Reply to How did your child get their SAT scores up?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have the exact opposite question.  And I am genuinely not trolling.  At what point can you not worry another getting your DC’s scores up?

My sophomore had a 1440 (out of 1520) completely unprepared PSAT sophomore year— 700/760 V and 740/760 M.   That’s consistent with PSAT 9 and SSAT sore ranges, so probably not a fluke.   At that point, mid year junior PSAT scores could be well above 1500 without much effort. So, my thought was to get DC a PSAT and an SAT prep book this summer, and hav them work so practice tests, especially in heading.  Then get the PSAT done in Oct and the SAT in Nov. If the SAT score is at or above 1520-1540, then just stop.  And not worry about SAT vs ACT it trying to get the score 40 points higher. 2 SAT subject tests done today, Math 2 and history, and it would be great to let DC focus on junior year grades, AP tests and college applications, with SATs out of the way.

Is 1500 plus SAT realistic based in the sophomore year PSAT?  Is there a point where the SAT score is just fine and the kid can stop?  If so, what is that number?  Or should DC fight for every point?  Is a 1540 vs a 1560 vs a 1580 going to matter? [/quote]
I know another poster has accused you of a "humble brag" but I am not going to because my dc has similar stats and I also wondered whether it was worth the expense and time of a prep course.  We don't have $600 to throw around and so like you I wanted to make as fully informed a decision as possible What I decided was to buy a SAT prep book for $15.  I will have him work on it in August and have him take the test in November or December.  
[b]For the top colleges you definitely want to aim for a SAT score above 1500 but I don't think a 1570 is necessarily better than a 1550 in their eyes.  
Good luck[/b][/quote]

How many kids have you actually had complete the college admissions process?  I have a hunch it's zero.  [/quote]
None. If I got something wrong please correct me. I am basing this on CDS mid range SAT scores and what his school asst principal told me.  I do not have the benefit of experience. Would appreciate your insight [/quote]

I did earlier.  I'm the humble brag parent.  I know from having five kids go through the process that once you hit a certain point top collegs stop caring about the SAT.  You don't need a 1500, and colleges certainly don't think a 1570 is "necessarily better than a 1550."  They simply don't differentiate between SAT scores that precisely.

I've had kids get in the 1200s, the 1300s, the 1400s, and the 1500s.  All but one got accepted into what DCUM parents would consider to be top colleges.  The one who didn't was the one with the 1500s, and the one who did the very best (top 5 SLAC) was in the 1300s.  The one who got in the 1200s ended up at UVA.

Grades and courses are much, much more important.  I know this.[/quote]
Thanks. I did see your post but I have to say I assumed that your kids had some kind of hook to get into top colleges with SAT scores in the 1200-1400
Range and so I thought perhaps your experience might not be relevant. Thanks for posting again. Do you have an opinion on the number of AP exams a student should aim for?  [/quote]

My kids had zero hooks of any kind other than the luxury of a attending a good DC area suburban high school.   Well, they did have one hook, to be fair -- we are VA residents and UVA and W&M admissions are easier than out of state.

Our student with the 1500s didn't have the academic record or courses to back up the score, while our student with the 1200s (who took the SAT twice and did about the same both times) did.  The one with the 1200s took 8-10 APs, I think, and graduated with over a 4.0 weighted GPA  Didn't pull all 5s on the AP exams, either -- did get a few but had scores all over the board, including a 1.

Our kid who got into the top 5 SLAC (along with W&M; didn't apply to UVA) had 10 or 11 APs and almost a perfect high school GPA.  Mostly 4s and 5s on the AP exams, along with a few 3s -- better overall than our child with the 1200s who went to UVA but far from perfect, telling me that colleges don't care all that much about AP exam scores either.

We had another who got into several US News top 25 (and one top 15), including UVA, with 1300s on the SAT and 8-10 APs.  This one started off relatively slowly, with a couple of Cs early in high school, but turned it up and schools took notice.

None of ours kids, btw, was a recruited athlete and we are not URMs.  We're a white suburban family attending public schools in NOVA.

[/quote]
Wow!  I am the PP you are responding to. This is a very reassuring post. My kid is in a MD Magnet and has great grades but is not interested in getting on the AP treadmill. He will have 6 by the end of 11th grade and might take 2 or 3 in 12th grade [/quote]

Honestly, he should take 3.  Not 2.  But, yeah -- parents on this board and elsewhere are a little obsessed.[/quote]

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