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Ashley Barrett is currently in 12th grade, in the thick of preparation for the SAT. But this process started for her back in 11th grade. Towards the end of her second semester that year, Ashley’s anxiety about the SAT was ramping up. She was planning to take the test at the end of the summer, and she felt unprepared, especially for the math portions. So, with the encouragement of her family, she decided to start tutoring to help prepare her as much as possible.
Plan of Action:
When she started tutoring, Ashley and her tutor focused primarily on math, as that was her biggest concern. They worked through portions of various practice SATs and previous years’ SATs together, alternating between the calculator and non-calculator sections. Ashley was able to identify her specific trouble areas in the types of math problems that showed up in the practice tests, and her tutor used that knowledge to shape the focus of their lessons. And eventually, they began adding in practice for the English portion as well.
Results:
Ashley took her first full SAT at the end of the summer. Her score was in the mid 1200’s, and she was disappointed in those results. She felt that she could do better, and her tutor agreed that the abilities Ashley had showcased in their lessons far surpassed that score. She and her tutor discussed SAT and general test-taking anxiety, and strategies to overcome it. And they continued weekly practice, preparing Ashley to retake the test at the end of her first senior year semester. And when she took it the second time, her score went up to the mid 1300’s!
Outlook:
Ashley and her tutor were both very proud of her improvement from one test to the next. But Ashley still hopes to get her score up into the 1400’s. So she has continued practicing with her tutor, expanding on her knowledge and self-assuredness with each lesson. And her tutor has every confidence that Ashley will achieve the score she wants when she takes the test for the third and last time!
