SAT scores

Hi! Here are some tips that helped me go from a 1210 (practice test) to a 1520!

1. Take many practice tests and review your answers after taking it

2. Develop concrete pacing strategies for each section (ex. 10 minutes for each reading passage, use extra 15 to go back to the worst passage) - (Pacing strategies work differently for everyone)

3. Familiarize yourself with the different question types and learn the signs of bad answers

4. Be familiar with your calculator's functions, and remember different circle and right triangle formulas

5. Lastly, think of a target score (ex. 1540), this dosen't work for everyone, but I was more motivated to get close to that target score.

These don't work for everyone, but helped me improve by 310 points!

Hello!

You already received a lot of excellent advice. I’ll add that Khan Academy offers free SAT training.

Maybe try taking the ACT or PreACT. I scored a 1280 on the PSAT but 33 on the ACT. It depends what your strengths are but I'd suggest taking both so you will know which you feel more comfortable with. The ACT has a science section but my biggest tip for that is only look at the question. Don't read the passage or graphs unless the question requires it - a lot of times it's just there to trick you and throw you off. The PSAT (and I'd assume SAT) had a lot more abstract-type math (stuff you can't do on your calculator/hypotheticals/etc). Make sure to read regular books as well. It has helped me so so so much.

From their website, they said that they are optional (https://www.bradley.edu/sites/test-optional/), meaning the score can be helpful in your admissions chances if you score above average compared to the rest of the applicants, but it won't hurt not to submit any score if you didn't do so well. Also, the average SAT is 1200-1300 which is just a bit above the national average, and considering you have a 3.8 GPA, I would guess you're already scoring around there. Good luck!