Doing the SATs
- Thread starter piracer
- Start date
Eyebrowsbv31
Rookie
Remember the word "Defenestration"
-FCM-
Rookie
Use the substitution rule on the math section.
Besides that, the one thing you absolutely, absolutely have to make sure you do is get a good night's sleep and eat a big breakfast in the morning. There was a time when I was studying and trying to learn all these random little (time-consuming, actually) tricks for critical reading this and grammar that, and I didn't pay too much attention to sleep and food, and I got okay scores. Then I just stopped caring about the tricks and studying and stuff, went to bed early (but not too early as to throw off your body's patterns), woke up, ate the following: bananas, walnuts, and eggs, went into the test confident, and came out with a much better score. I'm telling you, it makes the difference.
So I guess the thesis of this advice is: the test isn't nearly as scary or tricky as people make it out to be. Just relax, get a good night's sleep, eat a good breakfast, listen to your gut, and don't freak out. Besides, you can always take it again in March.
Besides that, the one thing you absolutely, absolutely have to make sure you do is get a good night's sleep and eat a big breakfast in the morning. There was a time when I was studying and trying to learn all these random little (time-consuming, actually) tricks for critical reading this and grammar that, and I didn't pay too much attention to sleep and food, and I got okay scores. Then I just stopped caring about the tricks and studying and stuff, went to bed early (but not too early as to throw off your body's patterns), woke up, ate the following: bananas, walnuts, and eggs, went into the test confident, and came out with a much better score. I'm telling you, it makes the difference.
So I guess the thesis of this advice is: the test isn't nearly as scary or tricky as people make it out to be. Just relax, get a good night's sleep, eat a good breakfast, listen to your gut, and don't freak out. Besides, you can always take it again in March.
napsterxxl
Ye Olde School
remember, this is one of the few times in a man's life when it's ok to cry. Use it.
Mod-Chip
Rookie
There is an astounding correlation between the length of your essay and the grade you get. Be sure to fill up both pages fully as that will guarantee you at least an 8/12.
And sleep. Don't stress. It's just a test. And more and more colleges are making SAT score sending optional, as they've figured out that it isn't a true test of intelligence. In fact, those that get the best grades usually study on how to take the test, rather than what the test wants to test you on.
Here's to hoping my children will never have to take it. I've taken the SATs five times in High-School (It was mandatory), and on my last time I hit 750, 750, 740...kinda proving that practice makes perfect eh?
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And sleep. Don't stress. It's just a test. And more and more colleges are making SAT score sending optional, as they've figured out that it isn't a true test of intelligence. In fact, those that get the best grades usually study on how to take the test, rather than what the test wants to test you on.
Here's to hoping my children will never have to take it. I've taken the SATs five times in High-School (It was mandatory), and on my last time I hit 750, 750, 740...kinda proving that practice makes perfect eh?
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BigZell2020
Rookie
Dude, the SAT's are a HUGE deal...did you not see that Saved by the Bell episode?
-FCM-
Rookie
Mod-Chip said:
Honestly, I'm going to have to be the weird other party and completely disagree with you on the idea of the SAT being obsolete. It may not be a true test of intelligence but I think it is a fair assessment of one's ability to participate in the academic system. I come from a school that has very few AP classes, refuses to send class rankings, and purposely deflates the grades, not to mention most people that lived near me were rich enough to pay a special visit to the doctor and request extra time on tests for "special needs" if they chose to. As far as I'm concerned, GPA is terribly corrupt and nebulous and filled with hidden variables. My first try I got a 690, 740, and 790 on the math, reading, and writing, respectively, but I had to work my ass off for a weighted 3.7 that kept me out of many schools I would have liked to go to. The absolute highest weighted GPA at my school was a 4.4, which was absolutely unfathomable to 97% of my graduating class. I believe the average weighted GPA at my school was a 3.3, yet the average SAT score was a 2000. My friend at Brown won't stop talking about how much easier college is. Simply put, the kids at my school would have been fucked if it weren't for the SAT.
The fact of the matter is, these schools are getting overly romantic about the idea of taking kids based off of the story of their academic journey and all that, and this is coming from someone that's in art school. It's a nice gesture, but competition for universities has become unbelievably intense, and these universities are going to be letting the wrong people in if they eliminate the SAT, because there needs to be something that is standard for all the applicants. I suppose that's where the Standardized comes from.
I really don't mean to sound like a douche, I just think that, in this torturous process, kids are already getting fucked over, and the degree of fuckedovertude will be greater if the fairest part of the process is eliminated. Cheesy half-baked extracurriculars, fake clubs, "fund-raisers", GPAs loaded with things like AP Government...maybe it's just where I went to school, but I saw the worst of yuppie manipulation and double-standards, and the SAT was the only thing I could rely on to be fair.
Also, I'm sorry I didn't get to respond to you in time regarding the substitution rule Piracer, how did it go?
schimmel
Rookie
SAT scores aren't where it's at anymore, colleges accept them but if you want to be considered better take the ACT. Make sure your English is good, you'll have to write an essay, so brush up on your grammar. Then vs Than, things like that. You can bring a ruler and a protractor and a calculator in I think. It's out of 2400 so remember that. The math section is HARD if you haven't taken math in a little while, but other than that nothing will be too hard. Good luck, man!
I never had to take the SAT cause most midwest colleges only require the ACT...Which I could never freakin' break the 30 point mark, my best after three tries was a 29.
napsterxxl
Ye Olde School
-yawn- heh, I'll look for my SAT scores tomorrow and post them here.
piracer
Rookie
FCM my SAT is next saturday, and im slightly peeing in the pants right now.
I've been doing the past practice papers and have been finding the math section really difficult especially after two long years of not thinking of it. I THOUGHT the critical reading area would be easy but again, its requires a lot more effort then i thought it would be.
Some friends have told me to use a graphics calculator to help in the graph questions and things like that, the issue is of course, i dont know how to use one (and their expensive).
Should i be ok without one of them?
I've been doing the past practice papers and have been finding the math section really difficult especially after two long years of not thinking of it. I THOUGHT the critical reading area would be easy but again, its requires a lot more effort then i thought it would be.
Some friends have told me to use a graphics calculator to help in the graph questions and things like that, the issue is of course, i dont know how to use one (and their expensive).
Should i be ok without one of them?
-FCM-
Rookie
Honestly, I didn't use a graphing calculator. I'm not really a math person. My brain is wired to overthink things big time and that can be a huge problem on the Math portion of the SAT. I don't feel I can properly explain the substitution rule since it's been a while, so you may want to do some research or ask some friends or something, but that should be your best friend. It's basically writing out the word problem and assigning variables to things so you have all the ingredients to properly solve the problem. As for the critical reading...don't take my word for it because I'm a chronic overthinker, but I often found my first gut instinct was correct and the answers were pretty simple and straightforward, even uninteresting. Don't complicate things, really look at what's actually in the text. That's what I needed to tell myself anyways.
keepithowitis
Rookie
A graphing calculator's pretty damn important if you suck at graphing normally, which I do. Granted, I'm in Geometry 1, so nowhere near SAT yet, but it still helps me quite a bit.
