Some memorize the dictionary, others hire a tutor, and still more just “wing it.” These are just a few techniques students use to study for the SAT’s. But how far is a student willing to go to get that 2400?
Sam Eshaghoff, an Emory University student, was arrested earlier this fall for allegedly accepting money in return for taking six Long Island high schoolers’ SAT’s for them. Eshagoff has been cheating since 2009 and was being paid between $1,500 and $2,500 to fly to New York and take the test in place of others.
This act shows the extreme lengths students (and possibly even parents) will go to for success on this standardized test. But why does it seem like every junior and senior stresses out when it comes to this test? While juniors experience the exam for the first time this year, seniors scramble to reach a higher score before college applications are due.
College Board suggests taking the PSAT’s for practice and getting as comfortable with test taking to increase confidence and prepare for the SAT. Teachers such as Mr. White and Mr. Wertz also have their own studying tips.
Mr. White who taught an SAT review class for over 10 years has concluded that tutoring is “overrated.” He believes that for the verbal part of the test, tutoring does not teach skills, but only reading and test strategies to try and “trick the test.” He thinks the only people really prepared to do well are those who have been life-long readers. He thinks that students stress so much about tutoring now because there is more emphasis on it than there used to be.
“There’s too much emphasis on it, but it’s valid because colleges don’t know your school and how hard it is. The SAT acts as an equalizer,” says Mr. White.
Mr. Wertz agrees with Mr. White that the SAT acts as an equalizer. Mr. Wertz reflects that in 1984 there wasn’t too much hype around the SAT’s, they “were just something you did.” At that time KAPLAN and Princeton Review books were still new. However Mr. Wertz believes that the SAT “should carry significant weight because at better schools the test starts to matter more than a GPA. This test helps compare apples and apples.”
As far as study techniques, Mr. Wertz feels the best approach a student can use for studying for the math section is purchasing a review book and doing practicing test after practice test. Repetition is key. The more you practice the more comfortable you get with topics such as probability.
The College Board website states that 55 percent of juniors who retook the SAT found their score increased. However, Senior Shannon Curran took the four hour test once which was enough for her as she states the test was “too stressful, too long, and it wasn’t worth going through the whole process again.”
Junior Christine Farawell readies for the landmark test by getting tips from a tutor and using a practice book. Although she is “stressed because of all the pressure to do well” she feels, as many others do as well, that having a tutor gave her insight to many tricks she “wouldn’t know if (she) studied by herself.”
However you choose to study, just make sure it’s legal.