12 replies to this topic

[etycto]

im a high school junior (well next school year i will be) and im planing to go to college the teachers has been making a big deal on doing good on the SATs
are there any college students or grads that took the SATs how waz it and is it realy important also wat about the ACT is that impotant

[cangor]

well, I'm not a college grad I'm in high school but my brother's a student in college. For him the SAT was really hard and even though he was valedictorian his poor-ish sat score (around 1250 on the 1600 scale) meant that he couldn't get into a really good college. He took the ACT and didn't do much better, but I hear that the ACT is easier for some people and colleges will usually accept the ACT instead.

As for me, well, the SAT was really easy, but I'm just one of those crazy test-taking people, and I got around a 2300 on the 2400 scale. I would take some practice ones to find out how you're going to do first, I think there are some available online. If you do good in practice, you'll be a lot more confident going in, and if you don't, then you can figure out where you need to focus your effort.

[TikiPrincess]

I think that SAT scores are not nearly as important as they used to be in determining whether you are accepted at most colleges. There are some that still use it as a benchmark to weed out students that may have slid by on the grading scale, but most realize that the SAT's are somewhat skewed and biased. What separates applicants these days are their extra-curriculars, community service/volunteer work, and your essay. The thing that makes or breaks your application is the essay. I didn't take the ACT because most of the schools I applied to were on the West Coast and they put more emphasis on the SATs. I heard that they were easier though, but you had to score higher to be considered equivalent to the SATs. Plus there were less testing dates and test sites.
My suggestion is to buy or borrow one of those review books and go through that. Then go out and get involved with Habitat for Humanity or some sort of non-profit, service-based organization like that. Or start your own organization. College admission offices love entrepreneurial types. See a need, fill a need. Plus you can write all about it in your essay.
Good luck!

[WarFact]

The SAT I thought was easy. I was in the 700's on Math and Writing. The only hard part I found was critical reading, which I scored a 580 on. So i'm definitely going to retake it soon.

[DeM0nFiRe]

Well, I haven't taken the SAT yet, but on the PSAT/NMSQT I scored above 94% of the country, and I got number one in my school. The only questions I git wrong were ones I knew but just rushed on the question. The best thing you can do is just not rush. I rushed and had 25% of each section left and it made me answer a few questions wrong.

[Thing]

Here in England, SATs are for 13-14 year old students, I got the top levels possible on all of my subjects I was tested on (English, Maths, Science). But this year is my final year, when I'm going to be doing my final GCSEs, which are probably the British equivalent to those SATs. I've already done a number of those exams, and they have been extremely easy for me.

[t3jem]

I thought the SATs were easy, at least the math portion, but i'm just a super math wiz. The writing and reading was a little harder, but I was was a sophmore in highschool when i took it. My scores are below:
Math - 680 out of 800
Reading - 540 out of 800
writing - 470 out of 800

I'm a senior now and I'm thinking about retaking the SAT again.

I think that the SATs are important, but college admission shouldn't be based purely on it; because, as said above, some kids can get the grades without really learning anything (hm, reminds me of me a little). Also, somebody said above that some colleges only accept ACTs and therefor ACTs are more important; however, there are also colleges who only accept SATs so it is important to look at the colleges you plan on applying to in order to see which test to take. I think the SAT is easier because the questions are from easiest to hardest so you know to look for trick questions the farther into the test you go; however, the ACT the questions are random, but some people do better with that too, so it's up to your skills to see which one to take.

[FolkRockFan]

I'm a senior in college. I took the THEA (Texas Higher Education Assessment) during the college-application process. I never took SATs or ACTs. So...not having one or both of those tests under your belt is hardly the end of the universe as far as higher education is concerned. You don't have to kick the snot out of the SATs to get into college. An accredited, respectable college, even.

Some scholarships, however, require SAT or ACT scores. That being the case, I would recommend doing the best you can on whichever test you choose to take. Studying beforehand and trying your best can only help you. But don't, you know, give up on college if you DON'T do well.

[abminara]

Don't worry, man. I'm a senior, I tried twice on the SAT's, and got 2040 and 2100 respectively. Today colleges don't care about them that much. What's more important are your GPA and clubs/sports. ACT also isn't important unless you are going to a college that requires it (most colleges now require at least 2 SAT II credits. If I were you - I'd research a list of colleges and see, which one needs what.

[Inhuman]

Yea, the SATs weren't that bad looking back on it (I think I got a 1620...might be wrong on that though...). I mean, the only part I didn't like was the essay. I hate not being prepared for one. And I wasn't. And it was like 7 or 8 in the morning. And it was my worst score on the test. :| But overall, the rest of the test wasn't that bad. As for the ACTs, I didn't bother. I didn't need them to get into my college.