<p>i dont know if i should do something about my problem before the sats in 2 weeks. if there is a effect? there is no time to schedule and appnment. is there anything non-prescription anyone has first-hand experience with that helps just as much?</p>
<p>On a rather honest side, ifor a person that doesnt have this problem and actually takes Ritalin, would it help? Speaking uh theortically of course...</p>
<p>okay, and speaking on the other side, a person who does have this problem, woudl taking ritalin help.. speaking truthfully of course.</p>
<p>I am vehemently opposed to the CB giving more time to ADD test takers. ADD is a nebulous entity in the disease world, at best, unlike blindness and deafness which can actually be proven. Half the people who are diagnosed with ADD are probably normal beings. I probably would be diagnosed with ADD too, since I can rarely concentrate on a book for more than 5 minutes at a time. </p>
<p>I don't see it detracting from your SAT any more than being stupid would. But I don't see them giving extra time to dumb people! Especially when it is so easy to cheat the system, you would think that CB would be a little more careful when dealing with ADD cases.</p>
<p>Your question seems an obvious ploy to try to find some kind of drug to boost your SAT score. If you really thought you had ADD, you would not have waited until now to get help for it. Your question also is the kind of one to give real pause to any adcoms or alumni interviewers who may be able to discern your identity. They would have some serious questions about your ethics.</p>
<p>My advice is that instead of trying to find a magic pill, you continue using tried and true healthful, effective preparation methods.</p>
<p>Incidentally, the drugs used for people who truly have ADD/ADHD don't give the people any kind of special powers. They just get to concentrate and focus the way that people without ADD/ADHD do. They also can have some side effects that many people find annoying. The same can happen with over the counter meds, not a good thing to risk during the SAT.</p>
<p>I was "diagnosed" when I was 12. I took medication for a year, and realized I didn't need it. I don't believe that it had any effect whatsoever on my SAT scores. I'm not a big fan of extended time, although I realize that it's warranted in some situations.</p>
<p>Well, ADDers aren't going to get extra time on college exams, so it might lead to false conclusions of college potential. Unless you take the SAT on the same drugs you're going to use in college, without the extra time lol</p>
<p>Princeofnam, I have ADD ,and I taken the Sat both with and without medication. The difference in these administrations was significant. I am now currently taking medication regulary, and my level of functioning at school has improved as well. Although this medication has imparted me with some very positive benefits, I am in no way a proponent of liberal ADD medication perscription. ADD medication has, in many cases, health-related and psychological side effects. Due to these side effects, I feel that medication should be used only to treat those who are are suffering from more acute cases of ADD.</p>
<p>That being said, If you are looking to these medications a quick fix for your score, then you should look elsewhere. But If you are looking for a long term solution for a persistent problem, then you should contact your family physician.</p>
<p>there is no such thing as add, it was discovered when some mother found her son constantly not paying attention in class and receiving poor grades. Instead of reprimanding her son, she thinks that there MUST be some condition with him, and that this must be the reason to his abysmal grades. She then goes to the doctor, and through her ascendancy (after all, she is the one writing the checks) gets him to discover some new disease called ADD. BS! If ADD exists then half the population must have it, because everyone must find it is difficult to concentrate sometime or another. Now people who have been diagnosed with ADD and do not complain about it, I have no problem with them. But the people who believe they should get some special advantage, I am adamantly opposed to this.</p>
<p>okay wow.. i did not mean to start some debate about add. and im sad that north thinks so badly of me. i want you to know the truth north. most people with ADD DO NOT do anything about it because it makes us feel bad. i hate medication and i DONT want to use it. just if i should bother getting help for it seeing as how ive been ignoring it and refused medication for it until now , when i think i might need it most</p>
<p>and i dont know about you guys but the add screening tests involve more than just questions... and the cause thereof it isnt that non-sensical, just a lack of dha and dmae in the body along with some fatty lipids that our bodys dont seem to be able to get enough of, causes it harder for others to concentrate as much. i dont see why people are so agitated by this</p>
<p>i made this post in a voice of help but for some odd reason i'm feeling offended by people who are replying... in any event i have purchased several vitamin supplements to help balance out my system naturally, sadly it takes several months to get in my system.</p>
<p>prince I think people here are just jealous of the extra time or something.</p>
<p>"That being said, If you are looking to these medications a quick fix for your score, then you should look elsewhere." Wrong. Search modafinil or donapezil (spelling)
I havent used any of them, nor would my parents acquiesce to doing so.
