I got a 1190 on my PSAT 10. Is a 1500 on the SAT reasonable?Answered
Hello!
I’m a sophomore who took the PSAT 10 last fall without any studying and got a 1190. My top colleges include two of the Ivy Leagues, so I was disappointed in my score and I am very concerned if I will be able to reach my goal SAT score of 1500 even with studying. If I plan to take my first official SAT test this summer and start studying now, do you think this score is still realistic?
Thank you!
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5 answers
1190 for a PSAT 10 is perfectly good score at 91% or similar. You have to remember that when you are in 10th grade, you are not as well-read, or math smart as when you are in 11th or 12th grade so please forgive yourself. It's true there are many super smart geniuses who can get 99% score (1400+) but that's not you.
The good news is you can get your scores up with some hard work.
I had similar goals like you did and I think my PSAT 10 was like 1170 and my PSAT was 1370 so I know that studying for the SAT after 10th grade got my PSAT up 200 points. The big difficulty I had was to get a 99% SAT score. Unfortunately I couldn't get there and got stuck between 1450-1490.
In my case, luckily I mad the switch to the ACT. I ended up with a composite 35 after switching at that is the same as a 1530-1560.
Therefore my advice to you is not to waste too much time focusing only on the SAT. Take both the ACT and SAT and focus on the test that you score higher and and feel that you can improve the most. Since all colleges are completely agnostic to which one you submit, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you submit a 99% percentile score if you submit one to an Ivy College.
Keep in mind which ever one you end up choosing will still require a serious time commitment. It's like a part-time job for a year. Allocating about 200 hours at a minimum is what you are going to have to do, to pull it off.
Good luck.
Hi @amallios! A 1190 is a completely fine starting point, especially without any studying. You can absolutely increase your score by putting in some time and energy into rigorous studying, and a 1500 is definitely possible. If you are aiming to take this test this summer, try to schedule it for the end of the summer so you have a few months to dedicate to studying. Like @CameronBameron said, it is quite a bit of a commitment, so make sure you are setting aside enough time to study the prep books and take practice exams. I also suggest taking a diagnostic ACT exam to see what your starting score is. Some students will be naturally better at one exam compared to the other, so choosing the exam that you have a higher initial score on could potentially decrease the amount of time you have to study to reach your goal score.
Hope that helps!
Hi Amallios,
I would say so, but that depends on your work ethic and willingness to retake the test a few times. Personally, I think I clocked in around 1220 for PSAT and got 1480 on my final SAT. Just remember incrementalism--it doesn't need to (and probably won't) happen after one go. Repetition is best for math. Really ingrain the material and skills into your head so that it becomes second nature. For reading, start expanding your vocabulary and reworking your approaches to passages. The Princeton Review's SAT Guide was a godsend for me, only wish I'd discovered it earlier. Otherwise, Sal over at Khan Academy's pretty solid too.
Best of luck.
1500 is close to perfect for an SAT score and 1190 for PSAT 10 is pretty good in my opinion if you didn't study. I say if you start studying now, I feel like 1500 is a realistic score.
It is reasonable!
There are many cases of students like you who get a low score on SAT but after practicing and really understanding the test they get almost perfect scores. Considering too that your taking the sat until summer and that was your first SAT, the chances are if you keep practicing you’ll get a 1500 or higher.
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Very realistic. Even studying a little and learning a few math hacks can boost you a lot. The SAT has a lot of material that you can easily master with studying, look up the SATmath hashtag on tiktok there's a couple of very helpful people, as well as Khan academy and other free SAT practices online.