Spinoff: Whatdya get on your SATs? (or comparable test)

[capella]

I had to join in on the spinoff frenzy. I'm just curious. I thought I bombed mine but I did ok. Now for the GRE as soon as I decide what I'd like to study.

1220 total -

700 verbal (which means I got 10 questions wrong and don't you know I'd still like to know which ones) :p
520 math. :)

I only took it once because I almost didn't get to go to college (long story.) I was a senior in HS I think and it was a one shot deal.

[wordsmith]

I don't remember, since it was in 1994. And I took the ACT, since that's how we roll in the Midwest. It goes up to 36 in each category, and then you get a composite score.

All I remember is that I got mid-30s in the verbal/linguistic portion.

Something abysmal like a 19 or 20 in he mathematical reasoning one.

Middle of the road in sciences.

[shimmer728]

Wow, capella, our scores were almost the same! I got a 720 in verbal and a 500 in math. 1220 total.

[capella]

Wow, capella, our scores were almost the same! I got a 720 in verbal and a 500 in math. 1220 total.
That's cool. But dammit you only got 8 questions wrong (the nerd in me is jealous :) ) :p

[WeirdBrake]

700 verbal
490 math

I had tutoring for the math but none for the verbal. I'm so glad to be done with algebra.

[ebruening]

I took the ACT. I did okay, probably around average, but nothing near the "stellar genius levels" I predicted I'd get. Yeah, that definitely slammed my ego. Besides, the ACT was so long ago I don't even care.

[WeirdBrake]

I got 11 wrong on the verbal. 35 out of 40 on the reading, 16 out of 19 on the analogies, and 16 out of 19 on the sentence completion.

[capella]

700 verbal
490 math

I had tutoring for the math but none for the verbal. I'm so glad to be done with algebra.
Me too. But it was geometry I hated. I think I hated the teacher more (*gasp* I can't believe I said that, or typed it even!!). I wish I'd had tutoring for the math. I always thought I sucked at it. I was quite suprised to find out I was average. I think it was just my big head, seeing as verbal skills are natural to me and I still was above average in that without trying (Edit: And thank goodness for that because without it I'd probably have 4 kids under the age of 6 by now and work at SuperFresh or something). I think I didn't apply myself AT ALL in K-12 school. Shhhhh, no one tell my students that.

[lilyflower]

640 Verbal
590 Math

That's actually pretty normal for me, I'm pretty even in terms of math/science and language/reading ability. But as I've said numerous times, I don't do well on standardized tests. (Mainly because I think in really odd patterns)

[wordsmith]

English was something I never even had to work at, always came easily to do well. Although now, I do consciously work on improving my writing...college made that perfectionism kick in.

Math, however. Hah. I failed freshman algebra. Only class I ever failed. I had to go to summer school.

[capella]

Standardized tests are the bane of my existence. FCAT this and FCAT that. Gotta get ALL the kids passing the FCAT with a 5 out of 5 (Riiiiiiiight, that's happening. Didn't you know that everyone should be on that level in school.) What about the kids with obvious other talents. How are you going to test that? Ugh. Don't get me started.

Plus all the stupid standardized teacher tests I have to take (which aren't hard, but annoying, especially when I read over this teacher chatboard and have to read a thousand and five posts by people who failed these tests, repeatedly mind you, whining about how it's not fair that they can't teach because they can't pass a test with 8th grade math.) I like the tests because I happen to test well. But I sure has heck have done some pretty stupid things in life anyhow, haven't I? Yeah. :cool:

[WeirdBrake]

English was something I never even had to work at, always came easily to do well. Although now, I do consciously work on improving my writing...college made that perfectionism kick in.

Math, however. Hah. I failed freshman algebra. Only class I ever failed. I had to go to summer school.

I think I failed freshman algebra, too.

[lilyflower]

I think I failed freshman algebra, too.

You should've called me, I could've tutored you. I took freshman algebra in 8th grade and ended the year with a 94 average.

[ugarachel82]

i hate standardized tests too...I didn't do as well as I should have/i.e. the test is not indicative of my true abilities. My score kinda sucked:

620 Math
530 verbal

Or something like that. I don't remember the exact numbers. I do know that my math was higer than my verbal (which is rare, I remember having this discussion with classmates in high school) and my total was not over 1150!

Anyone else's math higher than their verbal?

Strange because I hate math. I'm just a really slow reader.

[WeirdBrake]

You should've called me, I could've tutored you. I took freshman algebra in 8th grade and ended the year with a 94 average.

