What I hate about the SAT's (who agrees) Options

[JerzDevil]

1)They are too long. 2400? Why not cut it down to like 1400 instead?

2)Why do they have time limits? That's the biggest thing I hate about the SAT's. SAT's require students to do the testing slowly with much concentration in their best efforts to do well and pass. Each section is like 25 minutes. That is too short. Also, the sections are pretty long with long passages and hard questions that require a lot of thinking. The time limit should be like 45 minutes per section.

3)They are pointless. If a student got straight a's with like one B (not saying I did) throughout his whole 4-year high school career, why does the SAT's matter to him and the college he or she's applying to. . Grades are more important and he/she should definetely get into a good college.

[MissHygienic]

What? SAT is only a fraction to the application process. The SAT was invented because as more people have the opportunity to go to college now, the applicant pool drastically increases, especially with baby boomers (1989). People who review your applications can't judge you just by your grades alone. What if everyone with straight A's were to apply, there's also a size limit to the school. What do you do then? How else would you pick them apart? SAT or ACT scores/achievements/extracurricular activities.

The SAT test itself isn't logical, but the reason it exists is not something that should be questioned. It's not "stupid" or pointless.

[S-Majere]

The SAT's in England are simply a test like any other. It determines the group you are put into when you enter highschool and college. The US Sat's look scary as.

[1angel3]

I hate that you have to bring your own TI calculator. Everybody don't have one and they're too expensive and my teachers aren't nice enough to let me borrow one

[lkajsfklajskds]

^agreed

i dont like standardized tests in general.

[Relentless]

Yeah I agree with #2, I hate the time limit because I would have to rush if I didn't finish the section in time. But oh well. That's why I have SAT prep books to practice with.

TI Calculator, I burrowed mine from the teacher. (x

[*Steven*]

QQ

[Crash2]

I hate that you have to bring your own TI calculator. Everybody don't have one and they're too expensive and my teachers aren't nice enough to let me borrow one

My school issues graphing calculators to students taking Pre-AP Alg II and higher.

I hate how the SAT takes such a long time to complete. We started about half an hour late when I took it so we got out later. No one was happy about that.

[*yrrnotelekktric*]

I never even took them for college.

[1angel3]

Yeah I agree with #2, I hate the time limit because I would have to rush if I didn't finish the section in time. But oh well. That's why I have SAT prep books to practice with.

TI Calculator, I burrowed mine from the teacher. (x

Our teachers don't trust us for some reason. I guess it's not the teachers rules but a few people ruin it for all of us.

My school issues graphing calculators to students taking Pre-AP Alg II and higher.

My doesn't do that. I hate my school.

[ersatz]

They have time limits to see how much your brain can process in a short amount of time. In order to comprehend difficult material, reading quickly and still having a high comprehension is essential. The passages and problems included on the SAT really aren't that difficult in comparison to some of the subjects one will encounter in college.

[Cattt]

I agree. I hate the critical reading. I was just getting mad about how pointless it all is just a couple minutes ago.

[stephinika]

Moved to school.

I didn't have to take the SAT's..

[Melissa]

Um... SATs have a time limit because it's a test on how well you can take tests. IMO, the SAT is probably the easiest test you'll ever have to take. The passages are incredibly easy and once you know what you're doing and what to look for (classes and review books will tell you that there's a formula to taking the SATs), the test itself is a piece of cake.

And truthfully, I don't think most good colleges put a strong emphasis on SAT scores compared to, say, the essay, your grades, and extracurricular activities.

Just suck it up and get the test over with.

[*CowerPointyObjects*]

I actually disagree with nearly everything in your post. You seem to have completely missed the point of the test.

I hate that you have to bring your own TI calculator. Everybody don't have one and they're too expensive and my teachers aren't nice enough to let me borrow one

You don't necessarily need a graphing calculator (I didn't get one until junior or senior year, by which point I'd taken the PSATs 2 or 3 times without one), and other TI calculators really aren't that expensive. Stop whining. Can you even do math? You obviously can't speak English.

They have time limits to see how much your brain can process in a short amount of time. In order to comprehend difficult material, reading quickly and still having a high comprehension is essential. The passages and problems included on the SAT really aren't that difficult in comparison to some of the subjects one will encounter in college.

Um... SATs have a time limit because it's a test on how well you can take tests. IMO, the SAT is probably the easiest test you'll ever have to take. The passages are incredibly easy and once you know what you're doing and what to look for (classes and review books will tell you that there's a formula to taking the SATs), the test itself is a piece of cake.

And truthfully, I don't think most good colleges put a strong emphasis on SAT scores compared to, say, the essay, your grades, and extracurricular activities.

Just suck it up and get the test over with.

