SAT Help - Need to improve by 300 points.

[BeUnique]

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Hello fellow members,

As you can see, I'm a new member and this is my first thread. The title explains the purpose of this thread, however, I would like to explicate my obligation -- the SAT.

I recently took a practice test and scored a 1790. Although it is above average score, this is not what I'm aiming for. I need a score above 2000 to get into a Medical School. I see that most of the members here have gotten 2000 or above(some got perfect score; go check a psychiatrist). I need your recommendations and suggestions, which can help me reach my goal. This has been my life-long dream! I want to get this score and I'll do anything to get it.

Please, any particular directions and suggestions is appreciated. If possible, tell me all the steps you have taken to increase your score. If also possible, can you point to any good preparation method to increase that 1700's people; most of them are around that range.

Thanks and Regards,
Akhil.

 

[Long Way to Go]

I need a score above 2000 to get into a Medical School. I see that most of the members here have gotten 2000 or above(some got perfect score; go check a psychiatrist).

Not really.

I heard rumors that WUSTL-SOM asks for SAT/ACT scores, but I have never heard of any other school asking them.

I need your recommendations and suggestions, which can help me reach my goal.

Do a practice test. Go over the questions you got wrong and understand why you got them wrong. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Lil Mick]

UF asked about scores, but I'm pretty sure that they didn't look at it very closely (maybe to check against MCAT scores if someone bombed the MCAT, but it wasn't mentioned in my interview)...

I'd suggest some self-study on the areas in which you're the weakest and reading journal articles... to improve your reading/anatlytic abilities, as that would serve you well taking standardized tests and during your college/medical studies in the future 🙂

 

[BeUnique]

Not really.
I heard rumors that WUSTL-SOM asks for SAT/ACT scores, but I have never heard of any other school asking them.

Are you sure? Aren't SAT scores the main thing most colleges look at, and then the GPA?

Do a practice test. Go over the questions you got wrong and understand why you got them wrong. Rinse and repeat.

That is actually what I am doing now and I must say, it is helping me a lot. However, my reading section requires plenty of work. I can't get past 530-540. My writing is okay-ish; I'm having a confusion in some sentence-error questions.

Can I ask your SAT score, if you mind? I like to know how everyone did. How did you prepare?

 

[Long Way to Go]

Are you sure? Aren't SAT scores the main thing most colleges look at, and then the GPA?

That is actually what I am doing now and I must say, it is helping me a lot. However, my reading section requires plenty of work. I can't get past 530-540. My writing is okay-ish; I'm having a confusion in some sentence-error questions.

Can I ask your SAT score, if you mind? I like to know how everyone did. How did you prepare?

The School of Medicine, not the undergraduate admissions committee. Medical School AdComs will rarely know or care about your SAT scores. But you are right that standardized tests, GPAs, and courses taken are probably the three most important thing for undergrad admissions.

I got about a 2300 on my SAT. I found that looking over the reasons why you got questions wrong and analyzing those for a significant amount of time to be the most helpful thing. Don't worry about finishing the test on time during your initial practice sessions. Just do the best you can, learn what you got wrong, and don't make the same mistake twice 🙂

 

[BeUnique]

The School of Medicine, not the undergraduate admissions committee. Medical School AdComs will rarely know or care about your SAT scores. But you are right that standardized tests, GPAs, and courses taken are probably the three most important thing for undergrad admissions.

I got about a 2300 on my SAT. I found that looking over the reasons why you got questions wrong and analyzing those for a significant amount of time to be the most helpful thing. Don't worry about finishing the test on time during your initial practice sessions. Just do the best you can, learn what you got wrong, and don't make the same mistake twice 🙂

Thank you for the input and sharing your ideas. Holy crap @ SAT Score! What college do you attend? What did you take? Surgery or Internal Medicine? or BDS?

Let me explain what I understand:
Undergraduate admissions is the first college I attend, correct? The admissions that occur after high-school, right? During those admissions, they look at my credits, GPA, and SAT. After my 4 years of study in that college, I move on to a Medical College?

 

[Long Way to Go]

Thank you for the input and sharing your ideas. Holy crap @ SAT Score! What college do you attend? What did you take? Surgery or Internal Medicine? or BDS?

