<p>So Im always astonished how all the mediocre kids I see (especially the one I saw today when taking the SAT) finish with 2-5+ minutes to spare. Especially with that extremely brutal celebrity passage today and that brutal math section. </p>
<p>Is it that they simply dont know the answer and just guess or what?</p>
<p>practice 10char</p>
<p>Could be many things, or a combination of all of them.</p>
<p>Some maybe read the question, realize they have no chance, and because guidance counselors, teachers, etc drill it into their brains that it’s “1/4 point off for a wrong answer” they don’t even bother trying to figure it out.</p>
<p>Others maybe think the questions aren’t as tricky as they seem, and fall into almost every trap CB sets for them. Such as solving for x when the it asks for 2x, etc.</p>
<p>Others just don’t care.</p>
<p>I think it’s mostly because they don’t realize many of the questions are as complex as they really are. I’ve noticed that after a standardized test the average students usually come out thinking the test was much easier than the good students.</p>
<p>I always finish CR sections with 10 minutes to go and I do well (770 in January 2009). I finish most sections early.</p>
<p>I think if mediocre kids finish early, they probably didn’t think about their answers. Overconfident and they aren’t shooting for 2300+ anyway, so they know they can afford to miss quite a few.</p>
<p>lol the girl who was sitting next to me finished the celebrity passage like 7 mins early.(she said she got a 1290 out of 2400 on the practice test)</p>
<p>you shouldn’t be intimidated by other people’s pace. Work in whichever pace you are comfortable Just because someone finished early doesn’t mean he/she did well. Increasing your pace because someone next to you finished so quickly will lead to mistakes.</p>
<p>people can still be fast at the sat but get a lot of questions wrong. the hare doesn’t always win.</p>
<p>my “hair” always wins lol</p>
<p>either they don’t do the entire section because they have probably been told not to or whatever, or they just don’t care. I noticed this too when I took the SAT the 1st time, don’t let it intimidate you though</p>
<p>Yea I always finished the practice tests with like half time to spare, but this test I had only a couple of minutes left when I finished</p>
<p>Although I always got CR questions wrong on the practices, and this time I can’t find one I got wrong - so maybe the extra time is needed for those controversial questions</p>
<p>If you’ve taken the ACT, timing on the SAT becomes way easier.</p>
<p>I sometimes finish early on the writing section, but it usually depends. Although overall I get in the high 1900’s or sometimes a bit over 2000, my writing score is normally at least 700…so I guess finishing early doesn’t have a bad effect on my score…haha</p>