SAT: Giving You Test Day Tips

by Randy Suarez-Franco

 This past Saturday, I strolled over to take my SAT at CSULA. Grabbed everything that I needed, got there earlier than I anticipated, breakfast eaten and all. ‘This is going great!” I thought. It’s not going to go great.

I prepared my admission ticket, and once my turn to present it, I was asked for a school I.D.

“…I forgot my I.D.? How could I forget that?”

I wasn’t allowed in.

“Call College Board and ask to reschedule, sorry.” Ouch.

My parents are gone.

I have no way back. My phone is dead.

I walk eight miles back home.

Here’s some tips to not end up in my shoes:

YOUR BELONGINGS

Bring all of your stuff! This includes:

          → wooden HB pencil and eraser

          → a timekeeper (no, not an iWatch)

          some schools cover the clock; that’s stressful.

          → snacks and water (But don’t eat snacks in the testing room)

          → admission ticket (print it from College Board)

          → school I.D. (even if you don’t love your picture)

          → Your phone (to call, text, and not cheat)

TIME & LOCATION

          → When choosing a testing center, prioritize proximity, even if you take preference somewhere else.

          → Use Google maps. Just do it. It’ll make your life easier. LA traffic sucks.

          → Get there around 8:30, to have enough time to find the room you’re testing in; there are multiple, and are separated alphabetically and by whether you’re taking it with the essay portion included or not.

          → Set an alarm or reminder to wake up with well over time to get up and ready.

*If you need to know the dates for your exams, you can find them here:

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/dates-deadlines

Please sleep enough before your test day, eat a good breakfast, use the restroom before going in (even if you don’t need to), and wear your seatbelts (insert outdated laughtrack here). These are the tips I have for you today! Hope you studied for the exam (you can use Khan Academy) and good luck! And don’t get lost like me!

(if you do get lost, it’s not the end of the world, contact them at 1 (866) 630-9305.)

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