And risk me luring you into a philosophical discussion? :twisted:

On another note, it's funny how so many of us are critical of how we did on the SAT and say things like "it's not reflective of my true abilities" and "I don't do well on standardized tests," and yet we all got scores that were significantly higher than the national average.

Did anyone get below 1,000?

[Winter Storm]

Seriously, there is no way I am ever going to reveal my SAT scores. Yes, they were that bad!

[SunDevil]

ACT

24-27? in the verbal/reading portion.

36 in he mathematical/science reasoning one.

[lilyflower]

And risk me luring you into a philosophical discussion? :twisted:

But I would've LIKED that!!! :p

On another note, it's funny how so many of us are critical of how we did on the SAT and say things like "it's not reflective of my true abilities" and "I don't do well on standardized tests," and yet we all got scores that were significantly higher than the national average.

But I'm brilliant, don't you know that? :p

[capella]

And risk me luring you into a philosophical discussion? :twisted:

On another note, it's funny how so many of us are critical of how we did on the SAT and say things like "it's not reflective of my true abilities" and "I don't do well on standardized tests," and yet we all got scores that were significantly higher than the national average.

Did anyone get below 1,000?

My sister scored 800 the first time and 780 the second. And she's not a slow, dimwitted person by any means. She just freaks out over tests. Me on the other hand? I know I test well and that's why I like taking tests. I enjoy taking IQ tests and other such "ability" tests because I know I'll do well. But that doesn't mean I'm not a total dumbass sometimes. ;)

[dazed]

Anyone else's math higher than their verbal?

wow, i'm the exact opposite of most of you. did extremely well in math, but didn't do so hot in verbal. not sure why that is.

GMODC - You go girl!

[pisces2473]

640 Verbal
590 Math

That's actually pretty normal for me, I'm pretty even in terms of math/science and language/reading ability. But as I've said numerous times, I don't do well on standardized tests. (Mainly because I think in really odd patterns)
I think I got the exact same scores as you did--1230 total. I don't do well on standardized tests either. I'm more skilled with open ended questions, essays, etc.

[lilyflower]

My sister scored 800 the first time and 780 the second. And she's not a slow, dimwitted person by any means. She just freaks out over tests. Me on the other hand? I know I test well and that's why I like taking tests. I enjoy taking IQ tests and other such "ability" tests because I know I'll do well. But that doesn't mean I'm not a total dumbass sometimes. ;)

My cousin got a 600 something combined the first time and a 720 the second.

She somehow got admitted (along with her borderline grades) to a local Penn State campus - where she dropped out after two weeks.

She took a year off, worked, grew up a lot, got her head together and got a conditional acceptance at a small private school. She's now in her sophomore year.

A guy I knew in high school was a huge drunk, had crappy grades, bad SAT scores - looked like he'd never amount to anything. Two years ago, my grandmother's in the hospital and guess who's her nurse aide? Yup, he was and not only was he fantastic at it but he was working on his BSN and last I heard graduated a year or so ago.

On the reverse, I went to school with another guy who got a high 1200 score combined. He graduated college with a degree in some business field and last I heard works at a pizza parlor in our hometown.

Moral of the story: SATs and high school performance really don't matter in the long run. Work ethic and perserverance are a helluva lot more important.

[Kitty]

I don't rememer the exact breakdown, but my score was 1320. My math and verbal were very close - I only did slightly better in verbal.

[Cole]

SAT's 1360. I don't remember the breakdown.

ACT's 32. Perfect science score. And I was a lib arts major.
*let it be known that I took the ACT's with a fever nearing 100 degrees and a bottle of robitussin in me. Not to mention the entire box of tissues I went through during the test. I don't know if I would have done as well healthy.

I test well, I guess. Go figure.

[SmilesSoSweet]

I think the SATs are bogus. I graduated from college even though my test scores sucked. I test badly. Even in college I got place in remedial math and English classes because I had to take placement tests prior to attending my college. When I finished both classes my professors asked why I was even in those classes. (My overall grades for both classes were really good.) I told them that I sucked at taking tests. I never bother to get tested and to see if I have some learning disability or whatnot. (It was that time in my life I was in denial in seeking any help to fix anything about me, so I avoided it!) I think it would have been beneficial. I still have to take a licensing exam for in order to become a licensed landscape architect. (It's like the bar exam of landscape architecture! - is that tough!) Anyway, I'm too scared to take the test - not that I don't know the material - I'm just bad at taking tests.

To answer lilyflower's question on anyone who scored lower than 1000 - that would be me. I couldn't break a four-digit number. The first time I took the test I scored a 990 (I don't remember the verbal/math breakdown - though I did better in math - my verbal skills suck). I thought I could do better the second and and even third time around, but I ended up doing worse each time. It sucked. I was even in an academically prestigious honors program in high school - and I scored one of the lowest among everyone else. Great self-esteem for a high school senior trying to get into college.

