8 Fun SAT Test Facts to Give You a Break from Studying

8 Fun SAT Test Facts to Give You a Break from Studying SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Unfortunately, studying for the SAT isn’t much fun. There’s really no way to make reading passages or dissecting math problems super entertaining - and believe me, I’ve tried. But if you’re looking for a quick break from studying, check out these 8 random SAT test facts. You may even learn something helpful! Fact #1: SAT doesn’t actually stand for anything SAT originally stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test. But after the idea that the SAT tested "aptitude"became too controversial, the namewas changed to the Scholastic Assessment Test. Of course, "assessment" and "test" are spectacularly redundant, so in 1997 the College Board got fed up with the whole namingfiascoand decided that the SAT was now just the name of the test, not an abbreviation of something else. Fact #2: The College Board once canceledthe test for an entire country The College Board takes cheating veryseriously. In 2013, ETS, which administers the SAT, found out that tutoring companies in South Korea had conspired to obtain the test in advance, so theycanceledthe May test date entirely. Similarly, when a group of Long Island teens were caught paying college students to take the test for them they faced harsh consequences: criminal charges. Seoul, South Korea, where some unlucky students had their SAT canceled. Fact #3: There's a play about SAT tutoring Jenny Lyn Bader’s play None of the Above is all about the relationship between a trouble-makingteenager and her SAT tutor. I suspect the play issomewhat more dramatic than reality, soif you have questions about tutoring I'd recommendtaking a look at our guide instead. Fact #4: The scale on the original College Board test wasbrutal The College Board actually predates the SAT. It was founded in 1901 to administercollege specific tests, which were gradedas Excellent, Good, Doubtful, Poor, or Very Poor. That system may have beenless confusing than the current scale,but it also sounds kind ofharsh! Fact #5: Someone wrote an SAT vocabnovel about vampires There’s an entire genre of novels specifically designed to help you learn vocab words for the SAT, and they sound completely bizarre.Test of Time investigates what would happen if Mark Twain's manuscript forHuckleberry Finn was swapped with a modern day college student's laptop.Vampire Dreams is basicallyTwilight without the whole glittering in the sun thing. The reviews from students aren't kind, so I would recommend sticking to regularnovels with high level vocab words. You're probably better off just readingDracula.(Len "Doc" Radin/Flickr) Fact #6: Stanley H. Kaplan started the first SAT test prep company in 1938 When he startedtutoring college-bound students in his basement in Brooklyn, Kaplancharged $128 per student. Despite considerable demand, he didn'texpand outside of New York until the 1970s. Fact #7: The SAT started out asa military IQ test Before it was used for college admissions, an early version of the SAT wasused by the army to screen recruits during World War I. The first SAT, which was given in 1926, wasalso much, much more difficult than today’s version. Itincludedsections in which the test takerhad to translate sentences into a made-up language, judge whetherpropositions were perfectly logical,and complete baffling analogies. I don’t know about you, but I can’t make heads or tails of these analogies. Fact #8:George W. Bush used the SAT as part of his presidential campaign No, he didn't touthis own scores- those weren't particularly impressive. Instead, he bragged about the 100 point increase in Texas students’ SAT scores during his term as governor. Unfortunately, that increase had nothing to do with improvements in education: it was actually caused by the College Board rescaling the test in 1995. What's Next? If you're having trouble motivating, try reading about how a higher SAT score can help you get into the school of your dreams. Are you struggling to improve or have actually seen your scores go down? Try these strategies to turn it around. For tons of other free SAT prep resources, take a look at the right sidebar to find our posts sorted by topic. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Alex Heimbach About the Author Alex is an experienced tutor and writer. Over the past five years, she has worked with almost a hundred students and written about pop culture for a wide range of publications. She graduated with honors from University of Chicago, receiving a BA in English and Anthropology, and then went on to earn an MA at NYU in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. In high school, she was a National Merit Scholar, took 12 AP tests and scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and ACT. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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