<p>I just got my scores, and I'm very upset - 1800. I'm a student from Vancouver, in Canada, where we're not prepped for the SATs, so I only studied for about a few days before the actual test. </p>
<p>I go to an advanced high school, my GPA has always been a 4.0, and to be honest, I did expect at least a 1950 at the very, very lowest. I don't understand why my scores are so low. Although I'm a Canadian student, my friend who moved from the States says that he finds the Canadian curriculum much more difficult than the American curriculum, so if anything, my SAT score should be higher. English is easily my best subject and I beat out 400 other students at my school for the English award last year, but I only scored a 6 on the essay, according to the collegeboard site. </p>
<p>I will definitely retake the SATs ASAP, probably in the fall of my senior year, as I'm still a junior. Would that be too late to submit to colleges? It's my understanding that this is a very poor score for anyone in the States, but is this a good SAT score for someone who has never been prepped for the test, and did little to no studying? Also, any personal advice for the second attempt? </p>
<p>Hi desperate2400,
I’m actually in almost the same situation you are. (Got a 1910 and I’m from Germany)
I can’t give you any personal advice (I’d rather need some myself), but I can definitely tell you that universities won’t care a lot about how well you’ve been prepped at your school. There are lots and lots of other students who have the same preparation available as you have and quite a bit of them perform just as good as “well-prepped” US students - whose preparation would still depend on the individual school itself anyway. So I would really recommend to retake the test and prepare the hell out of yourself, you’ve got a lot of free time till October.</p>
<p>It is definitely a challenge taking the SAT in an environment where it is not emphasized. For your second attempt, I would personally suggest that you purchase the College Board’s Official SAT Guide Book (if you haven’t done so already). It contains valuable information about what the graders are looking for in your essays and gives examples of essays that received various scores. It also has a bunch of practice tests that you can use to prepare. You do have time to prepare. I wish you luck in your endeavors!</p>
<p>With the essay for next time if you are retaking it make sure no to be too redundant or repetitive, if you are good with vocab definitely put some in and make sure it is used correctly and just make sure your grammar is correct. Use 2 strong examples that you can discuss clearly and talk strongly about remember this is an argumentative essay so take a side and stick to it. Also I would suggest doing more practice with a review book or there are practice tests floating around on College board and online especially now that you know what you need to work on, use the score report to help! Good luck!</p>
<p>Since you admit that you did not give it your all by studying then you have no room for complaining. You did not study for a 2400 so you did not get a 2400. Your friend’s anecdotal opinion about the material is irrelevant and is not something you can base your generalization on. Don’t scapegoat College Board and assume that a regional bias exists for test standards. You have to accept full responsibility if you want to gain anything from this experience, and you will learn that the more you put into your education, the more you get out of it. </p>
<p>The SAT is not a benchmark for how smart you are but how much you study for it and is a reflection of your study habits to other schools. Change your attitude and realize that colleges that place importance on high SAT scores look for students that do a lot more than a couple days worth of studying for major exams.</p>
<p>If you are looking for study materials then your first stop is getting the Official SAT study book and the Question-a-Day mobile app from CollegeBoard.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input. I agree that the SAT is not a measure of intelligence and that’s what I should of known the first time around. Will be studying my butt off for a 2200+ this fall.</p>
<p>Yes the Canadian curriculum is on average more difficult than the typical American curriculum, BUT the SAT is not based on the curriculum. It is standardized test, therefore it tests how well you understand not just what it tests, but the test format.
You should buy a prep book (Princeton review is very clear for students who may not know the way standardized tests work and will definitively help you increase your score) and an official book of practice tests.
If you want a curriculum-based test, try the ACT.</p>