That has to be disheartening, but she can certainly take them again to raise the score. There are books at the library which gives tips on studying and taking the exam. I’m sure the counseling department at her high school will also offer resources to help her. A good part of the battle is knowing HOW to take the test–e.g., what are the graders looking for in the writing section or is it really better to leave an answer you don’t know blank rather than guess….

She must have good grades to be considering Stanford, perhaps she could talk to one of her favorite English teachers who might be able to give her direction/advice on the tests on taking the writing/verbal portions! I’ve always heard a well organized essay with a few “high powered” words in the first paragraph will score well in the writing portion–but I don’t know for sure.

Good luck to her in her pursuits and she has good luck having you as a friend. Take care.

I’d say that if she is about to be a senior this year, it will be pretty much impossible for her to pull up her score high enough. I’m not trying to sound elitist, but if she can only pull a 900 on her SAT (and there was nothing abnormal about the test setting that would have really brought her score way down, like her having a nervous break-down or getting test anxiety so severe that she couldn’t even think at all), she would not be able to handle Stanford academically. In fact, she probably wouldn’t be able to handle most colleges, and she is probably in the bottom five percent of the test takers. I’m not meaning to sound rude, but your friend may have huge deficits in skills that really matter (as in affect whether you pass or fail) in college, like reading and writing, if she has a score of 900. I can understand that someone who would be prepared to handle Stanford academically might end up getting an SAT score like 1500-1600 if he/she got bad test anxiety, but I don’t really think anybody would ever be academically prepared to go to Stanford with a score like 900.

She can work a lot to improve her SAT scores (just suggest that she go take an SAT class or buy a book like the princeton Review SAT book to get started; she should also buy The Official Guide to the SAT and maybe REAL SATs so she can practice on real SAT tests from previous administrations after/while she does some preparation)/. ALso, taking the ACT might help her if she would be better at taking that test.

What’s funny was that when I read your question I didn’t realize that the scoring method for the SAT has changed since I took the test. I thought I was hot sh*t with a 1250 but that was out of a possible 1600. I scored much higher on the ACT since it covered more areas so I would advise you to take both tests. Good luck and remember that you are more than a test score and colleges know this…

She should start over with richer parents. SAT is most highly correlated with parental wealth, second with parental income, and third with college grades. Seriously, she should look at some less selective liberal arts colleges that value things other than parental wealth. All the study in the world over the next 12 months won’t get her that big an improvement, though she may get 100-200 points from test preparation.

Look at the technical reports on SAT on their web site to see the correlation between scores and parental income. This is the reason that many schools no longer require the SAT I. The SAT II and the ACT are much better predictors of college success are are much less correlated with parental income and wealth, although they are still highly correlated. Pick wealthier parents next time.

Well first, if she is considering to take the SAT again, gather some resources up. You know, SAT stuff that will help you prepare for the SAT. http://www.collegeboard.com gives a plentiful amount of resources. From the SAT question of the day to books on SAT subjects, they are great resources to use.

wow, she should go to city college first and learn more stuff, then she will become smarter and will be accepted into the university, which is expensive.

take it again. Maybe she just had a bad day for tests. that happens.

Your friend is not going to Stanford.