<p>haha, i'm the same way. i got 700 and am absolutely baffled.</p>
<p>if its any consolation, tell them i know a kid who got 2050 and 680 on math and got into Caltech. it's really not that big a deal.</p>
<p>man, i wish i could. i hate people who dont understand the relevance of the SAT. people really just dont get college apps sometimes - if i have any ultimate strength, its that i know exactly what i have to do to get into the college i want, which is probably a good skill to have.</p>
<p>haha ya. i feel that.....being a A student in math would show my true math abilities, instead of being unable to get a perfect math score on the SAT. </p>
<p>haha how do you get into any college you want? is there some secret? would you beable to get someone into harvard if they had a 2.0 gpa and arent in rigorous classes. that would be sick</p>
<p>This is just like the anti-IQ argument. "What does solving a bunch of puzzles have to do with intelligence?!" Well, it takes intelligence to solve the puzzles, right?</p>
<p>The questions on the SAT test reasoning skills and knowledge. That's what they're supposed to do. </p>
<p>Just because it isn't flawless doesn't mean that it's useless.</p>
<p>Kevin, there are clear differences between the math presented in your high school math course material and that of the SAT. It's one thing to learn and apply concepts in a straightforward way every time. It's quite another to apply old concepts to novel problems, especially when there's room for creativity.</p>
<p>Grades aren't all that full proof either. I'm arguably the most intelligent, knowledgable student in my school, yet my GPA and rank are average to low. The valedictorean asks ME for help. I say this not to boast but to prove a point:</p>
<p>There is no full proof way to measure knowledge or reasoning ability. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't try.</p>
<p>you're right, but because it tests a specific type of puzzle, its not by any means holistic or fair.</p>
<p>well, what i mean by that is i know exactly what different colleges want, how to write essays, what extracurriculars are most important, how to approach teachers and get good letters, how to approach counselors, how to conduct myself during interviews, and what to stress in an application - what i need to put my effort into.</p>
<p>of course you cant get into harvard with a 2.0, but you can get in with a nonweighted 3.6 and a 2000 if you're an eagle scout, have awesome letters of rec., give an interview and show them that you have a brilliant mind, and whatever else i can think of. i'm good at thinking up quirky little things that give colleges that elusive boner.</p>
<p>"Kevin, there are clear differences between the math presented in your high school course material and the SAT math questions. It's one thing to learn and apply concepts in a straightforward way every time. It's quite another to apply old concepts to novel questions, especially when there's room for creativity."</p>
<p>i'd like to begin by saying yes, you're right. but the problems on the SAT are actually at a far lower level than kevin's probably at, just worded, drawn, or explained in a tricky way. he's right - if it tested JUST the math they say, he'd be fine. but, because his brain doesnt line up with their flavor of trickery, he's in a spot of trouble.</p>
<p>"Grades aren't all that full proof either. I'm arguably the most intelligent, knowledgable student in my school, yet my GPA and rank are average to low.</p>
<p>There is no full proof way to measure knowledge or reasoning ability. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't try."</p>
<p>of course, but one has to consider the flaws in the system anyways. that's really all i'm saying.</p>
<p>what colleges are you trying to get into? If none of the ones i want to go you, should give me some pointers on the letters of rec, interview and essay things</p>
<p>im not saying the sat math is impossible or doesnt measure math at all. I'm just saying that many brilliant, i dont think i could stress brilliant more, math students have gotten below 750. And trust me, by brilliant, i dont mean merely getting As in classes kids their age normally take</p>
<p>right now i'm applying to:
harvard
stanford
MIT
clairmont pomona/harvey mudd
UCLA/Berkeley (safety schools)</p>
<p>the only tossups are stanford and harvard, i think...but i can never be too sure.</p>
<p>the most important brief piece of advice i can offer is to treat your teachers with as much friendliness engagedness out of class as possible. leave class a couple minutes late and joke with them, try to connect with them on a friend-to-friend level. i know its kinda late for that, but thats the kind of thing that gets you a fantastic letter of rec.</p>
<p>essays are a bit trickier. the two things i can say quickly are make it interesting and fun to read, and portray yourself as a very likable person. with this in mind, make sure the topic is relevant and has some sort of importance to it, and remember that some of the readers have senses of humor drier than the dead sea.</p>
<p>We have about 20 AIME Qualifiers and all of them got 800 on math... just a point that if your really good.. SAT should be no problem..at least where I attend..</p>
<p>haha you know what's funny. some college requires a social science/english teacher rec. Unfortunately for me, both teachers from last year are gone, and both seem unavailable. But i have the math/science teachers down for sure. Well besides Stanford and berkely, i'm not applying to any of the schools you are. </p>
<p>I'm applying to upenn and cornell, which hopefully is not as tough as harvard. gl with that</p>
<p>well, if you draw from a pool of amazing math students of course you can find 20 or more 800s. if every single one of 200 students is amazing, surely 20 will get 800. but, some still wont, regardless of how anomalic it is. hell, i'm sure i got 800 this time around, but you're making a bit too broad of a generalization.</p>
<p>harvard...i think i've got them worked. their admissions office called my cell phone one day (no idea how they got it) and told me to consider applying since they consider me capable of getting in, so that gave me some hope. its really a tossup though, and since i go to a public school and not some amazing private school where there's more room to show your ability, even moreso. getting in would be so cool though!</p>
<p>I am really obsessed with the last grid-in question. Does anyone remember how the question was worded and what the diagram looked like? As long as i remember there were only 3 points indicated on the graph, am i right?</p>
<p>it was 13.5. you were given the x and y intercept, and the function. i dont know how i woulda solved it mathematically, but all i did was graph it on my calculator, found y to be 9, found x to be 2.5. Then they ask for the area of the rectangle, so you multiply 9 and 2.5.</p>
<p>i cant remember, but i know it was 13.5. it ws 9 x 1.5. the graph was something goofy, but the 9 was the y intercept and the 1.5 was the x intercept, where there was another x intercept at 3.</p>
<p>what rectangle? as long as i remember there was no possible rectangle that you could fine the area of. T_T</p>
<p>to do it mathematically, you'd set x and y to zero and solve. just a simple x and y intercept problem with a bit of geometry thrown in there. pretty innovative problem if you ask me.</p>
<p>uh i meant 1.5 not 2.5</p>
<p>Does anyone remember the wording of the 2nd grid-in question? I think it was looking for the 6th term of some sequence, but I can't recall the starting number. I feel I put .625, but everyone says 1.25. Thanks</p>
<p>andykcom -</p>
<p>'The first element of a sequence is 160, and every subsequent element is the preceding element divided by 2. What is the 8th element in the sequence?'</p>