SAT!
 

Well... As most students know in the USA, today is the day of most high school students biggest tests... The SAT!!! I will be taking the SAT General Test today... And personally, I think this test is just a giant competition to all students to see who can be the most successful... I also think that this test doesn't determine if your smart or below average... It's what you do in life that determines this... So with that said, I opened this forum because, I want to know what everyone on menewsha thinks of this test... The SAT!

-Thank You for all views and replies...

haha i agree with you. the SAT is pretty much crap. its long, and basically useless. you earn a score that largely doesnt matter anymore simply because colleges are slowly starting to not care about them anymore. its becoming if you can afford the tuition, you can go where you fit in academically, or where you will be the most useful, in the case of people with sports scholarships

Yes, standardized testing is flawed, but there really is no better way to compare students from different schools. Someone may have an A in classes where all you have to do is show up while another person may have an A for working his ass off. In other words, they are an equilizer.

That would be in a perfect world, but unfortunately, standardized tests become the focus. So many schools are so focused on getting kids ready for standardized tests that they forget to teach them the basics that would make them be able to figure out the testing on their own. And, test-prep classes are so prevalent that it's easy to do well on the SAT even if you could never do that well on your own. I didn't notice it so much on the SAT since they reformatted it about 4 years ago, but the GRE is specifically designed to present questions that are trying to gauge how well you can even determine what they are asking; they turn into "can you not be tricked" tests, rather than standardized.

Don't worry too much about the SAT. Like I said, they are just one thing that a college will look at to try to compare where you are against all the other applicants. Admissions staff know that the SATs aren't entirely fair, and they take into account so much more, like which classes you took and your grades in them (e.g., an A in basket weaving versus an B in AP calculus), as well as your extracurriculars and volunteer work.

I'm sure you'll do fine, though. Good luck!

I'm a sophomore, so I took the PSAT this year. I took it as a freshman, too. Since we can get our scores soon, I'm probably going to take the last SAT of the year in June. I mean, if I do miserable, then I'll just improve from there. I don't think it's the best gauge of how smart you are, but I'm a good student and since I really would like to go to MIT, I'm determined to do well anyway.

I'm a senior in high school, and I've never taken the SAT.

My guidance counselor actually had a fit the other day, finding that out for the first time.
He basically "assumed" I had taken them a few times now, and was going to college just because I'm graduating pretty high up there in my class. xP

As mentioned before, any standardized test is flawed, but I would also include the point that it's flawed because it's basically a snapshot.

For example, say one of the test takers woke up today with a head cold, and had to take the test while sick. Say this student is usually a good test taker and has a high GPA. They could end up with a mediocre score because of that head cold. Even though tests can be an "equalizer" as Clarise pointed out, they are also only a snap shot from any given point in time.

What really bugs me is because of American Law (thank you Bush) we have No Child Left Behind, so teachers are frantically trying to get their students ready for a test so that they won't be held accountable for what their students did and did not learn. Before NCLB, standardized tests were not the unholy ordeal they are now, and I think that's sad.

I haven't signed up for it although... I have a paper hanging up on my wall with dates that I can take it. I have one circled but the date has already passed.
I'm a failure xD

Just kidding, I'm planning on taking it just because... I want to look like I'm doing something.
I also want to see the score of course, I'm not sure though.. do they even show you your score?

Bleh, sooner or later, I will take it this year.
I don't care if it's a bunch of BS or not. I still want to take it. Since it's there... why not use it, right?

Yeah, they do show you your score.

Well then, if they show scores, I want to see mine as soon as possible :3
I have to get my butt in gear though and get signed up or I may lose my chance.

Exactly. At least with the SATs, you can do it again. With state/naional tests, it's a one shot deal.

And don't even get me started on what they have to do for students in learning support just so the school won't get in trouble for not teaching unteachable kids. My mom has worked in special ed. at a public school for years. The kids in her class are the lowest of low, kids who are there because their parents don't care enough to put them in private school or are just in denial (the school offers to pay the tuition for sending them to private school). Since their whole curriculum is so simplified, they get As and Bs, which is unfair to anyone who's had to work for a grade. Then with the "every child left behind" act, they have to give them a simplified test that they still can't do, so the teachers and aides have to read the questions and hint at answers (which a lot of them still don't get) just so the school won't get a failing grade.

I feel for your mom. I'm a Music Ed major and had to take an Introduction to Education class last year on top of rooming with another older Music Ed major. We've had many long discussions about how No Child Left Behind has seriously screwed up the educational system.

I'm of the mind that every child is teachable, but they all can't move at the same pace and some can't go beyond a certain level. NCLB wants all of the United States' students to move at relatively the same pace when that's almost impossible. For example, I teach a private clarinet student who has been playing for two years, but he's really only on the level of a third or fourth month student. He was playing in a homeschoolers' band that had a lot of phenomenal young musicians, so the poor kid got lost in the cracks and left behind. He simply could not move as fast as they could. That's why I'm so glad that he's finally get private lessons even though I'm actually doing this as part of a class. Now he's getting the attention he needs so that he can succeed.

But we can't do that for all the kids who need help, and NCLB doesn't really allow for us to be able to take the time we need to help them in class. That's what irks me the most.

Well... I'm finally home after taking the four hour test... I gotta admit the math part was SOOOO SIMPLE!!! but only because I've been working my @55 off studying just for the math portion for 5 years now... I am a junior... I started studying for the math portion of the SAT since the Seventh Grade!!! If I failed it is DEFINATLY because of the english portion... I SUCK at english and it is my first language... I am a dual citizen... Also, I learned British and Australian English Grammer before I learned Amercan English Gramer... I am expecting score of 1300... I will post my score on this forum as soon as I get the score... or about one business week later... In my home country, Tukey, we take a test that is similar to the SAT it is called the ÖSS... Unlike the SAT you can only take this test once and it will determine where you go to study your university... After you take this test, most Universities require you to take an other test that determines what pace you will study at... Advanced, Honors, or Average... Other universities will have an other test to determine what you will study... All students in America are EXTREAMLY lucky and should be VERY thankful they are in a country where school has so many posibilyties that a student can benefit from... Also, In my home country there are VERY limited universities that teach art majors such as musician or actor or painter... Anyway... Thank You ALL for ALL of your responces and keeping this topic a live and active topic... as I said before, I will definatly post my score on this website...

Miechan - I agree... the SAT is pointless....

I didn't take the SATs because frankly I was going to pay fifty dollars to take a test.
XP
Plus the colleges I was going to go to didn't require such testing.

well you're lucky... My school covers my first two tests for me... but the rest has to be payed for...

XPXP.
i typed and meant I wasn't going to pay fifty dollars.
@[email protected]

It is a over hyped test that I wasn't going to stress about.
XPXD

That is the great thing about AI.
Though they don't have a athletics program.
XP

I took the ACT instead :P

I'm planing on taking the ACT also... they say it's easier...

The ACT just has a different set of requirements to it. I got a higher score because it had Science on it in addition to English and Math. I'm really good with science so it was pretty easy for me to get a higher score because I had less Math and English to worry about. I actually finished the Math section on the ACT whereas I didn't on the SAT.

yea... I'm great in science... except for what I learn in school :D...

I live in Colorado, so I didn't have to take the SAT, I took the ACT instead.

I hope you did well on your test, though, I know how important to colleges these scores can be sometimes!

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