How to Stay Sane While Waiting for Your SAT Scores

My relief at completing the SAT was very short lived. I went out for a celebratory pizza with friends who also took the test, and before I was even halfway through my big red cup of Diet Coke, one of them said, “So when are we getting the results?”

Ugh. Immediately, my anxiety rushed back. Did I do a good job on the essay? Did I totally bomb the math section? Why did I take so many guesses? Were they good guesses?

I relive a little of that anxiety every time the students I tutor return from taking the test. When I ask them how it went, the response often goes like this: “OK, maybe. I don’t really know. I can’t believe I have to wait nearly three weeks to find out!” If you took the test this past Saturday, you might be feeling this same impatience. Here are a few dos and don’ts to help you make it till October 29^th, when the  College Board will post scores online.

The Do List:

• Try to relax. Catch up on the shows currently clogging your DVR (you know, since you've been studying so hard for the past month that you haven't been able to watch TV).
• Stay busy with other activities: homework, tests, sports, and your millions of extracurricular commitments. Who has time to obsess over a score, anyway?
• If you're already starting to think you may need to take the test again, do some light studying. Unless you left the test half blank, don’t move straight into hardcore studying just yet. But activities such as keeping up with your vocab flashcards is a good idea.

The Don't List:

• Don't call or email the College Board, begging and pleading to get your test scores early. It’s not gonna happen. Bribes don’t work on these people, either. (Not that I would know from experience.)
• Do not agonize over mistakes. Did you finally remember the formula that you needed to figure out a certain math problem? Or did you just think of an example you could have used in your essay that would have been way better than the one you went with? Let it go. Beating yourself up over test mistakes is about as useful as trying to convince Lady Gaga to put on a pair of pants.
• Don't throw out your notes and practice tests. Even if you think you did great, maybe you’ll find out that your best friend scored 100 points higher than you, and decide to take the test again to satisfy your competitive urges. To be on the safe side, hold on to all of your materials until you see your score.

How do you think you did on Saturday's test? And what are you doing to cope with the waiting?

Related Post: Katie Sparks the SAT: To Retake or Not to Retake?