<p>Hello everyone, so I took the October SAT and got a 1970 and was devastated because I go to a school where everyone I know gets at least a 2200 and thinks that 2250s are low :(. Then I took the January SAT hoping to get AT LEAST a 2200 and only got 2050 :'( I do well in school; I got straight A's last year and this year (junior year) I got straight A's first semester too! The classes I take are pretty challenging too among which are AP Calc BC and APUSH. I've also taken quite a few SAT II Subject Tests such as Math II and have gotten 800 on them all. I also have quite a few extracurricular activities like volunteering (I have held a leadership position in one of the largest community service clubs on campus for two years). But with such a bad SAT score, I'm seriously worried I won't get into any decent college and I almost feel like killing myself because of my failure. Some people have told me I could try the ACT but I heard from some adults that colleges think the ACT is not as good as the SAT :/ Is this true? If so, what should I do about my situation? :( It seems that I can do relatively well in school and on SAT Subject Tests/AP Tests but why can't I just do well on the SAT Reasoning Test? :'( If I do not retake the SAT anymore, will it affect my admission chances to the point that I won't be able to get into an Ivy League or a good college such as NYU or UCLA/UC Berkeley?</p>
<p>What have you been doing to practice or study? Were you well rested when you took the January test? I think sleep is really underrated. What was the breakdown of your test?</p>
<p>You did increase from October to January and if you could get another increase of 80 points, or more, it could make a difference in what schools you get into.</p>
<p>I took a SAT class over winter break and for the month between that class and the day of the test, I did about 2-3 full practice tests a week. I finished all the practice tests in the blue book and also completed quite a few in the Princeton Review book. I slept for around 8 hours the night before the day of the test.</p>
<p>Do you suggest I take it again or should I take the ACT? If I do take it again, what should I try that might help improve my score?</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the ACT other than it’s reading intensive. Some people like it better. You won’t know unless you try a practice test to see. There are more tests on college board’s “online” course if you decide to take the sat again. If you are making mistakes on the practice tests, make sure you are analyzing them to determine why. You could definitely increase significantly if you take it in June or October.</p>
<p>i would suggest that you take ACT, and don’t believe people who say that SAT is more valuable than SAT. i honestly don’t know where this talk comes from. The ACT is designed to be an alternative option, equally as good as SAT, that can increase your chances by a huge margin!</p>
<p>thanks guys, I have taken an ACT practice before and got a 33 on the first try…
do you have any advice on how I should prepare for the ACT if I do start studying for it?</p>
<p>Study your weakest section- review your answers from the practice test. The ACT is really time constrained, so try doing a series of questions as fast as you can.
PS: Are you on battleon? I wouldn’t ask, except for you screen name :p</p>