<p>Hey everybody,
I’m new to the College Confidential site; however, recently I have been eager to address the objectivity of the SAT and the SAT II subject tests. It seems as though, no matter how confident I feel, the SATs always get me. I know they’re a formality, but something about them and the way in which they are set up is entirely irksome. I am first in my class, (a magnet school in Dallas, TX), I have a 4.0 GPA, a professional college art portfolio, and have experimented with regressive autism and neuroengineering as per a research partnership with the labs at the University of Texas at Southwestern. I am incredibly passionate about neurobiology and neuroscience; however, I can’t seem to do well on the Biology and Chemisty SAT II subject tests, despite having made a 5 on AP Bio sophomore year and being one of two people in my class to have even passed the AP Chem test last year. I’m an intelligent person and I have an incredibly dynamic and impressive college application, despite my low scores. I feel helpless and I feel as if I am at an incredible disadvantage. It aggravates me that the SAT biology score would even be a factor in my application, despite my graduating high school with seven years of science and straight 100 averages in the class as a result of unbelievably hard work. I was wondering if anyone else felt this way, felt that despite being incredibly qualified, that the SATs are something you just can’t crack. I don’t want them to reflect poorly on my academic vigor, because my transcript is very impressive. I feel like my SATs are the deciding factor, and that upsets me. Does anyone else feel this way? Can anyone else offer comfort?</p>
<p>The thing about standardized tests (particularly the SAT, ACT) is that they have their own completely different strategies. I don’t really like standardized tests either, the only advantage is that they provide objective data for colleges. You seem to know enough biology/chemistry to score 800’s on the subject tests, so it’s more of a matter of quickness and familiarity with the questions.</p>
<p>Isn’t high school level biology memorization and basic application (I wouldn’t know, I went the Physics/Chemistry route)? Have you tried buying SAT Biology study books?</p>