What ever sucked more was that I had a friend who didn't need to study for tests. She scored well over 1200 or 1300 (I can't remember) yet it took her until this year (we graduated in 1996 from high school) to finish an undergrad degree. So what's the point of the SATs? I hated them.

[lilyflower]

I think the SATs are bogus. I graduated from college even though my test scores sucked. I test badly. Even in college I got place in remedial math and English classes because I had to take placement tests prior to attending my college. When I finished both classes my professors asked why I was even in those classes. (My overall grades for both classes were really good.) I told them that I sucked at taking tests. I never bother to get tested and to see if I have some learning disability or whatnot. (It was that time in my life I was in denial in seeking any help to fix anything about me, so I avoided it!) I think it would have been beneficial. I still have to take a licensing exam for in order to become a licensed landscape architect. (It's like the bar exam of landscape architecture! - is that tough!) Anyway, I'm too scared to take the test - not that I don't know the material - I'm just bad at taking tests.

To answer lilyflower's question on anyone who scored lower than 1000 - that would be me. I couldn't break a four-digit number. The first time I took the test I scored a 990 (I don't remember the verbal/math breakdown - though I did better in math - my verbal skills suck). I thought I could do better the second and and even third time around, but I ended up doing worse each time. It sucked. I was even in an academically prestigious honors program in high school - and I scored one of the lowest among everyone else. Great self-esteem for a high school senior trying to get into college.

What ever sucked more was that I had a friend who didn't need to study for tests. She scored well over 1200 or 1300 (I can't remember) yet it took her until this year (we graduated in 1996 from high school) to finish an undergrad degree. So what's the point of the SATs? I hated them.


Actually, it wasn't my question about, it was Words, I think, (but it's really late). The SATs are very pointless, the GREs decidedly even moreso. I mean, hello, how does my ability to decipher vocab and do algebra have any bearing on my ability to comprehend molecular biology?

[SmilesSoSweet]

Sorry, lilyflower. I stand corrected. I was WB's question. It's getting really late here and I'm getting tired!

[lilyflower]

Sorry, lilyflower. I stand corrected. I was WB's question. It's getting really late here and I'm getting tired!

LOL, not a problem. Yeah, standardized tests are dumb, that's the lesson we can take away from this. Also, do not post while sleep deprived because you end up making weird threads about moderator wrestlemania.

[shimmer728]

My dad always said I didn't test well-he thought I really should have scored much higher than 1220. Whatevs. Standardized tests count for very little in the real world.

[yankeeyosh]

some of you would probably want to kill me...but:

800 math, 670 verbal.

I don't think that this is a real aptitude of one's abilities though. There are plenty of really smart people who don't test well. One exam on one Saturday should not play such a major role in terms of what college you get into.

By the way, keep in mind that if you were class of 95 or earlier, the scores were recentered starting with the class of 96 (my class)...basically as a direct consequence of the 'self esteem movement'. So if you were tested under the new scale, your scores would be about 100 points higher.

[Mad Dawg]

790 Math
590 Verbal

I took the SAT the morning after we beat our big rival in football. After the game we went to a friend of mine's house for a big drunken beerfest. At six o'clock in the morning my friend Danny looks over at me and asks, "Aren't you taking the SAT today?" I was... At seven o'clock.

No sleep, no shower, no breakfast, still drunk, didn't have my calculator on me and had to borrow a pencil from the girl sitting next to me. We did math first. I fell asleep during the verbal. My score was somehow still high enough to get me in anywhere I wanted to go, so I never took it again.

[WeirdBrake]

790 Math
590 Verbal

I took the SAT the morning after we beat our big rival in football. After the game we went to a friend of mine's house for a big drunken beerfest. At six o'clock in the morning my friend Danny looks over at me and asks, "Aren't you taking the SAT today?" I was... At seven o'clock.

No sleep, no shower, no breakfast, still drunk, didn't have my calculator on me and had to borrow a pencil from the girl sitting next to me. We did math first. I fell asleep during the verbal. My score was somehow still high enough to get me in anywhere I wanted to go, so I never took it again.

Yankeeyosh... and you think some of us would want to kill YOU????? :p :D j/k

[pisces2473]

Actually, Yosh, I think that's pretty cool. LOL

[MollyMe]

My ACT scores were in the 30's. I never took the SAT because the ACT was easier for me. I bombed the PSAT.

