One of the most influential components of being admitted to a university is the score a student makes on the SAT. Coincidentally, the SAT is also one of the most tedious and difficult tests a high school student can take. Consisting of reading, writing and various types of math, this test spans a typical three and a half hours. A broad selection of Cy Ranch’s students have already taken the SAT and will continue to do so until provided with the score they need to get into their desired college.
Junior Caroline Srubar said she began prepping for the SAT in August in order to make sure she was fully ready to take the test and could get the best score she could possibly achieve. Srubar said the first practice test she took was not very surprising due to the amount of questions she had previously practiced and prepared for. Srubar said her scores improved dramatically from the practice to the official test due to the intensive reviews of any past missed questions. The end goal in mind for Caroline is a 1400 or higher. She said she wants to earn this score to make sure that any college she chooses will accept them. She has not narrowed down yet which college she wishes to attend, so she continues to work toward higher scores in order to improve her chances for the upcoming year.
Junior Maria Macijauskas said she has worked hard to develop her SAT scores over the past few months by attending prep classes. Macijauskas started to prepare for her first SAT in June in order to take two separate SATs in October and November. When she started taking the practice tests, she said they were much more difficult than she expected. Yet once she started seeing them more, they got easier. Her first practice test score was a 910, which she said she was unhappy with. Due to her drive to do better, she said she put in the work and was able to bring her score all the way up to a 1220. Maria wishes to attend Florida State, The University of Florida or San Diego State. In order to get into these highly competitive schools, she needs a score of 1300 or higher since the colleges are out of Texas.
One of the most common ways to prepare for the SAT is the PSAT given by Cy Ranch. This was the method of preparation for junior Jacob Harred. Harred said he did not spend too much time studying for his tests, but rather, scored high enough on the PSAT to build his confidence. He reviewed notes for the first SAT he took, but he said he went in blindly for the second. Harred said he still managed to come out with a 1320, but he is not finished yet. Jacob said he wishes to attend the University of Texas, but being in the top 5 percent of his class just does not satisfy him. He said he wishes to be assured the automatic admission spot by scoring a 1400.
Studying and preparing for your SAT is very beneficial, considering that the scores you achieve set the tone for your entire application process. Gaining high scores on the different skill sets creates a wave of affirmation to know what you can experience for future to the best of your ability.
