Your Teen’s SAT Battle and 

The Hunger Games

                The more I’ve become familiar with the SAT and standardized tests in general, the more they remind me of The Hunger Games.  Similar to the way the nation of Panem pits children against each other in gladiatorial battle, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) places your son or daughter into an arena where they will be tested, not against a previously set standard, but against every other adolescent in the room and in rooms across the country.  The creators of the SAT and other standardized tests have created a grading system for the SAT that consistently makes a bell curve much like this one: 

As you can see, there are not many victors (perfect scores) given in this distribution and most students will fall in the larger middle or average section.  The ETS purposefully designs the SAT and other tests so that students’ scores will ultimately and inevitably fall into place this way.  Why?  Simply to demonstrate that their testing services produce reliable results so that colleges and universities will continue to use them as a resource for choosing the “best” students.  After all, if a university enrolls students with higher scores, their ratings go up and more students vie for precious placement into that university. 

To beat the SAT and ultimately the ETS, you need to overcome a couple of myths.  First, the material on the SAT is not as difficult as it is made out to be.  The math section, for instance, is filled with problems that the average ninth and tenth grade student could answer easily on a normal test in their fifth period class.  So if the material itself isn’t more difficult, what is?  Honestly, it's simply the way the questions are posed.  The test creators ask the questions in specific ways that purposely attempt to trip the student up.  A normally easy question is asked in such a way as to confuse the student into picking an answer that seems obvious, but is actually the wrong choice.  All this and an austere looking proctor hovers over you student’s shoulder while the clock speeds away.  Anyone mentally yelling "Dystopia!" yet? 

Second, a low score on the SAT doesn’t mean that your student isn’t among “the best.”  The difficulty of the SAT can breed anxiety and despair into any normally intelligent student who falls in the ETS battle for a victorious score.  Think about The Hunger Games metaphor mentioned above.  Some of those children studied the art of mortal combat their entire lives only to die on live television.  Did that mean they weren't great warriors?  No.  They simply faced terrible conditions in the arena and odds that weren’t in their favor. 

If you’re presently wondering how your child will ever succeed in his or her battle with the SAT, I’m here to tell you that despite the odds and circumstances, your child can come away with a competitive score.  The SAT might be a mean beast or a cruel competition, but every enemy can be beaten.  Sun Tzu, one of the most admired generals in the history of the world, said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”  If your son or daughter learn the tricks and strategies of the SAT and work diligently in the areas where you need improvement, I can guarantee they will not only increase their score, but leave that arena victorious.