Juniors Reflect on SAT Exam

by: Kevin Polanco

Apr 14, 2020

With SAT scores set to arrive March 26, many students ponder over the day they took the test. They recall the emotion the morning of the exam with the nerve racking set of instructions to open the test booklet and begin. At East Side the 2020 11th grade class took the SAT on March 4th. This now feels like a lifetime ago. 

With current events many wonder, “is my score still available?”, “Will I have to take the test again?” Some look back at the day they took the test. 

Lorenz Peña, an 11th grader, said, “I wasn’t nervous before the test. I was confident that I would do well in certain sections. In a sort I felt halfway prepared. East Side did well in preparing students for English sections of the test but lacked in math.” 

When students were asked why they were nervous they said this. Kelvin Blackman, an 11th grader said, “I was nervous for the test. This was an important test for one's future. It decided which college one would get into. I knew it was important and wanted to do my best.”  This thought echoed mostly throughout the 11th grade.  

Another 11th grader had a similar feeling. Raymond Esteves says, “I was slightly nervous, it was the general testing day feeling. However this test could let me know where I'm at for the next time I take it.”  Most students felt uneasy about the SAT. Some felt confident in their abilities. Most felt that the East side did a decent job in preparing students for the test.

Overall the suspense rises as the days pass to the inevitable reveal of the scores. From a 400 to 1600, the 11th grade will see their future right in front of them. Whether the score is high or low, East Side students have given it their all in their SAT. 

Here are some helpful tips and common questions from our director of college counseling Jerome: 

1. How many times do most students take the test? 

On average students take the test 3 times

The SAT day in March

May or June

October of Senior year

Now, if a student tests multiple times depends on how they score their first time around. Some students may be satisfied with their scores and only test once. I suggest testing multiple times while also doing some sort of SAT prep

2. Why is it good that kids take the test at East Side? 

The in-school SAT (testing at East SIde) was first implemented in 2017. The environment of East Side allows students to take a test that is usually associated with stress and anxiety, in a familiar place with teachers they know and peers they are familiar with. Now, this does not come without its setbacks, if you have students that are very familiar with each other, some tend to not focus on the exam and are distracted by their peers/friends. I guess you can say it’s a give and take! 

3. What can students do to improve their scores?

Study and Prep! At East Side, we send out SAT prep resources all the time to students and parents. We have a partnership with The Door (located on 555 Broome Street in Soho) that offers SAT prep at their location and East Side. If you are a lower classman (Freshman/Sophomore) you can use our resources at the Door and Khan Academy - which offers online SAT prep for free. If you are a junior, you can take part in our in house SAT prep at East Side.

Also, be strategic when taking the test, 98% of the test is multiple choice and out of the four answers, two are completely wrong, which leaves you with a 50/50 chance. Also,

This is a timed test, so always pay attention to that.

If you do well in one section, take the test again and focus on other sections because of all colleges SUPERSCORE - which is taking the highest scores from all exams to create a composite score.

Relax when taking the exam, you can always test again and do better the next time - there is no passing or failing score.