# Positive thoughts, please. SATs are today. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 16, 2002, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608 "2002-03-16T12:32:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/1 "2002-03-16T12:32:15Z")
Many of you know I have a daughter who is a Board member. **Sakura** is her onscreen name. Some of you actually met her at the recent NYC MegaDopeFest. You were all very nice to a teenage kid slightly out of her element. Today, Saturday, March 16, she is taking the SATs. Please, Doper Good Thoughts Karma[sup]TM[/sup] is powerful juju. Lay it on thick, folks. Make the magic happen. Thanks large from the Dave-Guy and **Sakura**. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/2 "2002-03-16T14:49:03Z")
Fear not! What mere multiple choice test could stand before the crushing intellectual blows that the fruit of your loins will wield on test day. It’s in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/3 "2002-03-16T16:10:06Z")
Good thoughts are headed that way. I’m take the GRE Monday, so I’m headed back to my review books now. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/4 "2002-03-16T16:12:08Z")
And obviously my brain is collapsing under the weight of mathematical concepts I haven’t touched in 11 years. That should have been…“I’m taking…” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/5 "2002-03-16T17:06:16Z")
My very best to you, **Sakura**! ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/6 "2002-03-16T17:36:07Z")
\ \ \ Hope it helps! Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/7 "2002-03-16T22:03:08Z")
Thanks, folks. I knew I could count on you. She went to sleep before I even got home from work, but Mrs. Dave-Guy said she told her that the verbal was easy (which is her strong suit) and the math was kinda hard (which doesn’t surprise us, since we’re a severely math-impaired family). Keep fingers, toes, and eyes crossed between now and when her results come in. I’ll update you then. (Okay, you don’t have to keep your eyes crossed. I assume your mother told you your face would get frozen that way…) ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Kahuna_Burger)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/8 "2002-03-16T22:07:45Z")
Don’t sweat it too much. The SATs don’t count for much. Admissions counselors say they’ve never rejected anyone on the basis of their SATs nor have they ever accepted them solely on that basis either. Plus, with the pervasiveness of SAT prep courses they’re losing even more meaning. Basically, they merely reflect trends in your application. The only time they count is for scholarships, which often require a minimum SAT score. ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/9 "2002-03-16T22:22:26Z")
I took my SATs today too. My mother wanted me to aim for a 1600, but I didn’t think there was much chance of that ever occurring. I just want at least a 1350. I’m pretty sure I got that, but I’m crossing my fingers…and crossing my fingers for everyone else too. A nice bragging point if you score high, even if it turns out to be meaningless. jessica ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/10 "2002-03-16T22:53:47Z")
Well, **BigKahunaBurger** , the only way this kid is going to college is with scholarships and loans, with scholarships being the preferred method, for obvious reasons. Although, her guidance counselor told Mrs. Dave-Guy recently that the colleges she’s interested in would be more than happy to court **her**. She wants to go into publishing, so the high verbal would help greatly. And her GPA kicks serious butt. And our school district was awarded the Malcolm Baldridge Award (the first school to get it, along with another district in Alaska). So, taken together, all these things make the future look bright. But you still want good scores on the SATs. I mean…they’re the SATs… ---
**Author:** ![HerMajestyLorna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7cd45c/32.png) [@HerMajestyLorna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HerMajestyLorna)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/11 "2002-03-16T23:43:36Z")
I took the SATs today, and they were not so bad. A couple of the math things frazzled my brain, but I am quite sure I did well overall…I hope. Good luck to all rest of you SAT-taking Dopers! ---
**Author:** ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/12 "2002-03-17T00:51:21Z")
Well I’m one year past all the test taking frenzy of SATs and ACTs. One thing I find is that you rarely do as well as you think but never as bad as you think either. The first time I thought I aced it fantastically (I predicted 1500 minimum). I scored in the 1300s and was sorely disappointed. I took it again, and I didn’t think I’d do much better than before. When I got my scores, I had scored in the high 1400s. So you never really know how well you do by feeling alone. That is, unless you’re really, really sure on every question. I recommend not getting all nuts about the whole deal. You can always take the test over again and you’ll feel much more confident once you get that first SAT go around over with. ---
**Author:** ![\_your\_name\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/919ad9/32.png) [@\_your\_name\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_your_name_here)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/13 "2002-03-17T03:21:40Z")
Hehe, I took the SATs 3 years ago. In 6th grade. Apparently I’m one of those smart people. I don’t see what the huge deal about them being hard is. When I took them I did better in most things than my brother did when he was in 12th grade. Well he did better in math, but I hadn’t any education in geometry or algebra or trig. So that can slide. Everything I bested him in or was about the same. ---
**Author:** ![Searching\_For\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Searching\_For\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Searching_For_Truth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/14 "2002-03-17T03:35:52Z")
And there goes (your name here)…_pats you on the back_ That’s just GRAND! I took it today too, for the first time. _wrinkles nose_ Whatever. I take it again in May, and after that one or two more times. Plus the ACT. _sigh_ The tests. They suck. ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/15 "2002-03-17T03:49:09Z")
Well, I took my SATs back in the 7th grade for Duke’s TIP program and scored high enough to be nationally recognized (my only claim to fame, really, so excuse the excess of hot air you just felt), so I was not too worried about taking it today. Honest, the PSATs are harder than the SATs. But they aren’t exactly a breeze. I’m quite worried about the ACT, though. Two students at my high school in the past three years have gotten a 36. Several other people in just this year’s senior class got perfect scores on individual sections. Darn them all. They’ve set an unnerving precedent. jessica ---
**Author:** ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/16 "2002-03-17T07:16:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JessEnigma \* > **Honest, the PSATs are harder than the SATs. But they aren’t exactly a breeze.** Actually, I found the PSATs to be much easier than the SATs. The PSATs covered more basic topics and thats why I did better on those than on the SATs. Earned me some National Merit w/ that there PSAT too. ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/17 "2002-03-17T12:49:21Z")
Well, **Sakura** did very well on her PSATs. High verbal, as expected, but not too shabby in math either. As a result, she’s been inundated with college brochures from all over the country. I tell myself that these admissions offices actually look at her scores and say, “Wow! Let’s get her!” rather than just doing bulk mailing to everyone on the list. OK, I know that’s a doting father’s fantasy, but I’m not hurting anyone, am I? ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/18 "2002-03-17T15:36:06Z")
**DAVEW0071** , you sound like me. “Honest, all the colleges _really, truly_ want me!” My mother isn’t convinced yet. (She thinks I just join the college mailing lists for ego-stroking because all the letters tell me how special I am–bah!) I don’t know, I think (and my friends do too) that the PSATs are a bit harder than the SATs. I took the PSAT in 8th grade, so it was after I took the SAT for the first time, and my score took a 90-point drop. And by then, I’d had some algebra. I’ve taken the PSATs twice since then and it was still a bit harder than I remembered the SATs to be. Of course, the SATs yesterday were not quite what I remembered, so I might have a rather distorted memory on the subject. I hate tests. jessica ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/19 "2002-03-17T19:40:09Z")
As a Canadian, I opted not to take the SAT (though I think my brother did), as it would only help my admission into an American school I can’t afford. We have to write the PSAT though. Do people in the States prepare for those? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608/20 "2002-03-17T20:11:14Z")
Well Dad…oops, I mean **DaveW0071** , here’s hoping that your lovely daughter breezes through the SATs with flying colors. And that she gets a great job, and has no problem supporting my slacker butt. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-thoughts-please-sats-are-today/98608.md?page=2)