Sunday, June 21, 2020
The 5 Worst Things that Can Happen During Your SAT
Hey, who doesnââ¬â¢t enjoy revelling in a little bit of horror every now and then? Disasters, or even just near disasters are mesmerizingâ⬠¦ Right? So hereââ¬â¢s a relatively productive way (*shudder*) to run through all your worst nightmareswell, your worst nightmares for your SAT, as least. Weââ¬â¢re not going to delve into the dreams this gives you. (By the way, I say ââ¬Å"productiveâ⬠because the goal here is to realize that you want to avoid the things below, when possible. If you can avoid it, and you donââ¬â¢t, then donââ¬â¢t come crying to me about it.) 1. Being Late When I took my first SAT, I got a speeding ticket on the way there. I guess you could say I was lucky for A) having a driverââ¬â¢s license and B) being allowed to borrow my momââ¬â¢s minivan, and I would have to say yes, I was (even though a minivan isnââ¬â¢t exactly the sexiest thing to drive)ââ¬âbut I was also dumb. The speeding ticket wasnââ¬â¢t from bad luck; it was from carelessness. I left home too late, and I realized just as I was leaving that I might not make it in time. And if you show up late? Tough luck: youââ¬â¢re not allowed in to take the test. They make it pretty hard to show up that late, though. Usually, testing will start a solid 15-30 minutes after the time youââ¬â¢re told it will. But donââ¬â¢t play with fire. Show up a bit early so you can chat with friends and relax. 2. Being Accused of Cheating There is almost nothing worse that can happen. If the person overseeing your test thinks youââ¬â¢re cheating, youââ¬â¢re out of the buildingââ¬âthatââ¬â¢s that. Your test is cancelled, your time is wasted, and if they actually have proof that you were trying to break their confidentiality agreement, you could even be going to court. Keep your eyes on your test, donââ¬â¢t reach into your bag during a section, donââ¬â¢t pull a piece of paper out of your pocket, and, simply put, donââ¬â¢t do anything that seems suspicious. 3. Getting Sick Pop quiz! Q: Whatââ¬â¢s worse than pop quizzes? A: 4-hour tests. Q: Whatââ¬â¢s worse than a 4-hour test? A: Throwing up on your test 3 hours into it. Thereââ¬â¢s not much to learn here other than to try to stay well-rested, well-fed, and in good spirits in the week before your SAT. If you get sick when worn down, you get much sicker than you do when in top shape. 4. Your Phone Ringing You know how I said there was ââ¬Å"almost nothing worseâ⬠than getting accused of cheating? Well, this one can be potentially worse. Technically, no phones are allowed in the room during the SAT. In practice, this usually just means it has to be in your bag, turned off, under the desk. But if your phone does go off, and if they suspect anything fishy, you not only get kicked out and have your scores cancelled, but also get your phone confiscated so they can search it for damning evidence. Nine times out of ten, a proctor wouldnââ¬â¢t go that far, but thereââ¬â¢s no point in taking the chance. 5. Bubbling Answers Wrong One minute left! Youââ¬â¢re working on the last question in the section. Itââ¬â¢s hard, but youââ¬â¢re about to take your best guess, and as you bubble it, you realize youââ¬â¢ve made a huge mistake. It should be question 20, and youââ¬â¢re about to bubble number 19. Thereââ¬â¢s one missing because you skipped question 5 and didnââ¬â¢t fill in a guess. aaaand timeââ¬â¢s up. Too late. This is the saddest way for a test to go wrong. You put in all the time, all the effort, and you answer questions correctly, but you get no credit for it. The easiest way to avoid it? Bubble in an answer to every question, even if youââ¬â¢re not certain. You get punished for wrong answers, but it evens out with those occasional lucky guesses. Runners Up Just in case all the above didnââ¬â¢t quite do it for you, there are plenty of other things that can cause little problems on test day. These are mostly pretty easy to solve, though: Being unprepared Not having practiced Being hungry The guy next to you tapping his foot Cockroaches we agreed that this post was supposed to give you nightmares, right?
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