<p>So I honestly hope that I dont come off as an arrogant *******, but Im sure what I am about to say will be controversial to some people.</p>
<p>I simply do not understand how others are doing better on the SATs than me. I just dont. It cant be knowledge, because I know for sure that people in public schools are scoring higher than me, and I go to a well-known private school. Is it luck? Is it common sense?</p>
<p>I feel like I should test better than some of my friends. I got a 1700, combined. 1620 best sitting. Not necessarily bad, but not at all good for what colleges Im applying to. I know I have a better GPA than most people who score better than me, and that just blows my mind. My friend got a 28 and barely studied for the ACT, yet I studied a week prior and got a 24. Yet I have a better GPA than her. I dont get it. I honestly dont. Can someone just clear things up?</p>
<p>Also, Im not looking for any advice, since Im finishing my apps and stuff so its a little late for that. Just looking for reassurance or clarification. I hope I didnt come off as an ass, but then again I was just wondering :/</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen and heard, the SAT doesn’t necessarily test only your abilities, but specifically your ability to take the SAT. If you don’t study at least enough to know the stuff about the test (i.e. the types of questions you’re going to see so you don’t waste time on reading directions), then chances are you’ve crippled yourself before starting the test.</p>
<p>Another thing is subject matter. The SAT tests certain things for each topic. And, again, if you don’t know what those things are, you will be at a disadvantage. </p>
<p>I mean, I agree with you. The SAT does seem to be slanted, but that’s not the point. You can’t sit and complain, no one will hear you. Instead, just do what you need to do: study.</p>
<p>And, more importantly, don’t let this dumb test get you down.</p>
<p>The thing is, standardized tests depend much less than grades on the amount of effort you put in. With high school grades, if you put in lots of time you can usually do arbitrarily well. The SAT isn’t like that; if you can’t reason as well and quickly as your friends can, studying more than they do won’t help.</p>
<p>the sat is definitely a problem solving test, it tests how quick you can solve problems and how you can think on your feet in multiple fields of study (M CR W) </p>
<p>it has nothing to do with grades, because more time means better grades; the sat you have a limited amount of time and it is that way in order “test intelligence” (quotes because some people believe it doesn’t, but in general smarter people do score better) </p>
<p>so dont think higher grades naturally should mean higher sat score.</p>