FAB SAT Prep

The SAT isn't a test with a "passing" score. The score you want on the SAT depends entirely on the student's goals. The average score for all SAT test-takers is 1000. That means many students are above that score and many are below. The best ways to set a goal for the SAT are to 1) take a practice test and 2) look at the college's average SAT scores.

It's kind of weird, isn't it, that we're supposed to know at 17 what career we want for the rest of our lives? Some teens do, for sure, but plenty of others are still dreaming about making it big in YouTube or professional sports. There are a couple of possible routes for teens coming out of high school without a clear plan.
1) 🤑Get a job and delay college
2) 🔭 Take some sample college classes in a bunch of different interest areas while completing college requirements.
3) 😬 Just pick something and hope for the best.

💡Options 1 and 2 can help teens get a taste of different careers and areas of study. Option 3 is risky because diving into a major without a clear goal is a recipe for scattered attention and failing grades.

For most students, studying for about 6-8 weeks specifically for the test is a solid plan. Some students can get a test prep book and work through on their own.

Most high school students benefit from taking a class or working with a tutor to help them focus on what they need most.

Like with all things, it depends! Most students will be able to improve after taking the test a couple of times. For a lot of students, taking it twice is worth it, and some do better the third time. But unless you do something drastically different (like take a prep class for the first time) there's usually no point in taking the SAT more than twice. Instead of taking the real test over and over, it's more effective to take a practice test and do some prep before the real test.

How long does it take to prep for SAT?

For most students, studying for about 6-8 weeks specifically for the test is a solid plan. Some students can get a test prep book and work through on their own. Most high school students benefit from taking a class or working with a tutor to help them focus on what they need most.

Choosing a college is a high-stakes decision for a teen to make! To find a college where your child will thrive, set aside the ideas of prestige and peer pressure.

Look at the location, size of the campus, majors and programs available, and the "vibe" of the campus. Talk to some students, or even some professors, on campus and see if they are the kind of person your teen wants to spend their time with.

There can be an overwhelming amount of information in the college search process. Try to keep the focus on the things that matter most to your child.

A "good" SAT score is in the eye of the beholder.

A score of 900 is not a good score if you want to make it into Ivy League schools.

But then again, a 1550 would be overkill at your local state college. Before you set arbitrary goals for the SAT, find out what your target colleges look for in their incoming students.

The calculator math section on the SAT includes questions about equations, graphs, or geometry. For harder questions, students will have to rely on calculators to get the answer quickly and efficiently.

It's time to get a good graphic calculator, and practice using it. It can be more convenient to use your phone or a calculator from school, but for the SAT, you need to be comfortable with a calculator of your own.

Time to go calculator shopping!

It's amazing that we can find out just about anything we want to know with an internet search these days! If your teen has an interest that doesn't match up with the list of majors at the local college, do some research to find out where people with his interest end up studying and working. You can try a search like "best college majors for ___" or "what degree do you need to __." You can also try one of the available career assessments, like 16 Personalities or even the WingFinder from Red Bull to help your teen get some ideas for how and where they would like to work.

A "good" SAT score is in the eye of the beholder. A score of 900 is not a good score if you want to make it into Ivy League schools. But then again, a 1550 would be overkill at your local state college. Before you set arbitrary goals for the SAT, find out what your target colleges look for in their incoming students.

The SAT isn't a test with a "passing" score. The score you want on the SAT depends entirely on the student's goals.

The average score for all SAT test-takers is 1000. That means many students are above that score and many are below.

The best ways to set a goal for the SAT are to 1) take a practice test and 2) look at the college's average SAT scores.

How many times should I take the SAT?

Like with all things, it depends! Most students will be able to improve after taking the test a couple of times. For a lot of students, taking it twice is worth it, and some do better the third time.

But unless you do something drastically different (like take a prep class for the first time) there's usually no point in taking the SAT more than twice.

Instead of taking the real test over and over, it's more effective to take a practice test and do some prep before the real test.

It's kind of weird, isn't it, that we're supposed to know at 17 what career we want for the rest of our lives? Some teens do, for sure, but plenty of others are still dreaming about making it big in YouTube or professional sports. There are a couple of possible routes for teens coming out of high school without a clear plan. 1) 🤑Get a job and delay college 2) 🔭 Take some sample college classes in a bunch of different interest areas while completing college requirements. 3) 😬 Just pick something and hope for the best. 💡Options 1 and 2 can help teens get a taste of different careers and areas of study. Option 3 is risky because diving into a major without a clear goal is a recipe for scattered attention and failing grades.

When should I start planning for college?

If you have a high school student, you may have been tossed into the middle of The College Admissions Process. It looks way different than it did a couple decades ago, when many parents were applying to school.

Sophomore year, at the latest, have some conversations about what your child will do after high school. Are they thinking full time college? Live at home or away? Work full time and take a few classes to start?

By the very beginning of junior year, students should be taking some action, like making a list of potential schools and planning to take the PSAT and SAT. Check out some free resources to start the process at https://fablearning.net/fab-college-ready-resources/

FaB College-Ready Resources – FaB Educational Coaching

Some kids grow up assuming they'll go to college and move right along on that journey. Other kids resist the idea of college, or go back and forth about whether it's the right choice for them.

There are many options for learning after high school, but no matter which your child chooses, higher education pays!

People with a high school diploma earn a median of $1.6 million dollars in their lifetimes.
"Some college" or an associates degree brings that number up to $1.9 or $2 million.
Completing a bachelors degree leads to a median income of $2.8 million dollars over a worker's career.

The difference in lifetime earning potential definitely makes college worth a second look! Stick around for ideas about how to find the right college, and how to have the best application possible.

Choosing a college is a high-stakes decision for a teen to make! To find a college where your child will thrive, set aside the ideas of prestige and peer pressure. Look at the location, size of the campus, majors and programs available, and the "vibe" of the campus. Talk to some students, or even some professors, on campus and see if they are the kind of person your teen wants to spend their time with. There can be an overwhelming amount of information in the college search process. Try to keep the focus on the things that matter most to your child.

What SAT score do I need to get into college?

This isn't a black and white answer, like "How many minutes do I microwave this burrito?" or "What's the latest we can wake up and not miss the bus?"

The answer to that question is a brand-new question: What colleges do you want to attend, and what scores are they looking for?

While 1000 is the national average SAT score (math and verbal combind), there are plenty of schools that accept students with lower scores - totals in the 700s or 800s, in the case of some state schools.

So will a super low SAT score keep kids out of college altogether? Nope.

But if the school you want to attend has scores you can't achieve, is it really the place you want to be?

Sophomore year is a great time to take your first PSAT, or an SAT practice test, and get an idea of what kind of schools you should look at.

What's on the SAT?

The SAT is supposed to be a test that predicts how well students will do in college by measuring their math and verbal skills. (But it's not a great predictor - students with lousy scores can be very successful in college and vice versa!) The math consists of content up to Algebra II, as well as an assortment of arithmetic and word problems. The verbal part of the test includes questions about grammar as well as reading comprehension.

Most of the buzz around college admissions is aimed at the most competitive, highest achieving students. Listening to the media, you might think life is ruined if a student doesn't get into a top choice school.

But that doesn't mean there's not a perfect college for average or even struggling students.

It takes some research and maybe a little soul-searching to decide what college best meets the needs and goals of a student graduating high school. But if college is your child's goal, there is plenty of room for them in one of the over 5000 colleges in the US!

Follow FaB SAT Prep to learn more about the college admissions process and how to get your child ready to reach their goals!