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 What's your take on the SAT? 
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We have been talking a lot about SAT's in class and it was very interesting to learn the original purpose of the SAT. I was wondering how everyone felt about the SAT. You can answer these questions or leave any other comments you would like to on this topc.

Do you think the SAT serves a good purpose? Why or why not?

What was your experience with the SAT?

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Kerry Crosby Smith


Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:31 pm
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I do not think that the SAT is a good test, but I am not sure of any other alternative to it. I don't like it though. I just think that it is really stupid that you are required to take a bunch of other subjects and then the only ones that really matter are math, reading, and writing. I did not like them.


Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:54 pm
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I definitely agree, I do not think the SAT is a good test for high school students to take. I remember my experience with the SAT, which was not a good experience. I was always a good student, from elementary school through high school. I made very good grades, had a high GPA, and was among the top ranks of my class, yet I didn't do so well on the SAT. I spent so much time preparing and studying for the test, but in reality you either know the information or you don't...there is not too much studying that you can do. According to statistics, the average person's score is supposed to increase by so much each time they take the test, but for me it was the opposite. The first time I took it was when I did my best. The second time I did a little worse and the third time even more worse. I don't really understand why, but I feel as though I was getting frustrated with the test and just got to the point where I was sick and tired of it. I do not feel like this test projected my ability appropriately, and I feel that I was somewhat looked down upon because I was not in the "1200 Club" in my high school. Thost students were praised for their scores, while others who were just as capable as those students but weren't as good at taking a test like the SAT. I think either some other type of test should be developed OR it should be did away with and not used so heavily in determining whether a student should or should not gain admission into college.

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Dana Currin


Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:30 pm
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First of all, Dana, I can't believe your school had a club like that! That has to be hard for other students egos.
MY experience with the SAT was terrible. Like Dana I was always a really good student in school. When I took the SAT the first time it wasn't terrible, but I decided to try again. This time the testing circumstances were terrible and I did really poorly. I even did better on Math than on Reading, which to anyone that knows me this would be hilarious. I think that colleges should look at students academic records, entrance essays, and recommendations instead of a standardized test. Some well known private universities are already switching to this method.

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Amanda Klinger


Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:16 pm
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I agree with most of what has been said. Like the others, I did not have a pleasant experience with the SAT. The scores that I got on the SAT every time I took it did not correlate with my GPA or my work ethic. I have never been a good test taker and the SAT made that hold true. Applying to colleges was really frustrating to me because this little test mattered so much to everyone. After the first time taking it I decide to take one of those SAT prep courses and to buy the prep books and practice the things that would help me increase my score. Well the next time taking the SAT after all of these books and classes my score was even lower. I was basically told that most GPAs in college correlate with SAT scores so my first semester I was really worried that I wouldn't do well but after getting my grades first semester my confidence was back up.
I think it is great that some schools are dropping the SAT and replacing it with recommendations, entrance essays, and academic records. More schools should follow in their footsteps.

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Kelsey McGraw


Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:23 am
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I believe too much emphasis is placed on this test. I didn't have great SAT scores, but I had good grades and a decent class rank. I think that clubs like the "1200 Club" are just a bad idea. It discourages those who do not do well, for whatever reasons, on the SAT. I know I would not be a happy camper if I was looked down upon if I wasn't in the club. I believe more universities need to follow Wake Forest in not requiring students to take the SAT. They need to look at other things the student has to offer when accepting them to their institution.

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Justin McCrary


Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:04 am
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Justin Mccrary wrote:
I believe too much emphasis is placed on this test. I didn't have great SAT scores, but I had good grades and a decent class rank. I think that clubs like the "1200 Club" are just a bad idea. It discourages those who do not do well, for whatever reasons, on the SAT. I know I would not be a happy camper if I was looked down upon if I wasn't in the club. I believe more universities need to follow Wake Forest in not requiring students to take the SAT. They need to look at other things the student has to offer when accepting them to their institution.



I agree with what Justin said a lot. I did not do particularly well on the SAT (1090 on the old test). I did not do particularly bad either, but I know plenty of people who did much better. I only took the test once because all I can remember while taking it was how incredibly pointless it seemed to be to me. Some people, including myself, are not particularly good test takers. This can stem from a lot of different things, such as focus problems, high stress levels, or outside issues. It is for this reason that I do not believe someones entire academic future should way on the scores from one test. I agree with Justin's Wake Forest University example. At Wake Forest they take into account a person's extracurricular activities and leadership rather than tests such as the SAT. These things, along with GPA, can give the best judgment on whether or not a person is worthy of attending a particular college or not. If someone has displayed a lot of determination and drive in leadership and their own education, it would appear that they would do well in college too, as those qualities are critical. On the flip of that, If someone did nothing but do well on standardized tests and did not participate in many things outside of school, they could end up being the type of college student who struggles. These assumptions are very generic, but they help back up my belief that colleges should not focus as much on tests like the SAT, but more on a students educational and leadership achievements in high school.

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Ryan Earnhardt


Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:58 am
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Just like other students I didn't enjoy taking the SAT. I believe the SAT doesn't test students ability, but rather how well they can take a trick test. It seems that you need to know how to cheat the test and figure out how to find the correct answer whether you know what it is or not. So much pressure is put on the SAT and students are set up for failure. I believe I've mentioned this earlier but at my high school you had to meet with the principal before you could even take the test and he had to approve you. Basically he chose smart students so that he could have high test scores and make his school look good.

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Lauren Jennings


Sun Oct 26, 2008 6:22 pm
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I do not think that the SAT is a good way to evaluate students. Some students are just not good test takers but thier ability to take a test does not judge thier level of knowledge. For example, my sister was a straight A student all through her under-grad and graduate school here at Appalachian, but she had to take the PRAXIS 5 times to pass all the seccions.

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Hannah Johnson


Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:29 pm
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I feel like our negative responses to the SAT are very similar to the responses of students and teachers who have to face EOGs. Everybody keeps writing about how a single test shouldn't have so much emphasis on it because not everybody is a good test taker, etc. It is encouraging to hear that many colleges are moving away from the SAT, and hopefully we'll see a transition away from standardized testing in general as well.


Mon Oct 27, 2008 6:33 pm
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Post SAT
I didnt take the SAT. I went to a community college for two years, recieved a degree and went straight into college very easily. I think that students are told to put so much emphises on this test, and the score, that it can devistate their hopes for their future. I have a close friend who swears that she did so badly on her SAT that she will never tell anyone not ever her husband becasue she doesn't want anyone to know how "dumb" she is because of a simple score on a test. I think that this is awful because shes such a smart girl, and she thinks less of herself just becaus of a score. I'm glad that I took the route that I did, and did not have to take the SAT. I dont think that its the best way to asses students.

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Jerry Nicole Whitener (Nicole)


Mon Oct 27, 2008 6:42 pm
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