The Sat!!!!!

[gymnasticsbabie]

ahhhhh does anyone else cringe at the sound of the dreaded SAT/ is anyone preparing for the "death test" well im just starting officially today even though i should have been studying like my whole life. im aming for a 1900 to 2000. anyone else taken the test and have tips?? is anyone in my boat???

[TDiver]

hey,

I'm not taking the SAT right now because of when then test are but i'm taking the ACT on April 12th. I am so not looking foward to it, I want to get like a 25 and I know that's not that high but i'm awful at taking test and I would be pretty happy with it for this time around. I leave for Senior Nats right after the test and have to fly there immediatley because I compete Sunday... and I have no clue how I will be able to focus on anything but the meet.

What are everyones opinions about which one is harder.. the SAT or ACT?

[NYgymfan]

I hate standardized tests!! Ahhhhhh!!!! I survived though. I don't do quite as well at English/writing as I do at math/sciences, so I felt like the SAT was sort of not really a good reflection of what I can do since 2 of the 3 sections are verbal and writing. My favorite tips: if you can eliminate one incorrect answer on the multiple choice questions, then guess. Skip hard questions and go back to them at the end. And for math if there is anything with a variable, don't try to solve it with algebra...just make x be 10 or something simple like that and solve it with real numbers since its much faster. And get a good night sleep before the test.

Based on practice tests, the ACT is easier for me. But thats just me, everyone else is different. I'm taking both ultimately. Most schools i'm looking at say they prefer the SAT but they will take the ACT. So whichever one I do better on, I'm submitting those scores.

[gymgymgymnast08]

You guys are all juniors I think but i'm in 8th grade so I don't need to take them YET. My mom does want me to take them before I need to like before it will have to count to practice test taking or something? Idk but I'm like ok in most subjects for it but I am horrible at vocabularyy sooo thats like kinda bad I usually just guess on most of them and it seems to work sorta for me I took a schloarship test I didnt get the schloarship but even with guessing in the vocab part i was in like the 80 something percentile so thats not bad

[gracefulone]

I didn't do the SAT, but I scored pretty well taking the ACT cold (28). If you don't know how to do a math problem look at the choices and start plugging numbers in-it's so much easier if you really have no clue. Reading-skim the selection to get the general feel, then read the questions and go find the answer. I scored high in reading, so this really works!

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Quite honestly, I think most people overestimate how difficult the SAT is. I found it to be a walk in the park when I took it. I don't remember my scores exactly; I didn't get a perfect score, but I didn't do badly by any stretch of the imagination.

The important thing is: don't stress about it.

[TDiver]

Geoffrey Taucer,

How do we not stress out about it? Sorry I'm just trying to figure out some ways not to. It is a big deciding factor in if I get into college, and I have coaches, parents, and teachers telling me how important it is. I'm not a great test taker and I put enough pressure on myself to do well as it is. So i'm just wondering if you have any tips on that?

Thanks,
Tori

[Laura]

I was just wondering if someone could explain what the SAT is exactly?? we don't have it in australia, but in just about every book or movie from the US it is mentioned!!! can some enlighten me?

as for not stressing out about tests you just need to study and be confident you know what you are getting in to. Don't go into the test thinking "oh if only I had studied a bit more...." go in thinking "well I have done everything I possibly can to prepare for this"
from the sound of it you can do practice tests so do lots of them so you are familiar with the format etc.
Don't let other people tell you it's soooo Important..... that will put more stress on you!! people always act like that about our yr 12 exams and the scores you get, because it is those scores that get you into uni, but really even if things go wrong there are always other options! you just need to find them!

I hope that helps you! Good luck!!

[KBT]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gymgymgymnast08 You guys are all juniors I think but i'm in 8th grade so I don't need to take them YET. My mom does want me to take them before I need to like before it will have to count to practice test taking or something? Idk but I'm like ok in most subjects for it but I am horrible at vocabularyy sooo thats like kinda bad I usually just guess on most of them and it seems to work sorta for me I took a schloarship test I didnt get the schloarship but even with guessing in the vocab part i was in like the 80 something percentile so thats not bad

You could take the PSAT around 10th grade as a practice. I would still study for this test - top finishers get national merit scholarships. I took the ACT for college. I didn't take any official practice tests - I just did a bunch on my own. If you are self-motivated, this is a much cheaper way to go! And for the vocab - get out those flashcards! Many study books have them in the back so you don't have to make your own.

[KBT]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Laura I was just wondering if someone could explain what the SAT is exactly?? we don't have it in australia, but in just about every book or movie from the US it is mentioned!!! can some enlighten me?

The SAT is a college entrance exam required by the east and west coast schools in the USA. It's got a verbal/vocabulary/sentence structure section and a math section (basic algebra and geometry). I think it also has a writing section now.

The ACT is another college entrance exam that's more common in the midwest. It has a sentence structure section, a reading section, math section and science section.

The SAT focus is on vocabulary. The ACT tests more of what you should have learned in school.