Just got my SAT scores!

[Ferret]

the ACT is discipline-specific knowledge and skills test, and the AP is a discipline-specific placement/college credit test. Colleges may or may not use, recognize, or require any of them. There are also some SAT-associated discipline-specific exams, but they aren't very commonly used.

'Discipline-specific' meaning just a science maths and english?

 

[JPL]

Yes! This is EXACTLY how I am! I've been wanting to say it but couldn't figure out how.

I think folks like us who are gifted with the sort of intelligence that shows up on IQ tests may have a harder time developing these character traits --- hard work, organization, even honesty --- simply because our big brains often take up the slack.

Hard work? I didn't need it until college. Coasted through high school on pure cleverness.

Organization? Smart guys often wear their lack of organization as a badge of honor.

Honesty? Hey, I'm a lawyer, so I know all too well how a clever person can dance around the truth.

But I think that good character [because that's what all of these non-IQ factors add up to, really] can be developed, even by those of us who get a late start or seem to have a harder time with it.

I feel like my brain power was inherited...but whatever good character I possess, I worked for.

 

[tarchon]

'Discipline-specific' meaning just a science maths and english?

Let me see... it's English, Science, Math, and... ah yes, "Reading." There's also an expanded version with a "Writing" section. The AP tests are even more specific, like "Chemistry," "Art History," and such. It's pretty hard to specifically study for the SAT, although many vendors happily sell courses for it anyway, but the ACT is a little more like a normal academic test. Memorizing chemical formulas and learning cloud classifications could actually be useful for the ACT, but the SAT primarily tests how fast you can do low-level pre-calculus math, how well you process verbal information, and the extent of your your vocabulary.

 

[RangerWickett]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...sts/20040725/ts_latimes/satsbigmultiplechoice

Long story short, my 1540 won't mean crap in a year, when the test's maximum score jumps from 1600 to 2400. Oh well. *grin*

 

[Dogbrain]

Hard work? I didn't need it until college. Coasted through high school on pure cleverness.

Did that, too. It bit me on the backside when I finally hit courses that required work.

Organization? Smart guys often wear their lack of organization as a badge of honor.

Not in my field. It's a fast track to not getting enough publications in juicy journals. That means no more grants.

Honesty? Hey, I'm a lawyer, so I know all too well how a clever person can dance around the truth.

That's called the "discussion" section of a paper.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

He's outscored us all so far!

FWIW Mine: SAT=1370 ACT=34

Well, I was gonna stay out of this -- SAT-comparison threads are so early-90s -- but then you had to go and declare a winner.

I got a 1530 in 1985. 800 verbal, 730 math. I took the ACT in 1989 and scored a 35 ... 36s in reading and English, 34s in science and math. Finally, I took the LSAT in 1995 and scored a 170 (99th percentile).

IMO, while the people who do well on these tests do tend to be very intelligent, it's not necessarily true that very intelligent people will do well on these tests. There are so many factors ... for instance, if a different section of the LSAT had been designated "experimental," I would not have done nearly as well on the test, because I scored poorly on the section they were testing (and thus which didn't count). Basically, I got lucky.

 

[pogre]

Congratulations! That's a great score! I took the ACT years ago and did fine, but I was nowhere near the 99th percentile. Your parents must be proud of you! Just to echo JPL's sentiments - you have an obligation to put that talent to work.