6 Common SAT Myths Busted

The SAT world is full of myths. Certain myths have been floating around, making this whole study harder than it has to be. These facts shown below are obtained through real testing and analysis not any hypothetical claims. So let’s get started .

Myth #1: The SAT is a measure of your IQ or aptitude
Fact: The SAT is NOT a measurement of your IQ or aptitude. Think about it – if the SAT were a measurement of IQ or aptitude, how do we account for score improvements? Did the test taker just suddenly become more intelligent after some time? Of course not. It would be great if people could just raise their intelliegence because then there would be no stupid people on Earth. The SAT only measures your ability to do well on the test and nothing else.

Myth #2: The SAT tests on skills you already learned from school
Fact: While it is true that the SAT tests on reading, writing and math, all of which you have learned in school, the type of reading, writing and math you do on the SAT is NOT the same as that of school work. Yes, you do rely on your knowledge of some basic subject matter you acquired from scool but ultimately, the SAT is a standardized test and the skills required to excel on the test is different from the skills required to excel in school.

Myth #3: The SAT requires years to prepare for
Fact: It is possible to prepare for the SAT in a short amount of time if you focus on the right preparation methods. Granted, some people will take longer then others to improve on the SAT. However, to say that improving on the SAT requires years of hard work is plain wrong.

Myth #4: The SAT is a complicated test with random questions
Fact: The SAT is a STANDARDIZED test which tests on repeated concepts over and over again. There are no random questions on the SAT. Every question put out by the College Board for every SAT administration must comply with the SAT standards or else the SAT cannot be considered as a standardized test. So the last thing you want to do is start working on some random math workbook thinking that it would improve your score on the SAT math section.

Myth #5: There is a best month to take the SAT
Fact: There is no best month to take the SAT. Every SAT administration has a unique moderating curve tailored to that specific test. If you happen to get an “easier” test on test day, then the curve would be harsher, meaning that your mistakes will result in more points lost. If you happen to get a more “difficult” test, then the curve would be more lenient, meaning that you each mistake would result in fewer points lost. This specific moderating curve serves to ensure that all SAT scores are comparable.
This means that someone who got a 2200 on the May 2010 SAT is considered to have the same standard as someone who got a 2200 on the January 2011 SAT. This is the only way for the SAT to be a fair college admission test. If there was any best month to take the SAT because that month had an “easier” test, then wouldn’t it be unfair to other SAT takers who didn’t take the SAT on that particular month? The college admission process would in turn by unfair.

Myth #6: You should always guess if you can eliminate at least one answer choice
Fact: Guessing will hurt your score more often than not. I have been analysing guessing for some time, and I have found that guessing will cause you to lose points more often than not. I go into a lot more detail on guessing in my book, The SAT Excellence Prep Book so if you’re interested go get yourself a copy (sorry for the shameless self promotion ). But for now, I want to you to do this – make a record of how many questions you get right and wrong when you guess based on an entire practice test (or more if you want to). See for yourself if guessing is helping your score.

Article extracted from http://www.satexcellence.com/6-common-sat-myths-debunked