You’ve either taken the SAT or tried a practice test, and the results weren’t what you hoped for. So, like most students, you searched for answers. Good move.

If you’re reading this, you’re already taking a smarter first step. At Help In Homework, we focus on helping students build study strategies that actually match how they learn and test, not just generic advice.

Whether you’re aiming for a major score jump or just want to tighten up weak spots, the right plan makes a big difference. Let’s get into what that looks like for your situation.

How Much Can You Actually Improve Your SAT Score?

The amount your SAT score can improve depends on how ready you are to change your study habits, and how you approach the test itself.

Let’s talk about real numbers.

For every 50-point increase in your SAT score, you’ll need to answer about 4 to 5 more questions correctly across the test. That may not sound like much, but those few extra correct answers require targeted practice, especially in your weaker sections.

According to the College Board, most students who retake the SAT see an average improvement of around 40 points. If you’re aiming for a 150-point jump, that’s already well above average, and definitely achievable with the right plan and focus.

A 300-point increase? Ambitious, but doable if you're starting from a mid-range score and you're committed to consistent prep. It’s the kind of gain that comes from months of effort, guided review, and a solid understanding of where you need to improve.

As for 500-point jumps, those are rare. But in some cases, students who struggle with test-taking and spend a year or more preparing have managed it. It takes serious discipline and time, but it’s not impossible.

How to Improve your SAT Score by 300 Points

• Only use high quality study materials

• Stick to a study schedule

• Take practice tests (make sure to include as many digital ones as possible)
  Optimize your studying techniques
  Defeat your mental blocks

So your SAT goal is a 300-point overall score improvement, it can be done! On average, you’re trying to pick up 150 points in each section (Reading & Writing and Math), and make no mistake, this is going to take a lot of work.

Let’s say you’ve scored similarly across the board. In that case, you’ll want to focus on each SAT section more or less equally. However, if one of your sections was much weaker than the others, that’s definitely where you should direct more attention.

It’s time to take a look at some concrete strategies for how to improve your SAT score by 300 points. We’ll start with a few things that will benefit you across all parts of the exam, and then get more specialized in later sections of this post.

Strategy #1: Only Use High Quality Study Materials

Doing well on the SAT isn’t just about knowing Math formulas or grammar rules. A huge part of your score comes down to how well you understand the test itself. The SAT follows consistent patterns, question types, phrasing, traps, and if you’re not familiar with them, you’re going to hit a wall.

The good news? SAT test-taking is a skill you can learn. But to do that, you need to study with materials that actually reflect the real exam. If your practice materials don’t feel like the real test, you risk learning bad habits and getting tripped up on test day.

That’s why you’ve got to choose your prep tools carefully.

Strategy #2: Stick to a Study Schedule

Trying to prep for the SAT without a schedule is like training for a marathon without a running plan,it won’t end well. The test covers a lot of ground, and without a clear roadmap, you’re going to waste time, get overwhelmed, or end up skipping the areas that matter most.

The key is breaking your study time into small, manageable pieces. You don’t need to cram five hours of reading in one sitting, you just need consistent, focused effort over time.

Strategy #3: Take Practice Tests

The SAT isn’t just about what you know, it’s about how well you can perform under pressure. And like any high-stakes performance, practice is everything. Think of it like a marathon: if you don’t train your body (and brain) for the full distance, you’ll hit a wall halfway through.

That’s why taking full-length, timed practice tests is essential. These simulations help you build the endurance you’ll need on test day and give you a chance to get comfortable with the digital format, timing, and pacing. You’ll also get a better sense of where your strengths are, and which sections still need work.

Try to take at least 3–5 practice tests throughout your prep, ideally spacing them out so you can track your progress. And after each one, review your mistakes. That’s where the real learning happens.

Strategy #4: Optimize Your Studying Techniques

Let’s be real: between classes, extracurriculars, and a social life (what’s left of it), your time is limited. That means you don’t just need to study, you need to study smart. Forget the idea of reading an SAT prep book cover to cover. That’s a fast track to burnout, not better scores.

The most effective way to boost your score is to understand your weaknesses, and target them.

Here’s how to do that:

• Start by taking a full-length practice test. While you take it, flag every question you’re even a little unsure about.

• When you're done, review every incorrect answer and every flagged one, even if you guessed right.

• For each, write down what the question was testing, why you missed it (or nearly did), and what you could have done differently.

Over time, you’ll start to spot patterns, maybe it’s comma rules, maybe it’s word problems. Once you see the patterns, you can focus your efforts exactly where they’re needed. That’s how you study efficiently. That’s how you make real progress.

Strategy #5: Defeat Your Mental Blocks

Let’s face it, the SAT can feel like a big deal. Like, life-changing levels of pressure. And while a little pressure can be motivating, too much of it? Total brain freeze.

The key is to shift your mindset. Try to stop seeing mistakes as failures and start seeing them as clues. Every wrong answer you review is a step toward understanding how to get it right next time. That’s not corny, that’s strategy.

You don’t need to pretend the SAT isn’t stressful. But if you can reframe it as a challenge you can meet, not a threat you have to survive, you’ll think clearer, study better, and probably score higher. Because at the end of the day, the SAT is just another thing you can learn to do well with the right approach.

Strategy #6: Optimize for the Harder Second Module on the Digital SAT

If you’re taking the digital SAT like most students now, here’s a key fact: you won’t get a section score above 700 unless you reach the harder second module of the adaptive test. So if your goal is to score over 1400 overall, breaking into that tougher module is essential.

