It's a right of passage, but that doesn't mean it needs to be fun. The SAT is perhaps one of the most daunting and stress inducing endeavors for a high school student. It's the first step to applying to college, and it carries a lot of weight. Needless to say, everyone is happy when its over. Here are the 5 worst things about the SAT.
1. It's Long
This is likely the longest test you will take in your life, lasting a nice and monotonous four hours (not to mention if you take the essay portion, which adds another hour onto that). The first section goes by in a breeze, but once you hit the hour mark, it all goes downhill from there. Your brain turns to mush and your mind wanders. Not a fun time.
2. It's Early
It's already a pretty exhausting experience, but why does it need to be so early? At eight o'clock, my brain wants nothing to do with analyzing passages or solving equations. It wants to go back to bed or watch Netflix or even stare at a wall for a few hours, anything but take this test from hell. When you're walking into the school and it's still dark outside, you know it's too early.
3. It's On The Weekend
There are a million things I would rather do with my weekend than take the SAT. Even though it only lasts till one, it still drains all of your energy and leaves you comatose for the rest of the day. If it was during the week, then at least we could miss school for it!
4. It's Boring
Passage after passage of text. Equation after equation of numbers. It weighs on you after a while. The words start running together and the numbers get mixed up in your head. They really couldn't find any more interesting subjects? No one wants to read about the environmental effects of global warming or how a guy set up a department store in England. Maybe if they picked more interesting subjects, people may score better? Just a thought.
5. It's Stressful
I could dismiss all of these other reasons if the test was nice and relaxed, but it is the exact opposite. The time limit alone is enough to make you freak out. You're lucky if you even get to look at all the questions, much less answer them correctly. And no one talks or smiles or does anything really until the test is over. The whole test just has a really depressing and stressful feel. But once it's over, there is always that feeling of relief.
So the SAT isn't great. But it's just something everyone has to do. So study, sleep well the night before, and try your best. Hopefully, you can get a good store and then never have to take it again. But then again, there's always the ACT and subject tests, so you may have a little more to do than you thought. Happy testing!
