10/04/2015
An Open Letter to High School Juniors
from Natalie Rogers
This weekend, many high school seniors (including myself) took the SAT for the second or third time (and blessedly the last). If you’re a junior, chances are you took the PSAT last year (unless you conveniently skipped school that day) and you’re taking the real deal for the first time this winter or this spring. This letter is addressed to all of you out there preparing for what many perceive as a monumental moment in their educational careers, about what to expect and how to exceed your own expectations.
The SATs clearly suck. A lot. They are three and a half grueling hours of hand cramps, stomach pangs, blistered fingers, (PRO TIP: use band aids and hand cream to prevent callouses) and struggling to remember that one formula you used three years ago in Algebra I that you never quite understood. The first thing to remember is that we all think they suck, whether we do well on them or not. The SATs are an extremely communal experience. Everyone in your room is suffering the same standardized torture as you, and everyone is cheering each other on. You’d think that something so ranked as a national standardized test would be competitive, but it’s really not. Every student knows how terrible the SATs are, and they become something to bond over while you’re trapped in a room together for three hours (even though technically you aren’t supposed to talk about them, or talk at all). It’s the thought that counts, and the feeling that you all know how stupid they are but you’re all going to make it out alive anyways.
The second thing to know about the SATs comes in two parts: 1) they actually are more difficult than the PSATs, and 2) they exist to trick you. Use your PSAT scores as a guide. If there was a subject you did poorly on, talk to guidance about online SAT prep to help you improve. Start studying two weeks in advance of the test and study in short, 30 minute or hour long segments, as opposed to all at once. Unlike the ACT, the SAT questions are designed to trip you up, so even though it sounds silly, actually reading the questions more than once is critical. The essay component is the only part not included in the PSAT and (thankfully) is now an optional part of the SAT, but if you feel strong in your writing abilities, I highly suggest you take it. A good essay can improve your overall score, and it’s normally the first thing you do on the test, so it can really set the tone for the rest of the exam. The questions will undoubtedly be silly, and your answers might be too, but as long as you know how to properly structure sentences, use evidence, and employ a broad vocabulary, you will easily do well. The College Board also has some secrets they keep about the grading process: they can’t fact check answers, so if you’re struggling with a name or a date, it’s better to make something up than to write nothing. They also can’t judge the “quality” or “scholarly merit” of your references, so whether you allude to Shakespeare or The Hunger Games, they can’t mark you down for your choices of supporting evidence. Finally, you have limited space, so be brief and to the point. A thesis statement, two supporting paragraphs (an example and a counterexample) and a concluding sentence or two are all you need.
The rest of the test is pretty straightforward. Like the PSATs, you get .25 of a point docked for every wrong answer and no points added for every omitted answer, so if you have no guesses for a multiple choice, it’s better to skip, and if you have two answers narrowed down, it’s better to guess. When checking your answers on the math sections, always start with option C to figure out if your answer needs to be larger or smaller. And, if you have time left over, it’s not nerdy to look over your answers, I swear. Leave a mark in your test booklet next to any questions that you were unsure about so you know where to look when reviewing your work. And lastly, pace yourself. The test does eventually end.
Finally, don’t sweat it. I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, that a stupid test is not the end of the world. College is like this big, scary, ethereal thing we all stare right in the face, and as junior year ticks by, it seems to get closer and closer with each passing day. All of those numbers and statistics on websites are merely ranges, not the rule. A good school, above all else, will admit you because of your GPA, your course selection in high school, your essay, and your recommendations. Many schools now are taking a more holistic approach to the application process. They want to know what kind of student you are as opposed to what kind of test taker you are. So don’t let the numbers freak you out to the point of despair. Just relax. Breathe in, breathe out. In five years, no one will care how you did on your SAT. And besides, if you really want to, you can always take them again in the fall of your senior year.
