A high GPA doesn’t mean a high SAT score

Trust me; I know this from personal experience.

I found school relatively easy for the most part. Making principal’s honor roll (all As) most of the time and taking advanced classes was my thing. Because of this, I thought that when I took the PSAT in 10th grade, it was going to be a walk in the park.

But then I took the PSAT…

Needless to say, I was shocked when I got my PSAT score back.

I don’t recall having significant difficulty when I took the PSAT. If anything, I recall not quite answering all of the problems (Note: Having an answer for every problem is something you should aim to do!). But when I got my test back, my equivalent SAT score was a 960.

In case you don’t recall, the highest you can get is a 1600, with 800 max on the verbal section as well as on the math section. I was sure I’d get closer to max, as this was the kind of school performance I was used to, but my scores were on the lower side of average. I was bummed out.

What I learned from my low PSAT score

My initial experience with the PSAT taught me that high grades in school don’t necessarily translate to high SAT scores. The SAT is a different kind of test; it tests one’s critical thinking skills by giving problems that require one to have a deep understanding of the material, such that they can answer problems that aren’t so straightforward. It’s not your end-of-course test that only tests your knowledge of what you did that year alone.

Another thing I learned is that your grade level when taking the SAT/PSAT matters somewhat. The SAT, specifically the math section, tests your knowledge up to Algebra 2, meaning that by the time you’ve taken Algebra 2, you’ve taken pretty much all the math required for the SAT. I was in 10th grade taking Algebra 2 at that time, so I acquired skills after the end of 10th grade that would ultimately help my SAT score the next year.

Finally, I learned that practice for the SAT is key. Following my experience with the PSAT, I practiced with as many SAT-type problems that I could get my hands on. This helped me get more accustomed to the type of problems found on the SAT, and it helped me deepen my knowledge of subjects/topics covered on the SAT such that I was better able to know what knowledge I needed to use for different kinds of problems. Such skill will only come from practicing.

I talk more in depth about how I prepared for the SAT in the video below. Whatever method you choose, please make sure you practice!

Math Swap offers one-on-one tutoring for SAT math, as well as in-person SAT math workshops (for the greater Middle Georgia area).