SAT/ACT/PSAT

[hope]

Standardized tests are a thorn in the ass. The thorn can be removed, but how? Doing well?
When I am trying to accomplish something that truly matters I lose faith and fail. Can anybody offer moralizing strategies for things that matter?

 

[walfin]

Just think - at least it's SATs, not A Levels (which IMHO are a bigger pain in the arse).

A positive way to look at it would be that it's something you can do well in even without much in the way of apparent effort (like attending classes etc).

 

[Carnap]

Standardized tests are the bane of my existence. My SATs told me I should have humble goals and not overestimate myself. I threw them in the corner and moved to a country that admits everyone into college and now I'm coming back to America (maybe) to kick ass.

I have to do the GRE for grad school and I asked the school about the Math scores and he laughed and said they don't look at that.

As for you, depending on the school you want to go to, you might want to prepare for the damned tests !!!

 

[Ermine]

I did pretty well on the ACT and SAT. I just didn't give it much thought. I just walked in, regurgitated my knowledge on the answer sheet, and left. Unless you're totally clueless, I think it's very helpful to not study for it at all, or not study for it the week before the exam. I had no anxiety whatsoever and it paid off. I don't have amazing scores, but I did well enough to get by by a large margin.

But the AP tests were another matter since they aren't quite as standardized, but to a degree, I still used the same method and minimized the stress.

 

[bdubs]

I think that having a strong vocabulary is very important on both tests although this is arguably more pronounced on the SAT. Math never seemed terribly advanced, and science was only included on the ACT. The "science" section seemed more like interpertation of graphs then anything related to science. Both now include a writing section, but as long as you stick to your subject and uses decent grammar you'll do fine. I know these tips were a bit late, but I figured I'd throw them out there in case someone else needed some advice.

One peice of advice I do want to give you is to consider retaking your test(s). My first ACT was a fairly disappointing. (in my understanding of myself) When I took the test a second time my score increased by 5 points. I did not study before either of these tests, but I felt much more comfortable taking it the second time. The familiarity with the test may make a difference.

I know the only reason I am currently in the college of my choice is because of my ACT/SAT scores.(My GPA in highschool was garbage.) A classmate of mine had a 3.6 accume GPA and was taking Latin at the University he was applying to while in highschool and was turned down. I presume this to be the case due to the ACT score he recieved of a 25. On the other hand, my GPA was a 2.8 and I was not taking any classes at the university, yet when I applied to the same location I was accepted. (My ACT was a 30, SAT 1400)

I know larger univeristies like the one we had applied to often look to brag about the newest class of incoming freshmen. They enjoy listing off a list of bullet points concening the "brighting class of freshmen this univeristy had ever had". Beyond GPA, these scores are often sighted.

 

[Firehazard159]

I know the only reason I am currently in the college of my choice is because of my ACT/SAT scores.(My GPA in highschool was garbage.) A classmate of mine had a 3.6 accume GPA and was taking Latin at the University he was applying to while in highschool and was turned down. I presume this to be the case due to the ACT score he recieved of a 25. On the other hand, my GPA was a 2.8 and I was not taking any classes at the university, yet when I applied to the same location I was accepted. (My ACT was a 30, SAT 1400)

I find it funny that you say this. I agree with everything you said, only I have no SAT experience. My ACT's I didn't study for at all, I got a 27 (not amazing, but far better than the majority of my classmates.) My GPA in highschool was shit as well, 2.8 due to not doing any homework whatsoever, I refused to even take books home eventually. I just did what I could in class, ace'ed tests, and that was that, whatever I performed in school was what I got. Anything outside of school, I didn't do, because I wasn't in school and spent my time on my own pursuits (Or lack there of.)

... I really hated the school system for being so poorly designed for my personality -_-

 

[Trebuchet]

I used to teach SAT preparation. The most effective means of preparation is to get some practice tests. Get real tests from previous years, not simulated tests. The College Board, which makes the test, has an online printable test at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/prep_one.html, but I suggest, if you can afford it, that you get The Official SAT Study Guide, and take all the practice tests, using the same time limits as the real thing. Memorize all the instructions so you don't have to read them when you get there. I also strongly recommend None of the Above, by David Owen. As an INTP, I found the insight into how the College Board works to be incredibly valuable.

If you do that, I am convinced you will feel calmer and more in control taking the SAT. The ACT wasn't given in my area, so I know less about that.