To get there, you need to answer about two-thirds of the questions correctly in the first module. As you practice, focus on both pacing and accuracy so hitting that mark feels comfortable, not stressful. This strategy will help you unlock the higher scoring potential the test offers.

How to Improve Your SAT Score by 500 Points

Let’s be real, 500 points is a huge jump. That’s about 250 points in each section, which is an extraordinary improvement by any measure.

Whether or not a 500-point increase is realistic for you depends on a few big factors:

• What’s your starting score?

• Did you do any prep before your first SAT?

• How much time can you realistically commit to studying?

If your initial score was pretty low across both sections, you didn’t do much (or any) prep the first time around, and you’re now able to devote 6 to 18 months of consistent, structured studying, then yeah, you might be able to hit that 500-point improvement range.

But here’s the better mindset: don’t chase a number. Focus on steady progress. Get a good study plan, use high-quality materials, review your mistakes deeply, and keep showing up. If you commit to doing the work, your SAT score will go up, and maybe more than you think.

How can you improve your SAT Reading & Writing score?

There are many areas that students tend to struggle with on the SAT Reading & Writing section…which means you’re about to get a lot of advice. So, to avoid confusion, I’m going to break down the SAT Reading & Writing strategies into two categories: How to Study Better and How to Work Faster. That way you can focus on the area you’re having the most trouble in.

How to Study Better:

Beyond the strategies we’ve covered already (better study materials, defeating mental blocks, etc.), the best tip I can give you for the SAT Reading section is to read more!

I know that probably makes you groan, but seriously, it works. Students who struggle with SAT Reading are usually not familiar with the types of passages that appear on the test. The good news is that this is a skill you can build by exposing yourself to more of that kind of reading.

Try reading The New Yorker or Scientific American regularly. These sources mimic the structure and tone of SAT Reading passages. And if you stick with it, not only will your reading skills improve, but you’ll probably come away knowing some cool new things, too.

How to Work Faster:

1) Always practice with a timer.

This one is pretty straightforward. It goes back to our idea of studying with realistic materials; this is a timed test, so you need to study using time limits, or at least keep track of how fast you’re going.

2) Skip hard questions (but guess)!

While Reading & Writing questions aren’t ordered from easiest to hardest across the entire section, they are arranged by difficulty within each question type (Craft and Structure, Information and Ideas, Standard English Conventions, and Expression of Ideas). The more you practice, the better you’ll recognize the types and know where the tricky ones tend to fall.

Because easy and hard questions are worth the same, don’t waste your time getting stuck. If a question is taking more than 30 seconds, skip it and come back later. And don’t leave it blank! The SAT has no penalty for wrong answers, so always guess. If you can eliminate even one wrong option, your odds of guessing correctly improve a lot. Only truly guess at random if you’re out of time.

3) Figure out if you should read the passage or question first.

Some students do better reading the questions first so they know what to look for. Others prefer to read the passage fully before diving in. Try both approaches during practice and figure out what works best for you,  just make sure you’re not reading things more times than you have to. Efficiency is key.

How to Study Better (Math Edition):

Everything we’ve talked about as far as identifying weaknesses is completely applicable to SAT Math as well. So I’m just going to assume that you already know that you need to be taking practice tests and figuring out what you need to work on.

Now let’s focus on some good strategies you can use for tackling SAT math questions.

Strategy #1: Plug In Values (instead of variables)

The SAT Math exam is multiple choice. Which means the truth is out there!

One of the answers you’re looking at is definitely correct…you just need to narrow things down. So instead of starting from scratch, pick some values and plug them in to see which one of the answer choices it produces!

This strategy works super well for problems where the answer choices are percentages, algebraic expressions, or variables.

Strategy #2: Plug in Answers

This one is similar to the last strategy, except you take the actual answers and work backwards to see if the answer choice works in the situation presented in the problem.

This strategy works best for complex word problems with numeric answer choices. This strategy is not ideal when the answer choices are given in terms of variables, radicals, or fractions.

Strategy #3: Estimate!

Estimating is a great strategy when you’re dealing with problems that ask you to draw or interpret a diagram, because you’ll be able to visually see that you’re in the ballpark. In questions that have no diagrams, you can also use the given information to sketch your own diagram…this can be a really useful way to get an idea of the approximate value of the correct answer, and if this allows you to rule out even one answer, your chances of getting the question correct go way up!

How to Work Faster (Math Edition):

1. Always practice with a timer. Okay, you know that one.

2. Skip hard questions (but guess)!
The SAT Math section is ordered according to difficulty from start to finish. The hardest questions will always be at the end of each module. If your score goal does not involve getting higher than a 700 on Math, you likely will be better off spending more time on easier questions and entirely skipping the hardest questions.

But don’t forget, skipping does not equal leaving blank! Fill those bad boys in!

3. Learn how and when to use your calculator
A calculator is allowed on both modules of SAT Math, and you can choose to use your own calculator or an on-screen Desmos graphing calculator. If you choose to use the Desmos calculator, it takes some getting used to, so make sure to practice with it before test day. Knowing how to use all functions of the calculator can save you time on test day, but don’t automatically assume using a calculator will save you time. On many questions, using skills like estimating, mental math, and paper-and-pencil calculations will serve you better, so get good at analyzing each question type and deciding if you should use a calculator or not.

Final Thoughts

For everyone taking the SAT, please remember: you got this. If you start to feel anxious, take a few deep breaths and remember that the SAT is testing you on things you already know.

You may need to brush up here and there, sure, but you’re being tested on high school content. You can totally learn how to improve your SAT score, and we’re here to help you.