<p>I just took this test and did pretty well. I know I'm capable of doing a lot better, but how representative is it of how well I can do on the March SAT with a lot more practice? I'm a junior, by the way.</p>
<p>Reading: 670
Writing: 680 (MC: 61, Essay: 12)
Math: 700
2050</p>
<p>To put things into perspective:
Sophomore year PSAT: 1690
Junior year PSAT: 1800</p>
<p>Is that that online one? Then yes, it would quite reasonably show how well you’d do on the real one. I’m going to warn you, though, that it’s VERY difficult to get a 12 on the real SAT essay. The online practice test grades your essay automatically. : </p>
<p>Yeah, the online one. Here’s my essay, could you tell me how it actually is? </p>
<p>Prompt:
A colleague of the great scientist James Watson remarked that Watson was always “lounging around, arguing about problems instead of doing experiments.” He concluded that “There is more than one way of doing good science.” It was Watson’s form of idleness, the scientist went on to say, that allowed him to solve “the greatest of all biological problems: the discovery of the structure of DNA.” It is a point worth remembering in a society overly concerned with efficiency.</p>
<p>Adapted from John C. Polanyi, “Understanding Discovery” </p>
<p>Assignment:
Do people accomplish more when they are allowed to do things in their own way? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>My essay:
In the above excerpt, it is noted that James Watson solved some of the greatest biological problems through his idleness. It is my belief that people do accomplish more when they are allowed to do things in their own way, to a certain extent. Although people should be allowed to think on their own and do things how they please, I also believe that an unrestrained society could prove to be quite detrimental. Conversely, a society should be restrained to the extent that people are deprived of all of their liberties and rights.</p>
<p>For example, Nazi Germany is a prime example of this. Adolf Hitler took control by appealing to the German people during their darkest hour. As a result, he was able to control the nation completely on his own. In this situation, Hitler had the power to do things exactly as he wanted, but the German populous was so heavily restrained that they could not make their own decisions. Although Hitler was able to do things as he pleased, we all now know that his intents were extremely sinister and ultimately no good came from his actions. Regardless, as far as Hitler was concerned, he accomplished a remarkable amount by being able to do things his own way. Not only is this example a prime instance of how an individual can do things on his own, but how a society can be destroyed when the general population does not have the ability to do things as they please. </p>
<p>Aside from history, the idea of individuals getting more accomplished when they do things their own way applies to me on a personal level. I strongly believe that I am capable of getting an astronomical amount of work done when I have the luxury of being able to do things on my own. For example, I have certain study habits which I have built for myself that probably don’t work for many other people. For this reason, every individual should be able to decide on a case-by-case basis what is best for them and be able to make their own decisions accordingly. However, I also believe that, to a certain extent, there should be some governing body that is ensuring that the individual is not making the wrong choices. For me, this overarching power is my mother and father. My mother and father ensure that I am doing what is best for me while still granting me the liberty to make my own decisions. I believe that this is an excellent system which as worked wonders for me. In the case of Hitler and Nazi Germany, there was no governing force which controlled Hitler. For this reason, he was able to make detrimental decisions without any ramifications. </p>
<p>In conclusion, people should generally be allowed to think on their own an do things how they please. However, it is always beneficial to have someone overlooking the individual’s decisions to keep them on the right track.</p>
<p>weird, I got a 690 on the january SAT with a 60mc and a 9 essay.</p>
<p>Well…I actually wouldn’t completely trust the results of the practice test. While some people might do better on the actual test, or perform consistently, many do not.</p>
<p>What the College Board gives you is the best indicator of the difficulty of the test. However, when you take the test at home, you are in a much more familiar and comfortable setting. That may influence your score.</p>
<p>When we took a practice test at school, with an actual released exam not found in any of the Blue Books, I got a 2380 (the last one I took, I mean). The first time I actually took the test, I got a 2290. A lot of seniors at my school had warned me to be prepared to lower roughly 100 points from my practice score, and this turned out unfortunately to be true…</p>
<p>Anyway, to sum up, you can’t judge how well you’re going to do based on one test, even if it’s from the College Board. Instead, up till March, try solving the Blue Book questions, timed. If you consistently get a certain score then you can pretty much say that is reflective of your actual score. If your score continously fluctuates, try to stabilize it (preferably a high one :)).</p>
<p>RileyJohn: I guess my writing score should be better on the real thing then?</p>
<p>Alt_F4: Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m going to be taking a lot more practice tests in the next month.</p>