Ways not to stress:
Always remember that you can take it again, nothing is set in stone, everything will be okay, not every college needs SAT scores, and remember to breathe. The SAT isn’t one done thing, It’s okay to take it again. Not everyone gets a really high SAT score on the first try. There’s no limit to the amount of times you can take it, Use that to your advantage. If you absolute want to get a high score to get into a specific college, then you can try multiple times.
Plans can change, If you are going to college to be a teacher then later on in life it can change. Which means if you don’t go to your first college choice, and you go to a second college instead. Some people do different jobs than what they went to college for, so it’s fine to not get into your first choice college. Like stated earlier nothing is set in stone.
The SAT is just another test, so don’t freak yourself out. A lot of college students, and people after taking the SAT don’t think it was that bad or that horrible. Every single thing on the test you have seen before, and you know it. Just read the questions, trust your answers, make sure it makes sense, and keep going. It can take three hours, and 15 minutes to take the SAT, so its perfectly fine to take your time. You have a lot of time, but you shouldn’t focus on one question.
Not every single college needs an overly high score. That doesn’t mean there’s no other options. Here’s a list you can read for different college SAT, and ACT scores:
“SAT / ACT Prep Online Guide lines and Tips; What are Good SAT Scores for colleges? 101 schools + advice” on Dec 1, 2022 by Hannah Muniz
https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-scores-for-colleges
There are a lot of options, and you don’t have to get into your first college choice. If you don’t want to be judged/examined by your SAT some colleges are not going by SAT scores. Colleges like: Bethany College, Bluefield State College, Fairmont State University, West Virginia State University, and West Virginia University. There are hundreds of colleges that dropped SAT, and ACT scores as a requirement. If you would like a list of colleges that don’t require SAT that aren’t just in WV:
“SAT / ACT Prep online Guide lines and Tips; Which Colleges Don’t Require SAT / ACT Scores for 2022-2023 admissions” on Aug 28th, 2022 by Christine Sarikas
https://blog.prepscholar.com/colleges-dont-require-sat-act-scores-2020-admissions-covid
Peoples opinions, comments, and statements of the SAT:
An interview from a college graduate:
They think that the SAT doesn’t accurately reflect intelligence, because they do not measure certain aspects of other intelligence, common sense, physical abilities that may be above average, and mechanical. After taking the SAT they were mostly only worried about the results. In preparation for the SAT the college graduate studied the SAT handbook. They attended community college for two years, and Bluefield college in 2012, before it became Bluefield state, for business education.
Kaydence Gwinn graduated from Greenbrier West in 2023:
Before talking the SAT Kaydence was nervous, because it was going to determine if they got a scholarship. Kaydence got their mind off of it by saying “it was okay”, and listening to music. After taking the SAT Kaydence felt that they did okay to them because it mostly looked like common sense. Kaydence studied a bit of everything and is now at Concord University for music education.
Isaiah Feamster a student at Greenbrier West:
Isaiah thinks the SAT is really difficult to learn, and would have a harder time trying to learn the trigonometry section. In preparation for the SAT Isaiah has been using khan academy SAT prep, and has been taking note of what he did. Considering he studied in June Isaiah doesn’t think his studying has helped him understand more nor made him more prepared. Isaiah believes that it would help him a lot more if khan academy has visual lessons on how to do every aspect of each topic. Instead of just attempting to answer questions, and try to learn by getting them right. Which would help Isaiah with notes. Having “basic examples” and “harder example” videos to do with question that might not even help. Isaiah thinks it would help if teachers would teach what to expect for the SAT. Also he thinks the SAT should have longer breaks, so there’s time to rest, and prepare to get back to work.
Anonymous college student:
The college student didn’t really care or stress that much about the SAT, because they felt that their teachers had sufficiently prepared them. After taking the SAT the college student mostly felt like the SAT was just a nuisance. The college student is in upward bound concord university in music education.
Advice from teachers and interviewed people:
“Stay calm. You know most of the answers. Most of the questions are from your earlier years and have been practiced for a long time.” -Mrs. Bell
“Get plenty of sleep and eat before the test” -Mrs. Mooney
“Practice standardized test questions whenever you can, but don’t neglect your current classwork. SAT measures your academic skills in general especially reading and basic math. Be the best student you can be now, and you will look good to colleges in more ways than just the SAT.” – Mr. Lewis
“Read the questions very carefully! Treat each answer choice as a T/F question. Use that to eliminate choices. Re-read the question and your answer to make sure the answer works for the question. The Answer might be true, but doesn’t answer the question. Try to get a good night’s sleep before the test. Eat breakfast! Use scratch paper or other test tools to help organize and highlight information.” -Mrs.Bland
“I think the SAT can be a good way for people with a certain type of intelligence to prove how smart they are, but not doing well on the SAT doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not smart, or don’t deserve to go to college or have a successful life. Fewer and few colleges are requiring SAT scores for their applications, because they realize that there are other (maybe better) ways to judge and select the best candidates for their school. Do study and try your best, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a high score as you hoped.” -Mr.Glennon
“Practice one question everyday from a study book.” -Mrs.Mullens
“Don’t over think it, go with your gut.” -Mrs.Willey
“Read all directions. Do not try to cram at the last minute. You either know it or you don’t. Take your time, but if you do not know an answer skip it and come back to it. Don’t waste time on one question. Watch your time, but don’t stress about the amount of time you have left. Make sure to get plenty of rest and eat a good breakfast. Do something fun the night before. Don’t stress, just breath!” -Mrs.Foley
“Some people think the SAT is a waste of time and they do not need to take it seriously. However, it affects the schools standing with the WV Dept. of Education. Schools can even taken over by the WV Dept. of Education if scores are too low. SAT scores can also effect college scholarships. Your scores also show your strengths and readiness for college work.” -Mrs.McQuain
“focus on the language arts and math skills, and use the test to improve” -Mr.Yunker
“Relax, Don’t panic. Get a good night sleep at the end of the day its just a text. It’ll buff” -Chef Foley
“Remember to get good sleep, eat a light meal, and use positive self talk. Also try and remember that you can take it again, and not every single college wants a SAT score.” -college graduate
“if you pay attention your classes then the SAT shouldn’t be hard” -anonymous college student