<p>Hi guys,</p>
<p>I guess I'm just here to vent and have a person to reach out to...</p>
<p>On the October SAT I got a 2290 (730M 800R 760W) I was positively shocked by my reading and writing scores which were usually lower than my math. I shrugged my math result off as a small hiccup. I've been practicing since and I'm on the doorstep of the January SAT, just about ready to knock and go in...</p>
<p>On my math practice, it seems I can never miss absolutely 0. I always make a stupid mistake, or read a question wrong, something like that, and end up with less than what my potential was for the October SAT (800). </p>
<p>Lately, well, lets just say the SAT has pretty much hurt me a lot (I admit I learned a lot of things from the SAT besides just how to take a test), and now I'm feeling like I hurt myself for nothing.</p>
<p>I was so confident after October to get an 800 in math and possibly an 800 Writing, yet things are going downstream no matter how hard I practice... When I go through a finished SAT section and check my answers and find I get one wrong, my heart sinks. It sinks because that incorrect answer is just another reminder of how much time I seem to have spent on what seems to be a hopeless struggle.</p>
<p>Still, I'm going to keep studying hard these next few weeks, and I'm going to walk into the testing center with caution and intensity... I will try my absolute best and if things don't turn out my way, so be it... </p>
<p>Good luck to all of you I guess... I really hate the SAT, and that's why I'm going to try my best to rip it to shreds then slam it on the ground and beat it to a pulp on January 25th (not literally).</p>
<p>Damn the SAT...</p>
<p>2290 vs 2400 maybe not much of a difference (assuming 750+ on each section)</p>
<p>730 vs 800? that’s a difference to consider.</p>
<p>colleges will see my subsection scores all separately. something below a 750 might seem OK but relatively unappetizing when compared with the thousands of other kids who apply who got an 800.</p>
<p>in any case, this will be my last swing at this damned test. if i feel i botched the test, i will be unhappy for a bit then proceed to cancel my scores.</p>
<p>All the best bro! I am sure you will get that 800 :)</p>
<p>Ok I know what I say is probably going to mean little to you…</p>
<p>But you are WAY overthinking this. The SAT is just a math/reading/writing test. That’s it. Yes, it may impact which school you go to, what kind of scholarship you get offered, etc, but in life, there is SOOOO much more that determines where you end up in life. I think you’re putting way too much focus into your SAT score over much more important things.</p>
<p>Regardless, the difference between a 2300 and a 2400 is kind of marginal for most schools (if not all). Those are AMAZING scores no matter what. With your scores, you have a fair shot (if not EXCELLENT) at any Ivy or other top school, like Stanford. And guess what? There are people who go to Harvard and end up making $45k a year, and people who go to mediocre state schools and end up as partners in a law firm or as neurosurgeons. There’s nothing wrong with going into a less lucrative field, of course, but my point is that so many people feel that if they don’t go to Harvard or Yale, they’re screwed. So not true. I have family friends who started out in community college because of poor high school grades and ended up in medical school. </p>
<p>Relax. Continue studying, of course, but don’t let the SAT affect you so much. It’s a test, and you’re a human. You win</p>
<p>I’m with you all the way Dougie. Don’t
settle for nothing less than the best . Gotta be a Korean to understand what you’re going through. </p>
<p>“Hey, so what’s your score?”</p>
<p>Korean student: “Well, I’m too embarrassed to say. I only got a 2200! My mom is going to kill me and send me to one of those notorious SAT boot camps in South Korea where they lock you inside a room and take your cellphones! AIGO!”</p>
<p>American student: “Dude. I got a 2000. I PWN the SAT and can apply to any state college with a FULL SCHOLARSHIP! YOLO!”</p>
<p>I’m going to take another approach and encourage you to stop studying altogether. As sfgirl said, you’re overthinking it. An obsession with perfection can be be a much bigger obstacle to success than not knowing the material. And it’s clear that you know the material. Step away from the prep books, clear your mind and just relax. Many folks on CC are convinced that 100 SAT points will close/open the doors to certain schools…and who knows, maybe sometimes they will, but after years of watching the increasingly unpredictable nature of the college app process, I just don’t buy it.</p>