The SAT Test

 Today is a big day... Nick is taking the SAT's for the first time. It is the first official step towards his college career! He's been taking a SAT class in school to help him prepare for the test; I hope he does well... if he does well enough, maybe he won't have to take them again. But chances are, he'll take them at least one more time. You can take the SAT's a few times and they will accept your top scores in each category.

Poor Nick had to wake up this morning pretty early, almost as if it was a regular school day. I made him an egg and some tea, because I didn't want him to be hungry (and I thought a little caffeine might help wake up his brain a bit.) I never woke up with Frankie when he had to take the SAT's, but he didn't really need me to. Nick did need me to - he hadn't even set his alarm clock. If I hadn't gotten up with him, I'm not sure he would have woken up. He was allowed to bring a bottle of water and some snacks - he brought a cinnamon bun thing and a bag of pretzels - for during the break. The test lasts something like 4 hours...

He also had to bring #2 pencils, his calculator (which he forgot in school, so I lent him one) and the admission ticket that proved that he paid for the test. Because yeah, it isn't free. It's something like $50? I forget how much, but definitely not free. We registered for it on line, on the college board web site.

The class he took at school for SAT Prep gave him strategies for taking the test, things that you would never know if you don't take a class. Like, for example, did you know that sometimes you should guess, but sometimes you are better off not answering the question if you aren't absolutely certain? Hey, I don't know all those strategies, because I didn't take the class. But hopefully Nick knows them now. And I'm glad he was able to take the class in school, instead of at a private class place that I would have to pay for. Those courses aren't cheap.

Well, anyway, keep your fingers crossed for Nick. He's had a hard semester - he's been immersed in English and in SAT prep which is half English and half Math - and I think he's learned more than he realizes.