starting point, path, and goal for the SAT.
For now — and this goes double if you’re a perfectionist — simply let go of the compulsive need to answer all 58 math questions on the SAT. Until you’re already scoring 740+ on your practice tests, answering all the questions would be a poor allocation of your time. If you’re answering all the questions, you’re probably rushing through questions that are within your reach, and losing points you should be getting.
So, how many questions should I answer?
The answer to this question depends on your current score, which I break down into three basic scenarios.
Clearing 500
Most schools prefer to enroll students who have an SAT composite score of at least 1,000, which is approximately 500 on both the English and the math tests.
If your English score is 550 or higher, you may be able to get away with a math score that’s slightly less than 500. Even so, a good first goal would be to break 500 on the math test.
To get this score, you need to answer about 32 of the 58 SAT math questions correctly. To this end, refer to Table 1-1, and then plan to do the following:
Attempt to answer all 20 easy questions correctly.
Choose 12 out of 18 medium questions to answer correctly, and guess the rest.
Guess on the 20 hard questions.
I know it seems weird to guess so many questions. But the SAT is different from the tests you take in school, where you need to get at least 80 percent right to get a decent grade.
Choosing 32 easy and medium questions to focus on gives you almost three minutes per question, which increases your changes of answering more questions correctly. And remember that you have a 25 percent chance of guessing each multiple-choice question correctly, which will also help increase your score a bit.
Believe me, in my experience working with hundreds of students, if you’re simply trying to break 500, you probably need to give yourself more time by answering fewer questions.
Breaking solidly beyond 600
At the next level are students applying for colleges that strongly encourage a composite SAT score of 1,200 or more. That means aiming for at least a 600 score in math, which requires 42 to 45 correct answers.
Here’s what I recommend (again, referring to Table 1-1 for question difficulty):
Attempt to answer all 20 easy questions correctly.
Attempt to answer all 18 medium questions correctly.
Choose 5 to 7 hard questions to attempt to answer, and guess the rest.
In picking the hard questions, aim for familiar-looking problems that you think you’ve got a shot at answering. Don’t spend too much time on any single problem!
Reaching 700 and beyond
If you’re striving to break 1,400 or even 1,500 on your SAT composite score, you know that there’s no easy answer. You’ll want to get a math score of 700 or more, with a little wiggle room if you’re confident of scoring 750 or more on the English test.
The good news is that you’re obviously a strong student with a well-practiced set of study skills. So, you know that you’ll need to at least attempt to answer just about every question on the test, leaving perhaps the two or three hardest questions until the very end.
I recommend getting a private tutor if you don’t already have one. Take as many practice tests as you can, and then comb through your wrong answers and do your best to figure out where you went wrong. If your math teacher is supportive, bring especially hard SAT problems to them — they’ll almost certainly be willing to help!
When’s the latest I can take the SAT and still get into school?
Most students take the SAT with their class in May or June of their junior year. They may try it out before that, but somehow, it doesn’t feel real until their whole class is doing it, too.
But if that’s the beginning, it doesn’t have to be the end.
Usually, December of your senior year is your last shot at the SAT if you want to start college the following fall. Unless you’re applying for early acceptance, most colleges don’t make their final decisions until after the December SAT scores have been posted.
Hey wait — do I even have to take the SAT to go to college?
I've saved this question for last because if you've read this far, you're clearly an engaged student who's looking for a quality answer to this question rather than an easy one. But in these obviously changing times in education — in both the U.S. and throughout the world — this is a valid question that's worth thinking about.
The short answer is “Definitely maybe.”
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic began, a significant number of U.S. colleges and universities had started de-emphasizing the SAT in their entrance requirements and, in some cases, dropping the requirement. And most of them had already begun accepting the ACT in place of the SAT to fulfill this requirement.
The pandemic mostly accelerated these trends.
So a slightly longer answer to the above question would be, “Check the current requirements for the college(s) you're applying to.” These requirements may be in flux for the next few years, so stay attuned to any changes as they may be announced.
As for my own humble opinion, I would say that a good SAT (or ACT) score is still likely to open the ivy-draped gates you seek to enter for the foreseeable future. Entrance exams such as these have been around a long, long time. Arguably, they aren't the best statistical indicator of future college success. (That, by the way, would be past success in high school — so keep those grades up!) But large educational institutions — and the institution of education as a whole — tend to be about as responsive and quick to change course as aircraft carriers.
Furthermore, even as colleges weigh the pros and cons of their SAT/ACT requirements, some state school systems have begun requiring the SAT as part of their graduation requirements. And this trend appears to be growing in popularity, at least for the time being.
So to sum up, while your grandchildren may not end up having to take the SAT, if you want to keep your educational options open, you probably won't have the same luxury.
Three SAT Success Stories
Finally, here are three SAT success stories from my recent years of teaching and tutoring. Each of them is a composite of several similar students, with the names changed and all that. But I’m very proud of them all!
Jay’s
