I've got a quick question about the SATs. When do you take them? I've heard you should take them your sophmore year, but some people take them during their junior year? What's the difference? Also, can somebody give me a run down on how the SAT scoring works? I've never really understood the whole process. And for those who already took the SATs, was it really hard? How do you recommend preparing for it? PS: If you do bad on the SATs, are there re-takes?
I only took it once, but I would recommend taking it multiple times. The reason being, is so you get comfortable with the process and know what to expect. When you get your results you can see which areas you need to improve on and people who take it multiple times generally score higher each time. It's a series of math and english problems. Vocabulary, puzzle solving, and a lot of reading. You get scored per section, I think it's 800 points for reach section? Yes there are retakes.
<div class="quote_poster">The Legend Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">There is the SAT 2 subject tests and SAT 1, which ones are you asking for?</div> What's the difference? I'm completely clueless about the SATs. I also saw your post in the RTT, what's the PSAT??
I took them as a junior in February. Seems like everyone's got a different answer as to when to take the SAT, if you do take it as a sophomore then I would think you should take it again as a junior since theoretically you'll know more of the material on the SAT. I don't see much of a reason to take it before your junior year unless you just want to get a feel for how the test is held and sort of condition yourself for the test to take at a later date. Even all the people I know who took it in the first semester of their junior year took it again later on to see if they'd do better. Each section of the SAT (Math, reading, and writing) are worth a possible 800 points each, totaling up to a 2400 possible combined. For example I'll give you my scores: math- 570, critical reading- 610, writing- 660. My "total" SAT score would be 1840. The average SAT scores for 2006 college bound seniors in each category was: Critical reading- 503, Mathematics- 518, Writing- 497 (total score average of 1518). I didn't think the SAT was very hard, it was just very tedious and its long as hell and gets sort of uncomfortable. Math was sort of tough but I'm pretty bad at math. Reading and writing were pretty easy for me but thats my strong suite. FWIW I'm pretty good at taking standardized tests though, I know a lot of people who are smarter than me and do better in school than me who did worse on the SAT because they aren't good test takers. I'm sort of the opposite of that, don't do that outstanding in school but I kill on standardized tests (thats how I got into honors/AP classes in the first place). Clearly they should rank ahead of me academically but since I did noticeably better than them on the SAT colleges probably will think I'm smarter. And yes, you can take the SAT as many times as you want. I've heard some colleges will even let you pick out your best individual scores from each test to submit (i.e. take your math score from your 3rd time taking the SAT, writing from the 1st SAT you took, etc.). FWIW most, if not all of the people I know who took the test as a junior, then re-took it later in their junior year did the same or worse on their second time. I would think that if you took it early in your sophomore year, then took it again in your junior year you'd improve noticeably because you'd have more knowledge of the material. I took a class once a week for a couple of months on SAT prep, majority of the kids in my class took a different class that was much more intense with "practice SATs" every Saturday for a couple months. Other than that I don't think you can do much to prepare, you either know the stuff or you don't.
I guess they've changed the point system since my time. You were considered a genius if you scored 1600 (perfect score)
SAT's = A reasoning test. It has math (Algebra 1,2/ Geometry) SAT 2= A subject test. Its like an in detail test for a specific sucject. Example: Chemistry, Biology, etc... PSAT= A scholarship test and a practice SAT. You can take the PSAT 3 times, in freshamn, sophmore and your Junior year. The SAT can be takin at most 12 times. But I'm going to take it twice or 3 times. The SAT 2 tests are used to see how good you are in the specific subject. UC's recomend 2 Sat2 tests. The SAT's are just 40% of your entrance.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I guess they've changed the point system since my time. You were considered a genius if you scored 1600 (perfect score)</div> Yes they have. They changed it the year before last to 2400 total possible points and changed a lot of the stuff thats on it.
Thanks for all the info guys. <div class="quote_poster">The Legend Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">SAT's = A reasoning test. It has math (Algebra 1,2/ Geometry) SAT 2= A subject test. Its like an in detail test for a specific sucject. Example: Chemistry, Biology, etc... PSAT= A scholarship test and a practice SAT. You can take the PSAT 3 times, in freshamn, sophmore and your Junior year. The SAT can be takin at most 12 times. But I'm going to take it twice or 3 times. The SAT 2 tests are used to see how good you are in the specific subject. UC's recomend 2 Sat2 tests. The SAT's are just 40% of your entrance.</div> So you have to take SAT, SAT 2, and PSAT for a scholarship? Also, how do they score the writing portion of the SATs?
<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I And yes, you can take the SAT as many times as you want. I've heard some colleges will even let you pick out your best individual scores from each test to submit (i.e. take your math score from your 3rd time taking the SAT, writing from the 1st SAT you took, etc.). FWIW most, if not all of the people I know who took the test as a junior, then re-took it later in their junior year did the same or worse on their second time. I would think that if you took it early in your sophomore year, then took it again in your junior year you'd improve noticeably because you'd have more knowledge of the material. </div> Seriously? i took it in Febuary(?) and got a 1530 (1050 math and reading) then i took it again in May and got a 1640 (1100 math and reading). and most people i know got higher. question though do you think i should take it one more time and just stay with the 1640, I'm not aiming for an ivy league school, so i think 1640 isn't that bad of a score.
Im taking them in october. Ive been studying off of the Official Collegeboard book. It says it builds confidence and it's giving me a lot of useful info. I read like a Chapter or 2 everyday.
<div class="quote_poster">thedude9990 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Seriously? i took it in Febuary(?) and got a 1530 (1050 math and reading) then i took it again in May and got a 1640 (1100 math and reading). and most people i know got higher. question though do you think i should take it one more time and just stay with the 1640, I'm not aiming for an ivy league school, so i think 1640 isn't that bad of a score.</div> Yeah, 1640 is pretty solid but if you think you can improve again then definitely go for it. Did you take any prep classes? If not then that may be why you improved so much your second time around, you had a better feel for the test and knew what to do/expect going in compared to the first time where you were sort of going on a whim. But like I said just from people I know there was little improvement and lots of people actually did a bit worse because they said the essays the second time around were a lot harder.
<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, 1640 is pretty solid but if you think you can improve again then definitely go for it. Did you take any prep classes? If not then that may be why you improved so much your second time around, you had a better feel for the test and knew what to do/expect going in compared to the first time where you were sort of going on a whim. But like I said just from people I know there was little improvement and lots of people actually did a bit worse because they said the essays the second time around were a lot harder.</div> actually i took a classes b4 i took the first test where i got the 1530, on all the practice tests id get over 1600 so i was real dissapointed with the 1530, but i think ima take it again and try to improve my reading cause my GC said they take your three highest grades idk how much truth there is to that but i dont think it would hurt
^ Actually its mostly for the mid-west, but now more and more colleges are accepting them also. I like it much better than the SAT.
