math and verbal topics by simply looking at the solutions to problems they had worked on. If that is what you’re currently doing, let me say that this study method will not likely lead to an increase on your next SAT.
We’ve already mentioned that there are hundreds of topics that you must master to get a solid SAT score. You simply can’t learn so much information without following a well-structured study plan. For your SAT preparation, following a linear, topical approach is the most effective way to master each SAT topic.
The idea behind topical learning is to learn one topic at a time. After you learn the material, you answer questions only on that topic. You don’t move on to the next topic until you are confident with your mastery of the current topic. This method of study can be a game-changer for you.
TTP PRO TIP:
Topical learning is a powerful SAT study technique.
#5: Am I Using Inefficient Math Solving Strategies?
It makes sense to say that if you know all of the math concepts, rules, processes, and formulas, you could get an impressive SAT math score. However, if you are not using the best strategies when solving SAT math questions, you still might fall short of your SAT score goal.
One inefficient strategy we mentioned earlier is that of backsolving. You solve an equation by substituting each answer choice into the equation given in the question stem. Backsolving may yield the right answer, but it is unbelievably inefficient. As an alternative, think for a moment before starting such a time-consuming strategy. Perhaps the correct mathematical approach for solving the problem will come to you
Use a Variety of Solution Strategies
Of course, backsolving may be necessary on occasion, but to answer SAT math questions efficiently, you want to use the best method of solving them. It’s important to recall that most SAT math questions can be solved using a variety of approaches. For example, you can solve the quadratic equation x^2 + x – 12 = 0 either by factoring or by using the quadratic formula. Each will yield the same solution set of x = 3 or x = -4, but one method (factoring) is much faster than the other.
If you find that your problem-solving strategies are inefficient or not leading to correct answers in a reasonable amount of time, consider investing time to “retrain your brain,” so that efficient methods to solve SAT math problems become second nature to you.
TTP PRO TIP:
Practice using efficient problem-solving strategies instead of time-consuming ones.
#6: Am I Using Inefficient Verbal Strategies?
Just as you need to use efficient approaches to solve SAT math questions, you need to do the same with SAT verbal questions.
For example, you’re tackling an SAT reading comprehension passage, which is 25-100 words. It contains many technical terms, so rather than getting mired in all the vocabulary, you decide to just read the final sentence of the passage and then move on to the four answer choices. You hope that one of the answer choices will just jump out at you as the correct one.
Your thinking is that using this strategy will let you answer this question correctly quickly, to allow you to move to the next passage. However, what if that correct answer doesn’t jump out at you, as you had hoped? Then, you’d have to go back to the beginning of the passage and start over. In the big scheme of things, a more efficient strategy would be to read the passage completely the first time around.
For grammar questions, the key advice is to always double-check your answer. In other words, first read the passage and choose your answer. But before moving to the next question, re-read the sentence that you just answered, to make sure it sounds right. It’s very easy to initially choose the wrong answer by accident. Doing a quick double-check ensures that the answer you picked is the one you intended to choose.
TTP PRO TIP:
Because the SAT reading comprehension passages are so short, your best strategy is to read each one completely before tackling the question attached to it.
#7: Do I Have a Handle on Test Anxiety?
If you feel you’ve mastered the material and can efficiently answer questions, good! But if you’re still not feeling confident about your test-day performance, then test anxiety might be a major issue for you.
What Is Test Anxiety?
During a stressful situation, have you ever felt light-headed, with your heart pounding out of your chest (or so it felt), and your breathing shallow? If so, you may have experienced anxiety. Many students experience test anxiety, and a high-stakes exam like the SAT can affect your performance significantly.
However, a small amount of test anxiety is normal and expected when you’re taking the SAT. But if it gets out of control, it can distract you and detract from your performance. So, learning to control your test anxiety will bring you one step closer to getting a great SAT score.
Take Control of Your Test Anxiety
Fortunately, there are numerous techniques for taking control of test anxiety, including visualization, breathing exercises, and positive self-talk. If you believe test anxiety has prevented you from improving your SAT score, learn about these options. Of course, the single best way of reducing test anxiety is to master the SAT material. The more you know the SAT topics, the more relaxed you’ll be when you’re answering questions. In fact, knowing the SAT material like the back of your hand is the most underappreciated technique for overcoming test anxiety.
The key is to answer SAT questions to the point where you no longer feel anxiety. The more you practice, the better you’ll get, and the better you get, the less anxious you’ll be about taking the test or answering the questions.
The more you know the SAT topics, the more relaxed you’ll be when you’re answering questions.
Up to this point, we have posed questions whose answers can help us improve our SAT score. Now you may be wondering, by how many points can I really improve my score?
By How Much Can You Raise Your SAT Score?
Almost never has a day gone by when a student hasn’t asked me, “Can I increase my SAT score by 100 points?”, or 150 points, or some other number. Rest assured that no matter your starting point, there really is no limit to how much you can increase your SAT score. The key is to follow an organized study plan and a realistic timeline. With dedication, any score improvement is possible.
TTP PRO TIP:
With dedication and organization, any SAT score improvement is possible.
Summary
This article has provided 7 major actions to complete if you are committed to improving your SAT score.
- Identify and fix knowledge gaps.
- Use an error log.
- Eliminate careless mistakes.
- Learn efficient timing strategies.
- Use a topical study plan.
- Fix inefficient math and verbal strategies.
- Learn techniques to control your test anxiety.
How high can you raise your SAT score? If you can perform the above actions, there is no reason why you cannot get the SAT score you desire.
Just remember, whether you’re seeking a dramatic score improvement or a modest one, it’s critical that you ask yourself these questions:
- Do I Have Any Knowledge Gaps?
- Am I Making Careless Mistakes?
- Do I Have Pacing Issues?
- Am I Following a Topical and Structured Study Plan?
- Am I Using Inefficient Math Solving Strategies?
- Am I Using Inefficient Verbal Strategies?
- Do I Have a Handle on Test Anxiety?
What’s Next?
Are you wondering how much time to devote to your SAT preparation? This article provides guidance on how long you should study for the SAT.
Are you having trouble making forward momentum with studying for the SAT? Read this article about getting and maintaining your SAT motivation.
Good luck!
