Peter L.
The Branson School, Ross, CA.
SAT Starting Score: 1280
Final Score: 1520 (790M 730V)
August 18th 2025: Peter and Josh sit down to discuss his recent experience of preparing for the SAT with Vertical Prep.
Hey, Peter. How's it going?
Good. How are you?
I'm good, it's good to see you, and congratulations on your last SAT score - that’s a big accomplishment.
Thank you.
Do you remember what your starting score was, the first score you ever got?
I got a 1280.
And what was your final score?
1520, a major improvement.
That is a major improvement.
Thank you.
How long did we spend prepping together?
Like, six or seven months maybe?
And how many times did you end up taking the test?
I took it four times officially.
What were some of the things you did that you think made the biggest difference in being able to achieve such a high score?
Learning the grammar. I had forgotten all the grammar stuff. Then I relearned grammar - it's all rules. You just memorize the rules. And then all the grammar questions become easy.
How do you think your understanding of the SAT changed from the first time you took it to your last official test?
I just thought it was a bunch of questions at the start. I knew there were two sections. When I finished preparing, I understood exactly the format of the test, so I knew which questions were where and which ones were coming. Like, on the English section, there's vocab, grammar, reading comprehension, and student notes. Once you know that, you know exactly what the test is going to be and it's always the same order.
What do you think is the hardest type of question on the test and why?
The reading comprehension for sure. Also, the questions with the graphs. The graphs are sometimes not in a standard format like you would normally see in science. It makes it really difficult - and they just flip all the x and y variables, and I'm like, what are you doing?
Now that you’ve gone through everything, looking back, what was it all about? In other words, what do you think the SAT measures about you?
Well, I think the SAT measures how well you can learn the SAT. It's a bit of a silly test, because a lot of the questions that you would see on it wouldn't be relevant anywhere else. I guess it says that I can adapt, because I wasn't very good at it in the beginning. But I can adapt and learn the test and then get really good at it.
One thing about working with you was that you were cool under pressure. You never seemed anxious about the test, but a lot of students do feel nervous. What advice do you have for someone that’s nervous about taking the test to help them feel more confident?
I guess just remember that you know the questions. Think about it logically. You know what you're going to do first. It's gonna be vocab. Hit those four questions. Then go to the end of the section and use the trick with the student notes. Do those quickly, and then the rest of them are easy except for the reading comprehension. Then you just spend all the rest of the time on those, and hope you get some right. And then the math section's easy, so yeah. Just convince yourself that you know what to expect.
Another thing about you is that you’re pretty competitive - would you say so?
Yeah, I'm pretty competitive.
And you’re driven. Whenever you missed a question, you wanted to understand why. How did you keep yourself so motivated to continue preparing and improving?
I mean, it's just annoying if you can't get it because if it's a math question, then it might be fun to figure out because it's like a puzzle, you know. I like puzzles. I guess it's kind of like a game. I like games. So think of it as a game, like pinball. It's pinball and you’re trying to get the highest score in pinball.
Yeah. For sure.
Exactly. So you can get into pinball college.
There are a lot of smart students out there that know a lot of the material but can’t break into the 1500s like you did - they’re stuck at a 1300 or 1400. Getting a 1500+ requires a different sort of mindset beyond just knowing the material. What would you say to a student that feels stuck at a certain score and doesn’t understand why they can’t break into that next level?
You just gotta chill, you know? That's probably because they're overstressing on the test. If they know the material and they're just not getting it, then go back and check your answers. Very important. On the math section of my last test, I went back and checked and fixed maybe one problem, but even that one problem could have put me in the 1500s.
We met entirely over zoom. What do you think of virtual learning compared to learning in a classroom?
You can definitely learn a lot [virtually]. It works well virtually with the SAT because the SAT is online now, and a lot of the materials I used to learn are online, so it works really well. I don't think it makes much of a difference. It might be easier to work online because you can work from wherever.
How have your college applications been going?
I think I got like five done, working on a sixth one. My top choice right now is Northwestern. They want to see a 1,500 on your SAT, which I have, so you know, that's awesome.
Any last advice for the people?
Just chill, I guess. You're smarter when you're relaxed. It's a true story. You can quote me on that too.
Thanks Peter, will do.
“You’re smarter when you’re relaxed. It’s a true story.”
- Peter L. Aug. 18th, 2025