Successful SAT Strategies For Harvard Admissions
All high school students have to go through the SAT test. If you are hoping to go to Harvard, you will need to get a pretty high score.
This article shares two very important strategies about preparing for and taking the SAT.
First: Where schools like Stanford are concerned, what is considered an acceptable SAT score?
Another thing you are sure to be concerned about is how you can get ready to take the SAT. Of course, you don’t want to waste a lot of time and money on methods that may not work.
1. Clearly, you want to get a high score on your SAT, but how high should you shoot for?
My best advice to you is to score 2100 on your SAT. Shoot for 700 across the board if you want to be accepted to an Ivy League school. Your application will not be looked upon favorably with anything less than a 700 on any given section.
As an admissions officer, I can tell you that we almost always accept students who have a score of 2100 or more. The only time we would not is if there are serious academic weaknesses. For example, very weak transcripts might cause us to reject an applicant with a high SAT score.
2. Document your improvements. If you make a low score the first time you take the SAT, try again. Be sure to document your score each time, and of course, work hard to improve it each time.
Click here for more SAT test taking advice!
3. Of the two, ACT and SAT, preference is given to SAT.
ACT is a better test than SAT in a lot of ways. It is an extremely challenging test. Be that as it may, when the admissions office is comparing two very similar candidates the test taken will make a difference. If one has taken SAT and the other has taken ACT, the student who has take the SAT will be preferred.
As you prepare, you should keep your focus on two priorities: Early start and sample tests.
1. While you are still in 7th grade, take the SAT for the Duke TIP. Be sure you take the PSAT at least one time before taking the NMSQT. By doing this, you can practice without taking a chance.
2. Be careful of becoming involved in prep programs and SAT courses that make exaggerated claims. When I was in high school, I took the Kaplan course. I really only remember some very creative flashcards that helped improve my vocabulary by a little bit. My parents paid $1000 for that program. My advice to you is to sit in on a few sample courses before you make a commitment to any.
3. Take a lot of sample tests. This will make more difference than anything else you can do. The more you practice answering the problems, the more comfortable you will get. Spend a lot of time at your local bookstore to get copies of all the sample tests from Barron’s to Princeton Review.
Click here to learn how high school extracurricular activities are graded in admissions!