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> Most took the SAT cold. This really bothers me. Obviously most people can't afford expensive prep classes, but it doesn't cost much to buy your children a fe
by vecter 10y ago
> Most took the SAT cold.
This really bothers me. Obviously most people can't afford expensive prep classes, but it doesn't cost much to buy your children a few practice books. Back when I took the SAT, the Barron's book was great, and I got most of my value from that. This is just poor parenting.
- Bartweiss 10y ago> This is just poor parenting. I disagree. My parents got me a book of practice tests and strongly encouraged me to study. I took the PSAT cold, and the SAT with ~1 hour of study. My school offered free SAT prep classes to students, courtesy of some kind-hearted teachers. Attendance was miserably low, I certainly wasn't there. Even students who studied hard and did well at high-end colleges didn't study for the SAT. I'm frustrated that we ascribe every moment of lost potential to "bad parenting", I think it's a way to disregard both human nature and structural forces. God knows it's not my parents' fault I took the test cold.
- dragonwriter 10y agoWaiting till your senior year is poor parenting. Taking it cold before that, assessing the results, and deciding if further investment is necessary before retesting is intelligent.
- vecter 10y agoWhy not just take some practice tests and assess then, as opposed to waiting for the real thing? You'll get a very good idea of where you stand and save yourself the pain of having to retake it again in the future when you get a first score that's certainly suboptimal relative to your potential.
- sokoloff 10y agoTesting under the real conditions for practice will make the next testing session be familiar; you'll know exactly what to expect, etc. Taking a practice test at home or on the computer is different from taking a real test at the test site. IMO, it's not that much pain.