[shimmer728]

I also bombed the PSAT, which I took in the fall of 1995 (beginning of sophomore year of college.) I think I scored in the 1000s. I remember being really upset about it, but clearly it hasn't hindered me in life. :p

[labrat2111]

I took the SAT twice back in 92 and 93. I never really studied for it because I'm a pretty good test taker and I got a 1210 the first time and a 1250 the second time. I think the breakdown the second time was 650 verbal and 600 math.

[dengeist]

LOL at this thread.

800 on the SAT

162 on a high school IQ test

Graduated summa cum laude from NYU

[steamroller]

840 total, BAYBAY! And oddly, I'm kind of proud of that pathetic score.

No, standardized tests CANNOT measure intelligence, college preparedness, or anything else. When EVERY child in the U.S. is allowed the RIGHT to fair and equal education, I'll find some worth in the dumb test. Until that happens, I'll see it as just another hoop that we are all forced to jump through.

[yankeeyosh]

840 total, BAYBAY! And oddly, I'm kind of proud of that pathetic score.

No, standardized tests CANNOT measure intelligence, college preparedness, or anything else. When EVERY child in the U.S. is allowed the RIGHT to fair and equal education, I'll find some worth in the dumb test. Until that happens, I'll see it as just another hoop that we are all forced to jump through.


Well, based on your age, you were probably class of 95...so at least you'd probably be about a 950 or 960 under recentering.

[steamroller]

Paraphrasing Dylan, you don't need a test to measure your intelligence.

Mind you, I don't come out and TELL my students how I feel about standardized tests. I DO, however, make it quite clear that I did poorly on the stupid test.;)

[analogman]

I honestly don't remember. It was plenty good to get me where I ended up but not good enough for where I wanted to go (couldn't afford the tuition anyway).

I don't remember what I got on the GRE either, I remember it's close to what my wife got (good enough to for Berkeley's ME PhD program) so that should be plenty good for where I am going for my MSECE.

I do remember that the math was higher than verbal on both tests though. It's expected for an engineer :p

[Angyl]

hm, I took the ACTs and got a perfect in reading mid 30s in writing and low 20s in math and upper 20s in science. Overall I think it was a 32.

Then again I took that test about 4 different times in my life. I bombed the PSATs. What's funny is that I took a scientific reasoning test in college for my major, and right after that i switched to journalism. My old advisor was begging me to stay bc I got one of the highest scores in the school.

*shrug* All that stuff has been realyl easy for me. Other people I know are just as smart and did horrible. It's all a matter of logic anyway.

[steph78]

I happen to test very well for some reason even though I don't feel like I'm all that smart - I got a 1480 (760 math, 720 verbal). I decided to take it again just because I was arrogant and thought I could break 1500 the next time, but of course I didn't, I dropped to 720 math, 710 verbal...guess I got burned out or something. :)

I guess it is normal for engineers to do better on the math sections. When I took the GRE at the end of college I got like 780 on both the quantitative and analytical sections but way lower on the verbal section. Funny story actually - I believe they score the computerized GRE by starting you at 500 and giving you a question - if you get it right, they bump your score up and then give you a harder question, but if you get it wrong they bump your score down and then give you an easier question. I was totally struggling with the verbal questions at the beginning, and by the end I was getting easy as pie questions with words I had on my third-grade spelling tests...so I was freaking out that I was going to get like a 200 or something. I guess I screwed up big-time, I was having visions of having to take English as a second language classes with all the international students or something! But at that time everyone had one experimental section on the GRE that was not counted in your score (but you didn't know which until the end) - I got lucky in that that first abysmal verbal section was my experimental one and so I ended up with like a 500-something on verbal. whew!

[coll214]

After seeing what y'all had for scores, no way in hell am I repeating mine! :D and my GREs were just as bad, but as long as I get into the program I want, I don't care!

[meatwad]

I remember 1145 for some reason. I didn't really care much at the time and I care even less now. :twisted:

[paiger81]

1250

My goal was just 1100, you get an 1100 on SAT's and you could automatically get into any Texas public college. Don't know if that is still in effect.

[SmilesSoSweet]

My goal was just 1100, you get an 1100 on SAT's and you could automatically get into any Texas public college. Don't know if that is still in effect.

At the time for the California State University system, any high school gpa of 3.0 or higher automatically got you into most CSU's but not all majors, just some. So my great score of 990 didn't really matter.

[Jwaler]

610 Verbal and 620 Math back in 2001. Pretty even, but odd because I do bad in literature courses and extremely well in math class. From what I learned from students later on, college puts a whole lot less emphasis on the SATs than high school made us believe (or at least mine did).