whats more important SAT or SAT II
Lee
tests (math and chem). Does this matter for college? Should I take
the SAT again? I really don't want to if I don't have to.
Thanks,
Lee
Bart Simpson: Christmas is the one time of year when people of all
religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.
Jon Miller
> I have a really low score on my SAT test compared to the SAT II
> tests (math and chem). Does this matter for college? Should I take
> the SAT again? I really don't want to if I don't have to.
Two questions:
1. Look at the schools you're interested in. They all list SAT scores
for entering freshmen (or they don't care about SAT scores -- some list
only ACT scores). Where is your score in this range? They care about a
lot of things -- if you have a great arm and ability to scramble,
they'll let you in with very low scores (as long as you meet academic
minimums) -- and SAT is only one of them. If you are way below their
low end scores, that's one mark (out of many) against you. If you are
at the top end, that's one mark (again out of many) for you.
2. If you take the test again, will your score change? Why is your
score low? Were you sick that day? Did you prepare at all for the
test? Do you have trouble with their grammar interpretations? (Which of
these ugly, awkward sentences that you would never write do you like
better? a, b, c, d).
There's no harm in taking the test again (once), but I can't recommend
it unless it's worth it and you really think things will change. I
think the College Board just sends the highest grade if you take it
twice, but if you take it three times, they send all three grades and
let the school decide.
These tests are carefully constructed to give reproducible results. If
there isn't a large change in you (like, say, getting all the
antihistamines [or any other mind-altering drugs you might be taking or
even producing naturally] out of your system or studying for the test or
something like that), you are very unlikely to get a significantly
different score (1410 is not better than 1400 because they are not
"significantly" different, but 1400 is better than 1300 because they are
-- I don't remember what they consider significant, I think it's 30
points, but it might be more [and I'm not going to look it up]). They
say studying doesn't help, but I'm not convinced. If nothing else,
knowing what *kinds* of questions they ask and the approximate level of
difficulty should make you more comfortable, and therefore improve your
score. They are almost certainly right that cramming doesn't help --
relax the night before. Get a good night's sleep.
Another question: are there academic scholarships involved? There are
quite a few schools which give substantial scholarships to incoming
freshmen with good grades and good SAT scores. For example, Texas Tech
give automatic in-state tuition to any incoming freshman with (quoting
from memory, so almost certainly wrong) a 3.4 GPA and 1300 SAT. That's
a fair amount of money, tax-free and not only interest-free, but you
don't have to repay it. Almost every school except Ivy League have
academic scholarships that are decided upon by a committee. A good GPA
and a good SAT help for them.
Isn't this wonderful? A whole posting of vague ideas, with no
supporting facts (except some made-up, half-remembered numbers that may
or may not have anything to do with reality).
Jon Miller
Smitty
leetox/remove/a...@123india.com says...
You should take the test again, and take a prep class if you can.
This is the best way to get your score up. Princeton Review even
says that they will improve your combined SAT score by 100 points or
they work with you again for free.
Jim Wayne
average score moves upward 10-20 points the second and third time the test
is taken. Thereafter (beyond the third time), there is little or no
movement. Remember, this is an average--some people actually do much
better, and some do worse with scores that remain the same or decrease.
The SAT sends the scores to the colleges you list on your application. If
you want to take the test for practice, put no colleges on the application.
You can also buy books with practice SAT tests: real tests from former
years. Buy one of those books, use a timer, and practice on your own.
Coaching is effective, especially if the coach teaches you the strategies
you need to deal with the various kinds of questions you will face. There
are some definite tricks you can use that will:
A. Allow you to feel more relaxed and confident as you take the test.
B. Make better use of your time.
C. Deal with ambiguities (i.e., a good guessing strategy can help your
score)
The Princeton Review coaching sessions are excellent, but also expensive.
Barron's and Arco's practice books are excellent, and cost about $20, but
you have to use them on your own. About 10 years ago, there was a practice
book that came with a cassette tape. It was only a little more expensive
than one of the big practice book, but having the tape made it far more
effective. CD-ROM practice disks can be very effective. Check Consumer
Reports.
The main use of the SAT and ACT in most colleges is to give the admissions
office a background on what your grades mean in terms of actual performance
against other students in your age cohort. You have an A with an SAT verbal
score of 1050. Another student may have a B+ with an SAT verbal of 1250.
This tells the admissions office that perhaps your high school is less
rigorous in its grading than the school of the other student.
Most college admissions offices keep records on the performance of high
schools. If your school has sent several students to that college with
midrange averages, but all of them performed very well in the college, they
are more likely to take you than if you come from a school that keeps
sending them students with high grades that flunk out at the end of the
first semester.
All of this means:
1. By all means, take the SAT again.
2. Use some sort of coaching system, whether it is a book, a CD, a tape, or
a class.
3. Investigate the colleges you intend to apply to: look for a college
that routinely takes students like you in terms of grades, test scores, and
interests.
4. Look at the colleges that students from your high school have
experienced success at.
I sincerely hope that you are not a senior. If so, you have waited far too
late for a lot of this. On the other hand, if you are a junior, you still
have time to make the effort needed to get into a college that is right for
you.
Jim Wayne
"Lee" <leetox/remove/a...@123india.com> wrote in message
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jim horsman
Get "the real sat" by ets.
"Jim Wayne" <jhw...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
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