 

[Invoke Ninja's True Power]

I think most schools nowadays want ACT scores. I took SAT's 8 years ago, got 1170(600 math,570 verbal) which is pretty good, not great but much better than average. I think 800-1000 is average. The community college I am going to gave me a bit of trouble for not having an ACT score, but thankfully I had prior college credits from another school that transferred over and more than gave me the requirements they needed to admit me. I felt insulted.

 

[aklyatne]

I've always thought SAT style tests were easy o.O

I took the PSAT (pre-SAT) last year, which is the SAT but unofficially scored, and was in the 98th percentile - Out of 100 people, I did better than 98 of them, according to that test. It's all just syntax, taking advantage of the test format, and remembering things.

 

[Invoke Ninja's True Power]

I never really gave a crap about tests, I did well enough without having to try. I was always happy with an effortless B in my classes. I probably would have gotten a good 100-200 points higher had I taken the SATs after 11th grade though. Having calc/pre-calc under your belt can help the math part quite a bit, ran into a couple questions I had no clue how to answer, this was about 9 years ago though. and screw probability math, it will help on a couple questions but I never took it, never liked it.

I was just looking it up, apparently there's a 3rd section of the SATs they added.Glad I took mine years ago when it was just 2 sections. That's probably why the college I'm going to now didn't wanna look at my SAT scores.

 

[Spaekle]

Meh, I got a 26 and a 1780 without studying. Probably wouldn't get me into an Ivy League school, but should get me the places I do want to go just fine.

I walked in that morning with the mentality that this is all probably pretty easy stuff, and that even if I do fail I can keep taking it until I get a satisfactory score. There's really no reason to stress out when you take that into consideration.

 

[Invoke Ninja's True Power]

screw ivy league, probably mostly a bunch of rich snobby bastards anyways, besides having the prestige of having a famous school a degree is a degree

I suppose you are screwed if you wanted to join Skull and Bones or any of those other ultra-rich, snobby secret societies, but screw them.

 

[snafupants]

Forget about going to an undergraduate university with much cachet (e.g., Ivy League). Dabble in college, find out what you want to do, and, above all, save money! Then, once you have a niche, spend that money on graduate school or doing what you love!

Peace

 

[TheHmmmm]

I took all three of those tests and did pretty well on all of them (2100/32/208?), but I don't like the writing section, especially because of the association between length and score. Apparently, a 2005 MIT study conductor, based on his results, says that one can accurately predict the score of around 90% of essays without even having looked at the content, but by examining length alone. The long, high-scoring essays also often had factual errors, to which the CollegeBoard responded that they are not responsible for checking the factual accuracy of the writing responses. The 25-minute time limit is a load of crap as well.

The ACT writing section had a significantly simpler prompt, to which I could not produce as profound a response as I could to the more well-developed SAT prompts (the ACT one was seriously on par with state standardized testing, which is pathetic). The ACT science section is like a slap in the face though. It has you examine case studies, which is a fancy way of saying experiments, using jargon with which you most likely will not be familiar. My advice here is to skim the reading to get an idea of what it is, then answer the question based on the graphs. If you actually try to understand the experiments through normal reading, you'll probably run out of time unless you have some seriously hardcore science prep background. Also, pace yourself on the reading, that's the only other section that you might fall behind on.

I still have to take some SAT subject tests (probably Math 2 for its curve and Lit for my preparation in AP English), and I have no idea how well I'll do on those. However, I can't complain since I did fairly well on the others and hopefully they'll push me into University of Pennsylvania or Georgetown.

As far as strategies, there really are none. The tests measure your ability to apply concepts, not memorize them, and I had a different experience than Trebuchet. I studied this prep book and found the test to be NOTHING like it, so my advice is to relax, take it once, and then take it again with knowledge and an understanding of what to expect. Also, as I said before, write. A lot. Fill those pages on the writing section with examples and literary/historical references if applicable. Watch for traps in the math section, they like to screw with you. That's the only real thing I found a benefit studying for is trap-hunting. Also, some colleges ask you how much prep you had and take that into account, especially when you hire private tutors and such. Getting a shiny score with minimal prep opportunities might make you more appealing.

