<p>Ameliab12, congrats on you fantastic score! However, it is no longer true that the SAT is an aptitude test. The old one(prior to a few yrs ago–6 or 7?- when they took out the analogies and made a few other changes) was more of an aptitude test. Now it really is more of an achievement test, as is the ACT. See the book “Admission Matters” by Sally Springer ; it discusses this. Have you studied for the ACT or taken it yet? If so, you would see how similar the two are. Of course, there are little differences (ie whether guessing hurts you or not; small differences in the reading format, etc), but they are both achievement tests. If you have not takent the ACT, I can tell you that the gifted student counselors and guidance counselors around here highly suggest taking both. Some students find that they excel more on one that the other.</p>
<p>I got the exact equivalent score on the ACT the one time I took it, which further strengthened my belief that innate ability yields the most “accurate” score.</p>
<p>If aptitude is a measure of vocab and grammar knowledge, then I guess the SAT could be considered an aptitude test.</p>
<p>2120 (620CR, 700M, 800W (11E)) with completing the entire Blue Book and one practice test. Only got 10 points higher than the practice test.</p>
<p>2110 (760 CR, 700 Math, 650 Writing). With lots of studying and prep classes though…</p>
<p>And ameliab12, some of us aren’t as naturally bright as you 
I say that studying in advance is definitely important, it can’t hurt your score!</p>
<p>@ameliab12</p>
<p>You are either just too proud of yourself or just don’t know much about the SAT. The SAT is obviously not an aptitude test. This is the reason why SAT no longer stands for everything. The SAT is a test that is very “studiable” and those who study a lot can do very well on. That being said, there are some kids that can do very well on the SAT (like you) without studying. This does not mean they are necessarily smart; rather it means they did well on one test on a given day.</p>
<p>If the SAT were really an aptitude test then it would likely be a good predictor of future college success. But is isn’t. At best, it predicts very minimally freshman year college grades. But after that, the SAT means just as little with regards to sophomore, junior, and senior grades as that score on you first grade spelling test did.</p>
<p>Please, @ameliab12, don’t make ridiculous claims to try to make yourself feel better and smarter. Look at the research. Look at why many colleges are now not requiring the SAT 1 to be submitted. The SAT is not an aptitude test. It does not measure intelligence or inherent aptitude. If you really want to label the SAT, many would call it a wealth test. The richer people who can afford to go to private tutors since middle school generally do better. There are still, though, people like you who can do well without studying. Good job. You did well on that one test. Now, you can stop trying to make yourself sound smarter and focus on the hundreds of other tests you will take in your future. I don’t suppose you would say the one or two tests you might fail are measures of aptitude.</p>
<p>bllbb6, you need to calm down. First off, I see “I’m a strong believer…”, “I think…”, “Maybe…”, and “I think…” in ameliab12’s posts. No attacks, nothing rude, and certainly nothing that would warrant such a rude response. I encourage you to take a look at <a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/research/research-data/Documents/TestPrepDiscussionPaper.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nacacnet.org/research/research-data/Documents/TestPrepDiscussionPaper.pdf</a>, specifically page 14 where the conclusions are presented:</p>
<p>Coaching has a positive effect on SAT performance, but the magnitude of the effect is small.
• The effect of coaching is larger on the math section of the exam (10–20 points) than it is for the critical
reading section (5–10 points).
