My life is focused on studying for the SAT

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>It's so annoying, my parents want me to do an SAT practice test every day. I've used basically every SAT practice book and taken all the tests in them, ranging from Barrons to Princeton Review to Kaplan and many others, including the standard ones created by Collegeboard. After I take the test they want me to spent the next few hours going over the answers and explanations. When I get questions wrong, they want me to print them all out along with the answers and explanations, then keep reciting and practicing them until I get them write to ensure that I don't make the same mistakes again!</p>

<p>I really hate what they're doing to me, and what I hate even more is that they don't realize the fact that the SAT is a reasoning test and that there's really not much you can do to improve your score. So far my scores are in the 2000's range, which in my opinion is fairly good. However they don't think so, they think of a score from 2000-2290 as inferior and they want me to score in the 2300's, which I really don't think I can do!</p>

<p>This time I took the test I got two wrong in the math section out of 50 or so (got a 760), and they told me that was horrible and that I shouldn't miss anything because I'm supposed to be smart! </p>

<p>And to make matters worse, now they're pushing away other things like my permit driving school and learning how to drive just so that I can study for the SAT which I'm planning to take for the first time in January (about three weeks left until I take it). </p>

<p>I've been studying words for the SAT since middle school and forgot them all in a few months if not weeks. They have already bought well over 40 books for the SAT and expect me to do them all. Well, it's really not going to help! My score is capped at ~2100 max and after all these years of boredom, torture and excessive prep, I really don't think my score will increase much higher!</p>

<p>I've already lost all momentum for studying for the SAT but they just won't let me do that. They keep telling me that I must keep taking the SAT until I get 2300 or higher, no matter how much money, time and effort it takes. And they said that if I don't get a good score by senior year, then they'll buy me a few (yes, a few) ACT books and I'll study for that test instead. </p>

<p>Sigh, I wish my parents could just calm down and listen to me but they won't budge. At all. Over all these years, I've spent well over hundreds of hours of my time prepping for this stupid, 3-hour test and I'm about to lose it. What has this SAT prep gotten me? Well, let's see: </p>

<ol>
<li>Decreased performance in school</li>
<li>Inadequate social skills</li>
<li>Less desire to learn and explore new things</li>
<li>A despise for tests of any kind</li>
<li>Improvement of about 500 points on the SAT</li>
<li>Not enough time to do things that I actually want</li>
<li>Loss of a real, enjoyable high school experience</li>
</ol>

<p>.. like how much is this SAT prep really going to help me? It probably has close to no value anymore (except at top universities and Ivys, of course) considering that there are many SAT-optional schools now which don't require SAT scores. Studying for this dumb test for all these years has decreased my interest in learning and exploring as a hole, as well as impaired my social schools. Because I spent so must time studying for the SAT, I neglected my social life (which is, by the way, non-existent right now) and have close to no friends. I'm 17 (almost 18) and don't even know how to drive yet, let alone have a permit. </p>

<p>What am I going to do? It's like SAT is all my parents care about.. and because of this my life is slowly starting to deteriorate... no, **** that... it's not deteriorating... it's already destroyed. **** me. </p>

<p>Please help...</p>

2

<p>well, it’ll be over soon, right? so no big. If you’ve done this since middle school, keep it up for a couple more days, but make sure your WELL RESTED the week of SATs. I’m sure you’ll do great the first time, and then you can throw all those books away! (or donate them to those who can’t afford them)</p>

3

<p>i feel for you… that’s awful. 40 books is absolute insanity. borderline child abuse…</p>

<p>i wish parents could see that 300 points on a test is not worth it for damaging their kids permanently.</p>

<p>and i have a feeling that youre asian or indian. i see this crap too much from my friends of those races.</p>

4

<p>u’ll get thru. . .
hang in there.</p>

5

<p>All i can say is; your score will probably increase a lot.
In the meantime [America’s</a> Best Colleges - Forbes.com](<a href=“Forbes List Directory”>Forbes List Directory)</p>

<p>See if your college is there, and work hard to get there! :P</p>

<p>Sorry if I was of no help in your situation :(</p>

6

<p>Don’t study.</p>

<p>You might look at the above and go “what?” but if studying has basically consuming your entire life and you really just don’t want to do it anymore, doing more will just burn you out. Take a breather (of maybe a week or so at least) and let your mind settle.</p>

<p>Chances are, if you’re studying that much and your scores aren’t improving, it’s not that you haven’t “had enough practice”, it’s probably something about the test that you haven’t figured out yet, and it’s probably not something that you’ll figure out just by doing thousands of test questions.</p>

7

<p>Oh, and also, I’d suggest trying the ACT at least once, but without studying. You might find that either the ACT or SAT is easier for you (just inherently by how the questions are set up). The ACT (in my opinion) is easier for math/science orientated people, while the SAT seems (at least to me) far more nitpicky with their reading/writing.</p>

<p>Of the time that I spent studying (which really wasn’t much), the one thing that I did learn from studying was that these standardized tests–they’re all just exercises in reading, which you’ve probably figured out. You probably also know how to do all of the questions, it’s just a matter of being precise. And since I’d assume you already know how to do all of the questions, those prep classes (which cater more to the ‘average’ student) will be pointless for you.</p>

<p>Now, as far as dealing with your parents, well, I’ve had to deal with freakishly perfectionist ones too (or at least, my dad). For the prep class, maybe say something like “it’ll take away time from working on my classes, and I’ve got really hard ones this year”, or something else similarly related to the college process (it might be technically a lie, but you’ll probably need something of equal weight to the tests). And for them forcing you to study… Well, when my parents had me study for the ACT back when I was in 7th grade (I actually wanted to take it then for the experience…), after the first two or three studying sessions, I hid a palm pilot in my room and played Minesweeper and pretended to study. It probably didn’t improve my test score much (although, I got a 33 that year…) but it did let me keep my sanity.</p>

8

<p>I hate to see parents force this on their child. The SAT is about having fun, not scoring 2300’s.</p>

9

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I don’t know if the SAT is about having fun :P</p>

10

<p>Honestly, SAT scores don’t matter that much in college admissions. I got a 2390 in one sitting and got rejected from Stanford. Other kids got 2400 and got rejected. It’s much more important to do something amazing with your life, like volunteer or write a book or something.</p>

<p>Oh, and I know you know that. You should tell your parents. I will gladly write them an email explaining how dumb they are. :)</p>

11

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<p>haha this might exacerbate the situation…
cuz then his parents may force him to score 2390 AND do insane extracurriculars/take insane amounts of APs</p>

12

<p>Well maybe if you got a 2400 in the first place you wouldn’t be in this mess.</p>

13

<p>Should write about your parents and your SAT experience in your personal statement.</p>

14

<p>Your parents are obsessed with the SAT. There’s no point in wasting so much time on it unless you want a satisfying score in your perspective. You should argue with your parents that you need to do other important things and that you need a break once in a while.</p>

15

<p>Your parents are ■■■■■■■■.</p>

16

<p>…what life.</p>

17

<p>^ lol you’re being brutal today aren’t you</p>