*nods*

[jaeman]

If you're depending on a West Coast college, try a shot at the ACT's, they seem to prefer them in the West.

And we should all know, by now, that Collegeboard is just one big business.

[ersatz]

Seriously, I walked out of the SAT and was like, "People study for that?" It was that easy.

[Call911Quick]

^ what'd you get?

I'm doing the practice ones. I can't seem to break 2100. I can get a solid 800 on math, but my reading maxes out at 600. Dam. I haven't taken it for real yet though. My writing score is acceptable I suppose, 700+ is fine for me.

Anyone have tips on how to better my reading score?

At any rate, time shouldn't be an issue. In math, you have more than 1 minute per question. The first 4 or 5 questions can be done in 20 seconds, without a calculator. You do the math.

My friends are getting solid 2100+'s and 2200+'s, and they don't even study that much. I slack too, but meh.

Oh, if it makes you feel any better, SAT 2's are ezpz, much easier than the actual SAT.

--lol this is like my 3rd time editing.

You don't need a TI. The most complex thing you will need to do is square root a big number. The right triangles are generally Pythagorean triplets, such as 3-4-5 or 5-12-13 etc. so you're not gonna need sin/cos/tan.

[ersatz]

I got a 2130 on my SAT.
SAT 2s are NOT easy peazy. I don't know where you got that from. I sucked on my SAT 2s and it's not like I'm stupid...

[EddieV]

SATS - Suck Ass Test

[transcendentalis...]

2)Why do they have time limits?

it distinguishes people who know how to take tests/know what they're doing extremely well from the people who don't know how to take tests/don't know what they're doing.

simple as that.

what i hate about the SAT's is registering for the SAT's. that's all.

[Call911Quick]

I got a 2130 on my SAT.
SAT 2s are NOT easy peazy. I don't know where you got that from. I sucked on my SAT 2s and it's not like I'm stupid...

Did u study for SAT2's? They're supposedly easier because you can study for them.

[*CowerPointyObjects*]

I find things you can study for to be much harder, generally. Largely because I don't really study. I prefer to rely upon my natural intellect.

[*Steven*]

I find things you can study for to be much harder, generally. Largely because I don't really study. I prefer to rely upon my natural intellect.

I'm the same way. That's why I like the SAT.

[Comptine]

SATs test your test taking abilities like any people have said before. If you have some intelligence before you walk in, you should be able to do everything. However, it really tests your endurance. A 3 hour test to see how long you can last.

Studying isn't about learning new material. It's about familiarizing yourself with the test so you know the best way to take it: how to recognize freebies, how to do a problem quicker, how to be more efficient.

That is why SATs are pretty much useless. Sure, if someone gets a 2400, it's impressive. But colleges like Harvard and Yale see dozens of those in stacks. It basically screens the dumb people from the population.

[ersatz]

Did u study for SAT2's? They're supposedly easier because you can study for them.

No, I didn't study. I think it's pointless to study for standardized tests. They're standardized because you're already supposed to know it.

I actually thought I did pretty well until I looked at the percentiles. I got a 680 on my Lit one and a 660 on my Math Level II, which are 72nd and 54th percentiles, respectively. I'm used to being in the 90 something percentiles so those came as a bit of a shock.

[*CowerPointyObjects*]

SAT 2s aren't the same kind of standardized test. You're supposed to know the information because you've learned the subject, but that's like saying you wouldn't need to study for a final because you're already supposed to know it. It's not a reasoning test like the regular SATs.

It just didn't take any SAT 2s because they weren't required for any of the schools I applied to, and I didn't realize they were an easy way to earn college credit until it was too late.

[ersatz]

I don't really study for my finals that much either unless I've completely forgotten something that's supposed to be on it. I think I didn't do that well on the Literature one because the English classes offered at my school are really generalized and not too in-depth. That's not an excuse, just that the other people taking them applying to the same schools I am generally have AP Lit or something where they would learn skills needed to apply to that test. The Math one, I'm not entirely sure what went wrong on. Maybe I was just having a bad day.

[Tung]

Lol @ high school kids having to take the SATS

[*CowerPointyObjects*]

I don't really study for my finals that much either unless I've completely forgotten something that's supposed to be on it. I think I didn't do that well on the Literature one because the English classes offered at my school are really generalized and not too in-depth. That's not an excuse, just that the other people taking them applying to the same schools I am generally have AP Lit or something where they would learn skills needed to apply to that test. The Math one, I'm not entirely sure what went wrong on. Maybe I was just having a bad day.

I don't either, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't. Actually, I studied (er, a little) for all my finals last semester (as opposed to just the classes I wasn't doing well in), and my grades were better than the grades I usually make on easier finals.

[jaeman]

Lol @ high school kids having to take the SATS

Word.