 

[Enne]

Ha ha ha I remember those! My mom was convinced that I wasn't going to college since I wasn't preparing or doing some sort of CollegeBoard cram school. I ended up scoring > 2000 (new version). The same thing went for the AP tests, though I did well on those more out of fear since my dad had threatened fury for paying $80/test. For the PSATs I would recommend some sort of studying regimen. I didn't really realize what I was taking (the potential) when I took them, so I missed the National Merit scholarship by a margin, and my guidance counselor told me that I couldn't retake them. As for the APs, I would definitely recommend taking all the tests for the classes you never want to see ever again at university. I was exempt from the language requirement, freshman writing and all of the history general education / liberal arts requirements for my scores on the test, which saved me time later when I was switching majors.

So yeah:
-Take APs to save time (and mandatories) in college
-Study hard for the PSAT so you can win free money
-Blow off studying for the SAT (since by now if you did the previous you will know the exam). Like Ermine, the lack of stress and trivia rattling through my head really helped me do well.
-DO NOT repeat your SAT test. That's just pointless. You will spend money and time and probably get the same score. Ignore the Kaplan flyers.
-Oh, and apparently the day before the exam someone told me that indenting in the new SAT (like, a substantial amount) was key to the graders' scoring, for some reason. Apparently, they enjoy a good looking page for the essay question. (Worked for me )

Finally, if you want to get out of freshman writing, be sure to take AP English Language; NOT Literature, which can get you out of one of the literature general education requirements. If you test well (4/5) in enough AP exams, you can arrive at university with up to a semester's worth of credits, which is helpful if your goal is to graduate early, or just fuck around a lot.

 

[TheHmmmm]

Ha ha ha I remember those! My mom was convinced that I wasn't going to college since I wasn't preparing or doing some sort of CollegeBoard cram school. I ended up scoring > 2000 (new version). The same thing went for the AP tests, though I did well on those more out of fear since my dad had threatened fury for paying $80/test. For the PSATs I would recommend some sort of studying regimen. I didn't really realize what I was taking (the potential) when I took them, so I missed the National Merit scholarship by a margin, and my guidance counselor told me that I couldn't retake them. As for the APs, I would definitely recommend taking all the tests for the classes you never want to see ever again at university. I was exempt from the language requirement, freshman writing and all of the history general education / liberal arts requirements for my scores on the test, which saved me time later when I was switching majors.

So yeah:
-Take APs to save time (and mandatories) in college
-Study hard for the PSAT so you can win free money
-Blow off studying for the SAT (since by now if you did the previous you will know the exam). Like Ermine, the lack of stress and trivia rattling through my head really helped me do well.
-DO NOT repeat your SAT test. That's just pointless. You will spend money and time and probably get the same score. Ignore the Kaplan flyers.
-Oh, and apparently the day before the exam someone told me that indenting in the new SAT (like, a substantial amount) was key to the graders' scoring, for some reason. Apparently, they enjoy a good looking page for the essay question. (Worked for me )

Finally, if you want to get out of freshman writing, be sure to take AP English Language; NOT Literature, which can get you out of one of the literature general education requirements. If you test well (4/5) in enough AP exams, you can arrive at university with up to a semester's worth of credits, which is helpful if your goal is to graduate early, or just fuck around a lot.

I'm actually happy with my marginal gain from retaking the SAT, as I went from 2070 to 2100 and I personally think 2100 looks way better. But yes, it is usually useless retaking it, but if you have the money, why not? I'm looking forward to National Merit Scholarship just to see what it's about.

 

[Enne]

Nice!

Well, if you become a National Merit Scholar (or "Outstanding Participant", or any of the other soccer trophy stuff), you can look forward to some local attention, but you have to score well for it to result in college money. I think the Merit award can set you up well if you want to study at a prestigious university outside of the US.

 

[TheHmmmm]

Nice!

Well, if you become a National Merit Scholar (or "Outstanding Participant", or any of the other soccer trophy stuff), you can look forward to some local attention, but you have to score well for it to result in college money. I think the Merit award can set you up well if you want to study at a prestigious university outside of the US.

Yeah, unfortunately I think the sign-up is AFTER the early-admission deadline for the college I'm really looking to get into, so I can't claim it on the application.

My goal isn't really to make money, since my family is low-income and IF I can get into an Ivy League school like I hope, I am mostly provided for by their dedication to pay for those who come from such families. I am mostly doing it to say that I did and maybe get some of that attention; if I earn some money at it, that's just a bonus.

 

[Enne]

Hmm. . . what are you going in for?