Let me explain what I understand:
Undergraduate admissions is the first college I attend, correct? The admissions that occur after high-school, right? During those admissions, they look at my credits, GPA, and SAT. After my 4 years of study in that college, I move on to a Medical College?

I'd prefer not to say what college I attend. As as a premed, I have barely started thinking about what specialty of medicine I would like to do. Surgery is probably out, but there are over a dozen others!

Let's break it down. Here is the typical schedule:

You apply to undergrad the fall of your junior year. At this point, the main things in your application are the SAT/ACT and SAT subject scores, high school GPA, extracurriculars, and application essays.

You go to undergrad for the next four years. In this time, you do well in classes, volunteer, research, shadow a physician, and so on. Most people take the MCAT after their junior year and apply that summer. The two most important things here are MCAT scores and college GPA.

Fall, winter and very early spring of senior year, you fly out for interviews, which you are hopefully receiving. By the end of senior year, you make a committment to attend one medical school.

You spend the next two years in a classroom learning basic medical science, after which you take Step 1 of the USMLE/COMLEX and the next two years after that doing rotations in different departments of the hospital (Surgery, Internal, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Psych, Family, electives). During your fourth year, you enter the match, which is a variation of the medical school application process. From what I understand, the most important things at this time are your Step scores and grades in the 3rd year (grain of salt here).

When you apply for the match, this is when you select which specialty you want to pursue in residency and for your career.

 

[BeUnique]

I'd prefer not to say what college I attend. As as a premed, I have barely started thinking about what specialty of medicine I would like to do. Surgery is probably out, but there are over a dozen others!

Let's break it down. Here is the typical schedule:

You apply to undergrad the fall of your junior year. At this point, the main things in your application are the SAT/ACT and SAT subject scores, high school GPA, extracurriculars, and application essays.

You go to undergrad for the next four years. In this time, you do well in classes, volunteer, research, shadow a physician, and so on. Most people take the MCAT after their junior year and apply that summer. The two most important things here are MCAT scores and college GPA.

Fall, winter and very early spring of senior year, you fly out for interviews, which you are hopefully receiving. By the end of senior year, you make a committment to attend one medical school.

You spend the next two years in a classroom learning basic medical science, after which you take Step 1 of the USMLE/COMLEX and the next two years after that doing rotations in different departments of the hospital (Surgery, Internal, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Psych, Family, electives). During your fourth year, you enter the match, which is a variation of the medical school application process. From what I understand, the most important things at this time are your Step scores and grades in the 3rd year (grain of salt here).

When you apply for the match, this is when you select which specialty you want to pursue in residency and for your career.

Thank you so much for taking your time to reply.

It seems I have long years of hard work, struggle, and fun ahead of my life; this should be enlightening.

 

[Medical19]

I know what you're going through. I'm getting ready to take my first SAT in the spring. I imagine you are in your junior year, although I could easily be mistaken. Keep practicing, looking over what you get wrong on practice tests, etc. Prep books are also helpful. Also, don't forget that you can take the SAT several times. Some schools use Score Choice (check your potential colleges to check), which means you can choose which test scores you would like send them. So, if you take the SAT more than once, you can have some experience taking the test (possibly getting a 2,000 outright) and can then try to reach your goal on the next test. Good luck.

 

[debrastix]

Without doubt the only to improve and get better is to practice tests. They help your confidence too 🙂

 

[Pooched]

As far as getting into Med School goes, SAT scores mean nothing. I was a HUGE slacker in High School, blew off the SAT and scored a little under 1000. Made it into a State university and now have a 3.6 GPA and a 31 MCAT.

 

[Merely]

Take practice tests

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

If you're having issues with vocabulary in the Critical Reading section (which was a huge problem for me initially as well), please do check out Direct Hits Vocabulary. There are 2 books of that series: Core Vocabulary and Toughest Vocabulary.

Also check out "How to Attack the Critical Reading Section Effectively", if you google that, you should find a link to College Confidential. Get to the main page of the thread and read those tips.

I brought my score from a 580 to a 770-800 in critical reading.

I cannot help much with math because it was always good and I scored an 800.

For writing, practice review practice review practice review. Just keep learning what mistakes you made and act to not make those mistakes again. You'll find that they only test a limited number of grammar topics. Once you master those, you should be good to go. I brought my score from a 640 in writing to a 790 just through practice.

Best of Luck with your exams