10 Questions with Austin Nguyen
PREP TIME’S OVER In order to prepare for the SAT, Austin Nguyen struggled to acquire everything he needed to. He worked on both his strong skills, like math, as well as his weaker ones, like English reading and writing. While he is somewhat worried about his performance, he is also optimistic and convinced that he will be able to achieve a high SAT score.
On March 1, 2023, Wednesday, junior Austin Nguyen will be taking the SATs along with his fellow junior class.
Q: Are you prepared to take the SATs?
A: Absolutely not. l still wish I put more time than the few days I’ve put in, it’s been just cramming and I don’t believe I’ll perform at the standard I want to.
Q: What score do you think you will earn?
A: 1200 at least as that’s my baseline for every single PSAT thus far and my problem with the PSAT has always been just pacing. I fall asleep a lot during the test because it feels so mundane.
Q: What score are you trying to achieve? And why?
A: Obviously 1600, I think trying to aim for anything lower is pointless. I personally will not be satisfied with anything less than the highest. I want to have a score that isn’t “oh this is all I could get.” Instead, I want a score that makes me feel that’s all that was possible to get.
Q: What do you think of the state of SATs and having to take them?
A: I believe the SAT is a really poor example of standardized testing. Exams that aim to measure your intelligence but completely fail to.
Q: What have you been studying for and for how long?
A: The reading and writing section for the past 4 weeks nearly daily.
Q: What are some other things you’ve been doing to prepare?
A: Sleeping extremely late to prepare me every day for working with fatigue.
Q: What parts are you most confident about?
A: The math portion, I feel my fundamentals while they have severely dwindled ever since Middle School, it’s still my strongest suit.
Q: How would you explain the process of taking the SAT?
A: It’s an extreme version of STARR testing. A STARR you take both the ELA and Mathematical portions on the same day. With dramatically less time and a significantly higher portion of questions.
Q: How are you feeling before taking the SATs?
A: Anxious, nervous, and a feeling that drives me to want to succeed.
Q: What is some advice you’d give to someone preparing for their SATs?
A: When studying pick your weakest topics from the SAT and study them, but also study the topics you’ve mastered. Always try to guarantee points instead of half-baking for the chance of getting more. Despite what instructors tell you, view getting answers wrong as a penalty. Because in actuality they are as they take away from your max score.
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