So I go to a really small, poor school in upstate new york and long story short, the school doesn’t prepare us as much as it should when it comes to standardized testing. Even our highest scorers, our valedictorians and salutatorians, score around a 1900 on the Sat. It is very rare for someone to score above a 2000 on the Sat at my school. So, most of the students have come to the conclusion that it’s not necessarily that wee are stupid, it’s just that our education is lacking. This sucks, but I know that colleges won’t care/know that this is a major factor as to why my test scores are mediocre. If anyone has any test prep ideas I would really appreciate it! I’ve almost finished both the offical SAT and ACT prep books and so mfar my highest grades are an 1800 on the SAT and 29 Composite on the Act. Thanks!
An 1800 on the SAT is the 80th percentile which is substantially better than average, so you’re not at all stupid. Furthermore, you can’t blame the school district because you don’t have students above the 92nd percentile.
It’s probably just a function of the small population and location.
My school sounds a lot like yours–the SAT and ACT are rarely ever mentioned and there is absolutely no preparation for them or resources to prepare for them whatsoever. However, using SAT prep books and the internet, myself and a few other (maybe 3-4) students have used what’s available to us (even if it’s not a lot) to score in the 2100-2200 range. Your school isn’t to blame for your students not getting incredible scores, especially since your score is still well above average and perfectly respectable. Some of the kids at my school (again, a select few whose parents are well-informed about college admissions, not as a result of our school) have taken multiple expensive prep courses and have scored about as well as you have on the SAT and ACT. Additionally, the SAT is a reasoning test, and while studying can help, the education your school has given you is a very minimal factor in a test that isn’t really facts-based. You might have a slight argument for the ACT, but even then, lots of students come from schools that don’t provide the best educations. I know it sucks, but it’s something we have to deal with. Use the internet and other resources to your advantage; your education isn’t holding you back from achieving a high score, even if that would be a first for your school.
I feel that people that live in New York state have are better suited for the ACT as it more aligns with stuff cover in Regents course (esp the Math). Teachers have to prepare students for The Regents Exam not the SAT. Also coming from a rural/poor town looks very good on a college application as my school, with about 1000 students k-12 sends at least one Ivy a year despite the fact that no one gets above an 2100.