BTW please cut the censorship type BS. Ritalin and other pills would help most people on the SAT.
"Incidentally, the drugs used for people who truly have ADD/ADHD don't give the people any kind of special powers. They just get to concentrate and focus the way that people without ADD/ADHD do. They also can have some side effects that many people find annoying. The same can happen with over the counter meds, not a good thing to risk during the SAT."
The pills amplify your concentration ability from what I have heard, so that if you are ADD your concentration is closer to average, and if you have average concentration then after taking a pill you will have above average concentration.
I made a thread about this but it got deleted. There was an article about it in the LA times and WSJ a while ago.
These vitriolic posters just consider the whole add business a scam to get treated differently or something.</p>
<p>I have a friend that has ADHD, and it's pretty serious. He can't stop talking randomly in class (random comments on every single word the teacher says), and often it's impossible to take a test when he's in the classroom, so he takes it alone in the hall, and you can still hear him talking in the hall with random ppl. Even it's not a true disease, it is apparent.</p>
<p>Hey look, a bunny!</p>
<p>also i have friends in a volunteer program that helps somewhat mentally disabled kids like down syndrome and what not. One of the kids has severe ADD and is in the program for just that. So it definitely exists.</p>
<p>it is overdiagnosed in order to sell massive amounts of drugs to benefit the pharmaceutical companies, I would say only 20% of those diagnosed have a serious condition, the rest are lazy/don't get enough sleep/don't concentrate for other reasons</p>
<p>My son has ADHD and does the best he can without medication or test accommodations. He has tried Ritalin and it helps him with reducing hyperactivity. However, he stopped using it because it affected his appetite. Routine and structure seem to help him most. So, go over practice tests, write practice essays, and familiarize yourself with the format of the test you are taking. That's probably what everyone should do anyway. Good luck!</p>
<p>i really appreciate the empathy guys, luckily my add is not severe enough to hurt my score as much, or maybe even effect it that much. hopefully these vitamin supplements will help me in the future though.</p>
<p>Some guys have ADD pretty bad. I still think they are all obnoxious *******s, though.</p>
<p>But everyone has it to some degree, especially guys. I have to will myself to concentrate. It takes strength and willpower to do it, not pills. You think anyone can conentrate on the SAT for 3 straight hours? Nope. I did the best I could by keeping my energy up by bringing water, some candy (it was right after Halloween), and a smoothie and snack for the break. Overcoming your flaws shows character. That's the definition of character, isn't it? So go get 'em.</p>
<p>My friend got tested for ADD a few years ago because his mom was ****ed at him lol. He told me the test was sitting in a room with a screen and a clicker and clicking everytime something appeared on the screen. He passed, but said it was the most boring half hour he'd ever gone through.</p>
<p>"These vitriolic posters just consider the whole add business a scam to get treated differently or something."</p>
<p>I was the one who made the comments that you quoted. I also have ADD, and hate the meds, and only use them when I will be in situations in which extreme organizational ability is required. I was not diagnosed until way into adulthood, and still did fine enough on my standardized tests to go to an Ivy.</p>
<p>My older S is ADHD. He hates meds and refuses to take them. By the time he was in h.s., the only time he would take the meds was when taking exams. I can not say how much the meds helped him, however, because he always did well on standardized tests, even before he was prescribed meds. He also spent a lot of time studying for the SATs.</p>
<p>People with ADD/ADHD are not eager to take meds, even for tests. Some people who don't have ADD/ADHD seem to be so eager for quick fixes and magic that they look to pills to help them improve. It would be wiser to simply study for the tests.</p>
<p>My younger S is not ADD/ADHD, but (as is the case with many people) sometimes makes avoidable mistakes on tests. I encourage him to practice the tests more. I would never consider giving him meds to see if those help. I have no idea how the meds might affect him.</p>