<p>Did anyone else do both? Stories about the difference in test administration? </p>
<p>I'm homeschooled and the first time I took the SAT's it was at a huge public school. The woman was extremely strict, and made it clear that if we so much asked to borrow a pencil from another student there would be real consequences. She wrote the times on the board and had us start and stop to the minute, and no one would dare lift their test paper before start time was called, or continue after it was time to finish. Complete silence in the room save the sound of pencil scratching the entire time, and no drinks on the desk. She watched the room like a hawk during bathroom breaks. At one point I remember, during the writing portion, I lifted my work up to read clearly (bad vision +backache from slouching) and she asked me to put it down and not turn my head at all.</p>
<p>I took it a second time at a tiny prep school- completely different experience. The lady read the same rules and all, but she was kind of 'playing dumb' to what kids were doing the whole time. People were whispering to each other, I turned around and saw kids leaning over to each other's desks to compare answers with people who had the same booklet, I noticed the person next to me had the same booklet as me (isn't that against the code too?) and was gesturing for me to look at something but I smiled and shook my head because at that point I didn't know how it would be. The lady kept her nose in her book the entire time and had earbuds attached to a computer in at the end. By the end no one seemed to care to make any effort to pretend not to be sharing answers and discussing when they needed help. And there was NO attention paid to the times. She'd go, "Oh, I guess time is up now" without really keeping track. She was about 15-35 minutes late for each section, but I still got out sooner because we didn't do near as much official crap and lines as at the public school. Also there were hardly designated "bathroom breaks."</p>
<p>I talked to someone I know who was home-schooled and took the SAT at this school years ago and it was exactly the same. According to him they were freaked out at the end to realize he was a "visitor" (I suppose prep schools normally screen their students for snitches during admissions?).</p>
<p>I just regret not taking better advantage of the situation now, as long as that's the standard I'm up against.</p>