Depends what the original score was.

If mid 1300s, very easy to go up 150-200 points with 3-4 weeks of one on one test prep (that involves a baseline test, targeted review of 4-5 hours, then retest and more review and repeat again 2-3 times) my kid went from 1330 to 1500 with 10 hours of tutoring and 4 additional practice tests. Key is the practice tests must be taken at 8am just like a real test.

However my kid was at 1490 after 4 hours of test prep and one the first practice test. All future tests were 1480-1500. So basically 4 hours was really all it took

This is why 1-1 tutoring is key—they target your kids specific issues

Anonymous wrote:My junior wants to prep once a week for about 3 months leading up to the March SAT. He’s hoping to improve his score by 150 points. Is that doable or not likely? He’s got so much work for school and is an athlete so it’s tough to fit it all in.

I'd do 15 minutes per day vs a big session once a week. Repetition is key. But he has to want it, meaning, willing to spend as much time figuring out why he got questions wrong than simply doing more practice tests.

I had one who was very motivated. He went from 1390 practice test to 1560 on his first try in three months.

The other was much less motivated and less diligent but still practiced off and on for about six months. I think he was 1180 on practice and went from 1300 to 1350 to 1380 on tests.

Anonymous wrote:On the other side, my DC had a weekly tutor ($$$) for months, took countless practice tests and actually started to go down in scores towards the end of the journey. DC never went above initial score (before the tutor) and was accepted TO to a T25 school.

Not trying to dismiss prepping, it works for many. Just wanted to share a contrary experience.

PP who cited 32 to 36 ACT experience, and I totally agree. My other kid was TO. It’s so individual.

On the other side, my DC had a weekly tutor ($$$) for months, took countless practice tests and actually started to go down in scores towards the end of the journey. DC never went above initial score (before the tutor) and was accepted TO to a T25 school.

Not trying to dismiss prepping, it works for many. Just wanted to share a contrary experience.

Anonymous wrote:It depends. Did he have trouble finishing the test due to inexperience? Did he just forget a lot of his math? If either of these two were a factor, then working on these could help a lot, but otherwise the data says its unlikely prep will raise your score by that much.

This is the correct answer.

Yes, very doable. Focus on both form and knowledge. By form look at how to narrow down choices so if you have to guess you are picking from the two most likely answers instead of a 1 in 4 chance.

Just chiming in to say I like your kid’s motivation. This is exactly why SATs predict college success. They select for kids who are not only smart, but who are motivated and put in the work toward a goal. Good luck.

Went from 1490 to 1540 (1560 superscore) in 4 months, but its harder to improve at a higher level.

32 to 36 ACT (equivalent of ~150 points on SAT) in six weeks. One hour/week of tutoring and 1-3 hours per week of practice.

my kid id getting widely different sat practice test score, is practice test 6 really the most exact? wasnt happy with that score

For one of my kids it went up 200 pts. For the other it was pretty static.

Based on my experience with my kids, it helps if your child can focus on it for several hours at a time instead of piecemeal, so several hours over winter break or spring break or even next summer will reap more benefits than trying to do it once a week for 30 minutes or 1 hour.

It depends on how high your score is already. It is much easier to improve if you have a low score to begin with. You will improve the most if you hire a good private 1 on 1 tutor, and be locked in and motivated. 150 is very doable. My DC went from a 20 ACT score at diagnostic to 31 after 5 tries but she had a private tutor and worked hard for about 6 months.

It takes once a week with a good tutor and daily prep on the part of the student. DC’s tutor said about six weeks to learn and then maintenance after that.