• There is mixed evidence with respect to the effect of coaching on ACT performance. Only two studies have
been conducted. The most recent evidence indicates that only private tutoring has a small effect of .4
points on the math section of the exam.</p>
<p>Also take a look at <a href=“http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/ps/frey.pdf[/url]”>http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/ps/frey.pdf</a> where a 0.483 correlation between g and SAT score were found.</p>
<p>The Sat has a .5 correlation to ur success in college (not very high) </p>
<p>A GPA has about a .7 or .8 correlation with success in college (a lot more reliable)
I learned this in psychology.</p>
<p>@chanely: I’ve never heard of that before. Do you have some sort of source? Not that I don’t believe you (to be honest it would make sense), but I am curious to read more.</p>
<p>Back on topic: 2250, with a decent amount of studying and one massive cold which knocked me down a few notches.</p>
<p>holy crap. you guys inspire me. I average about a 1980 each time. im so moved by this thread so I will study really hard so I can average a 2200+.</p>
<p>2060 on practice test with minor amounts of studying, def aiming higher though</p>
<p>@Omicron, thanks for defending my honor! I’m glad you understood my intentions.</p>
<p>@bllbb6, you said yourself that the SAT is 1) very study-able and 2) people who can afford years of tutoring do better in general (though I guess Omicron’s data refutes that). I’m pretty sure you just argued my point. If nobody studied, then the advantage that these privileged kids (I don’t think it’s all rich kids or only rich kids) have would be diminished. And if the advantage theoretically became null, SAT scores would still mean something. Maybe they wouldn’t correlate with college GPA or future success, but they can’t just mean nothing! What I’m saying is that the advantage should be diminished as much as possible so that scores can have more meaning, and a good way of doing that is by not having anyone study. </p>
<p>As for your attacks on me personally, I think you may want to think before you speak, especially when addressing someone you don’t know at all. As for your claim that I would quickly change my viewpoint as soon as I take a test I do poorly on, that is absolutely untrue. I think EVERY test is a measure of aptitude (aptitude doesn’t refer to overall intelligence but rather ability to do well at the subject at hand), though that doesn’t mean it can be applied to one’s success in life. I don’t think the SAT is an accurate predictor of future success or grades, but I do think it is an accurate representation of how good someone is at the questions on the test, which obviously is something colleges have decided is important to them. Getting a low SAT score shouldn’t be something that causes shame because the SAT only shows how good you are at those questions. When I got a D on my 2nd physics test ever, I didn’t conclude that I wasn’t going to do well in college or even that I sucked at physics, but that I wasn’t good at the subject matter (meaning I didn’t have an aptitude for it).</p>
<p>It is in the Myers AP psychology book and they talk about the SAT.</p>
<p>2130 with study</p>
<p>780 Maths
710 Writing
640 Critical Reading</p>
<p>I’m an international student from the UK so i don’t know how much emphasis colleges place on SAT Scores for internationals , can anyone advise?</p>
<p>Haha, @raj, I knew you were international as soon as I saw the word “maths” (though I know everyone in the UK says we’re the weird ones for getting rid of the s). The way colleges look at SATs varies by what country you’re from. You’re probably judged about the same as any US citizen, seeing as you’re in a westernized nation with a great educational system. However, they also take into account the fact that your schools haven’t been purposefully preparing you for the SAT for years. Your SAT score is quite good (especially if you’re hoping to study something in the STEM field) and you can make up for your lower critical reading score with things that aren’t available in the US (A-levels, etc.).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You didn’t study one bit? Never opened an SAT book? Didn’t do a few practice problems/tests? Didn’t take the PSAT?</p>
<p>I’m skeptical that you went into this test completely cold. Either you’re lying or you’re not telling us the whole truth.</p>
<p>Me too…</p>
<p>M: 790 no studying, i found out i skipped a question by accident when i got the SAS in the mail -.-
W: 650 little grammar review, REALLY messed up my last 4 answers because of my eraser and got the last 4 questions wrong 
CR: 620 with some vocab studying which actually did pay off</p>
<p>2060 overall…weird</p>
<p>@mybad101 nope, I promise you there was no studying at all. The only studying I ever do is pre-AP cramming or reviewing notes right before a test in school… I’m not exactly what one might call a good student! I did take the PSAT (are there public school people who don’t? I figured everyone takes it), but definitely didn’t study for that, seeing as it doesn’t count for anything. I’m going to try to study in college, but 12 years of not doing it will be a hard habit to break!</p>
<p>2090, didnt study but 3rd time taking it -__-</p>