<p>I am a high school senior who is taking the SAT for the last time in May (to those who are wondering, I'm taking a gap year). I have taken the SAT twice, and have been seriously disappointed with my scores as they do not reflect my abilities in any way. Although I am gifted and have a high GPA, it turns out that I have a learning disability: I have a very low processing ability, that is, I take forever to process information. In addition to that, I have severe anxiety due to the fear of failure and the testing conditions anyway, which only makes it worse. This is a huge problem for me, especially on the Critical Reading section of the test. For me, the CR section isn't a reading comprehension test as much as it is a test of how I can BS the questions given the time limit. To give you an idea:</p>
<p>Timed SAT: 1720 (M: 520 CR: 540 W: 660)
Untimed SAT (based on Blue Book practice tests): 2120 (M: 600 CR: 730 W: 790 given a 10 essay)</p>
<p>...a 400 point difference, and also the difference between my getting accepted or rejected from top colleges. </p>
<p>Does anyone know what I should do about this? If I request extended time, will colleges look down upon it? Thank you so much! </p>
<p>Have you gotten a psychiatrist to confirm your suspicions? And even then, you would have to demonstrate this under either the Nelson Denny Reading Test, Stanford Diagnostic Math Test, Standford Diagnostic Reading Test, Test of Written Language Third Edition, or the Woodcock-Johnson III Test. You will need documentation to request extra time and it must show that you require extra time. Given that you already have an above average score, this could be a problem. Colleges are not able to now if you had extra time or not to the best of my knowledge.</p>
<p>The request for extended time is there to benefit YOU and colleges I don’t think will look down upon you. As the person above posted, show documentation from a doctor or psychiatrist explaining your condition. I get anxious too, but for me, practicing the test several times at home before taking the real was really beneficial. Good luck!</p>
<p>I have disabilities and I got a 1770. My biggest problem is math. I was going to take the ACT but when I took practice tests it gave me 33 in the English but only a 22 in math. Don’t worry. If you explain the problem and they see your grades, they won’t necessarily reject you. I got into 13 good schools even sending it in. The merit scholarships at some of the schools weren’t as high though. If you have a high GPA, maybe apply to some SAT optional schools. I did that and they gave me half-rides :)</p>
<p>If you have documented information on this, you can go through the process to request extra time. However, it may or may not be granted. My understanding is that if you have a ‘late’ diagnosis (junior or senior year) and/or have not been getting accommodations in school (eg, extra time on tests) that your school will verify, your chance of getting extra time is reduced. You should still apply for it, but know that this can cause an issue. </p>
<p>And colleges are not informed that you got the extra time.</p>
<p>This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think colleges will look at this situation and sympathize. College is a high stress environment. There are tests in college. You will be anxious in college. There are time constraints in college. You will have to process information quickly in college. </p>
<p>IMO, a learning disability isn’t something you can use to your advantage in an application, unless you are showing that you are in the process of overcoming it. A learning disability is, again IMO, the same as a lack of ability. It is out of your control as much as “being bad at a subject” is out of your control. That doesn’t mean a selective college should sympathize; it means the opposite. I think an adcom will look at it as a weakness in an application.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to bust your butt to improve your score without asking for extra time.</p>
<p>Couple of things: colleges will not know if you take with extended time. ETS used to indicate on score report. It no longer does so. Second: it is VERY hard to get accommodations these days unless there’s a substantial history of the LD and of using accommodations in high school. I’ve been through this with my child, and despite an IEP starting in K and appropriate documentation, she did not get accommodations on the SAT. That being said, if the processing score is VERY low and you have the right documentation, you may be able to get it. Another suggestion: apply for accommodations more than once: word on the street is that they say no twice and then give it to you on the third attempt after you show you’re not going away. GOOD LUCK–the system stinks. To immasenior: they give accommodations in college as well to students w/disabilities. You’re giving an opinion, versus having specific knowledge in this area, which is fine, but be aware that colleges have changed their attitudes about students with disabilities. Yours used to be a common one, but by and large, it’s not the prevailing view on adcomms.</p>
<p>it doesn’t matter what colleges “think”. They don’t have to know about it if the applicant doesn’t tell them. Colleges offer disabilities accommodations as well if a student has a formal diagnosis and has received accommodations in the past, too. Now… do I think colleges DO sympathize when they know about it on the application? Generally no, especially top schools.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your answers! Although, immasenior, I have to say that I disagree with your opinion, but it’s your own so I won’t say any more on the matter lol </p>
<p>I’ll figure something out either way, I just wish I had identified my learning disability earlier! </p>
<p>@ValleyofUnrest17: I’m just guessing how somebody reviewing your application would respond, so my opinion doesn’t really mean anything. For you sake, I hope I’m wrong! Best of luck!</p>
<p>immasenior, there is no reason for colleges to know about the OP’s disability if she chooses not to disclose it. Of course, she needs to consider her ability to succeed in a given college environment if she does get admitted – that can depend on the disability services available at each college. So saying that asking for extra time on the SAT will affect admissions when they review her application is simply false – they won’t know if she doesn’t tell them.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend arranging to meet with the disability office at any school you are seriously considering. While all colleges are legally required to accommodate people with disabilities,some do it in ways that make it much easier for the student and some…otherwise. In our experience the admissions office has no interest in tracking down whether a student visits the disability office, so you can do this without having to disclose disabilities on your application if you choose.</p>
<p>@intparent: I was operating under the assumption that a college would know if an applicant was given special testing privileges, given how important standardized tests are in an application. It’s not so “standard” if different test takers are testing with different rules, now is it?</p>
<p>However, if what you are saying is true, I guess I am wrong. I don’t quite understand why it would be fair to take advantage of a learning disability to strengthen your application but then not disclose or even mention said disability. It seems schemey and dishonest. </p>
<p>And is it schemey and dishonest if someone with a vision problem has someone read the test questions to them? Or if someone has a physical disability and can’t write that they can have a scribe or some other mechanism to document their answers? Just because a disability is not visible to you does not mean it isn’t “real” and doesn’t put the applicant at a disadvantage to other students that don’t have it. Believe me… I am pretty sure you would not want to trade away your apparently “neurotypical” brain for one that has a disability, even if you got extra time on tests because of it. The brain is like every other organ in that it can be affected by disabilities and injuries – assuming you are okay with other disabilities being given some accommodation, your argument here does not hold up.</p>
<p>Another thing I would consider is taking the ACT, my SAT score was a 1690 however my first ACT was a 30 and my second a 31, I have ADD which makes it harder to focus. I would give it a shot if you haven’t already. </p>
<p>Easy there. I’m just trying to be objective.</p>
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<p>I don’t know if you’re familiar with the SAT, but it’s full name is actually the SAT reasoning test. Not the SAT test of physical abilities. If a physical disability makes it difficult to measure reasoning ability, sure, changes can be made. As long as those changes don’t give the test taker an advantage in the reasoning aspect of the test.</p>
<p>To reiterate, muscles don’t reason. Eyes don’t reason. The brain reasons. If the brain has a disability that affects reasoning, that should be reflected in a test that measures reasoning ability. </p>
<p>@zacattack16 oh gosh I had an awful experience with the ACT. I can’t get past the timing of the ACT; my low processing speed makes taking it a nightmare lol</p>
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