The SAT I as an aptitude test: To study or not to study? Is it fair to prepare?

<p>yea i definitely agree that a certain amount of intelligence is needed to score above 2100 cuz i've looked at some practice tests i've done and it really comes down to only about 4 or so questions per section that are critical.
so basically yeah it would probably be fair for everyone to go in it cold but unless your some kind of genius, its foolish not to study(at least get familiar with the test set-up)... IMO</p>

<p>tricky-
i don't think they get that technical when they look at scores</p>

<p>This is why the SAT is on its way out.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I wonder why students forget the obvious about this. A lot of adults worry about repeated test-taking too, but needlessly, on any basis that anyone has ever brought up.</p>

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This is why the SAT is on its way out.

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<p>Not everywhere. </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/579659-report-harvard-info-session-sunday-28-september-2008-a.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/579659-report-harvard-info-session-sunday-28-september-2008-a.html&lt;/a> </p>

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<p>tokenadult, if you see this, can you elaborate what you said in post 24?</p>

<p>Bottom line: </p>

<p>a) prepare well to get the score you think you need to be a competitive applicant </p>

<p>b) don't make test-taking into your extracurricular activity, but read a LOT while you're in high school, not just in books assigned by your school </p>

<p>c) don't worry if you end up taking a college entrance test more than once, because every college in the land will give you the benefit of the best scores you obtain. Colleges want to report to the outside world that they admit students with strong test scores, so they aren't going to count your lowest scores, but rather your highest, for admission purposes. </p>

<p>See </p>

<p>Common</a> Data Set Initiative </p>

<p>for more.</p>

<p>
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This is why the SAT is on its way out.

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</p>

<p>Please provide a source?</p>

<p>My son is 4th in a class of 200, unweighted GPA over 4.0, and in the gifted classes. When he was given an IQ test-it was 132.He works one on one with the #1 and #2 in the class.</p>

<p>On the SAT he scored 600V/630M/690W. </p>

<p>I don't feel the SAT showed his true academic ability or his potential as a college student.</p>

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in the gifted classes

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<p>What specific classes is he taking? At what age did he learn algebra?</p>

<p>Since H.S. started has always been in honors classes. And will have 5 AP's when all said and done. Leaned Algebra in 8th grade.</p>

<p>Whatsnext?, I would guess that with modest preparation, your son could retake the SAT I and score in the neighborhood of 700 in each section.</p>

<p>I think it's perfectly fair to prepare for the SAT, when a student has the need, the inclination, and the time. Students in strong school districts and/or highly intellectual home environments are often "prepared" by their regular school work and family interactions, and they do not need any other preparation. Students in other districts may need some additional practice to perform at levels that correspond to their abilities.</p>

<p>When people of my generation took the SAT, no one in my area prepared at all, aside from reading the registration materials. I don't think there's any need for preparation frenzy. The method that xiggi suggests should be sufficient for most--and it's low cost.</p>

<p>QuantMech: My son has had more than modest prep. He was privately tutored (24 sessions in program). He took it very seriously and studied hard. When he would take the practice tests at home he was getting in the 700's. That's whats sooo frustrating. </p>

<p>I think the pressure of the test and the pressure slowing him down was what he complained about. You would think a person with my son's stats would be able to do better than he did. I just don't think a persons school success/intelligence correlates with a high SAT outcome some of the time, for whatever reasons. I'm mystified by it, truly.</p>

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I think the pressure of the test and the pressure slowing him down was what he complained about.

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<p>What kind of books and magazines does he read for fun? Usually for someone with practiced reading speed, taking the SAT is a rather low-pressure situation.</p>

<p>Hmm, Whatsnext?, that's sort of weird. I'm not surprised by the scores in the 700's on the practice tests, but by the problems with the actual test. Did your son take the practice tests under actual test conditions, straight through, with only the allowed time for breaks between sections? If not, I think that extended, realistic practice sessions would help him to maintain focus and speed throughout the real test. Did your son take the practice tests in the morning? For some, the time would be a significant issue--much more awake in the evening than in the morning. What about snacks for the breaks during the test? They can help a lot. If he took a test in a month with the question and answer service, did he get that, or did he see any patterns in his errors? It's conceivable, though unlikely, that there was a problem with marking, erasures, or entering the answers on the wrong lines.</p>

<p>My son reads classics and good quality fiction. No time or interest for magazines. He is a slow reader in general. So, maybe thats why the pressure there.</p>

<p>Gosh, I've haven't heard many people ever describe these standardized tests as "low pressure".</p>

<p>An IQ of 132 corresponds to an IQ of about 2150, so he could probably get that.</p>

<p>^ Where do you get those numbers?</p>

<p>
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so basically yeah it would probably be fair for everyone to go in it cold but unless your some kind of genius, its foolish not to study(at least get familiar with the test set-up)... IMO

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Ah, lolol.</p>

<p>IQ of 132 is 98th percentile, 2150 is 98th percentile, so they correspond. Maybe SAT takers are a little smarter than the average Joe, in which case, the SAT score should be a little lower.</p>