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Standardized Testing
Standardized testing, though often flawed, is an important part of being a student. Tests will be used to determine your qualifications throughout your life--even after the SAT, there will be professional certifying examinations, tests you will have to take to get licenses, tests you will have to take to apply to graduate school...the list goes on and on. These tests are important--not because of what they say about you as a student, but because of the effect they can have on your future options.
There are different ideas about how students ought to approach tests. One school of thought holds that tests reflect your innate ability, and that you should show up on test day and just do your best. However, tests primarily reflect learned skills--the stuff you have been doing in your classes since kindegarten: reading, writing, and math. But tests do not exactly reflect your qualities as a student. They assess your ability to take tests, more than anything else; and you can definitely study for the test you are taking.
The best way to prepare for any standardized test is to practice with real questions from past tests under simulated conditions. If you want to improve your score on the SAT, spend some time studying for it. Familiarize yourself with the rules for each section, the type of time constraints you will face, and the different phrases that are repeated and skills that are tested. After you have worked on practice questions, look over your work, look at your wrong answers, and figure out why you got things wrong. Was it because you ran out of time? Was it a careless error? Was it because you haven't learn a concept? Was it because of a tough vocabulary word? Sometimes, you get questions wrong just because they are difficult questions--but if you can identify those questions and the
skills they test, then you can work on improving those skills.
One other thing to consider: not all colleges require standardized tests. Check out a list of colleges that do not require the SAT. Even if they do not require it, most colleges will accept SAT scores--doing well can never hurt.
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