I got a 1390 on my SAT (670 verbal, 720 math) and a 32 on the ACT. I was very driven by academic achievement in high school, so those scores were like part of my identity.
Didn’t mean shit other than that I could take standardized tests well, in the end. Took me 10 years to graduate college because I spent most of my time high, drunk, or being an idiot.
I eventually got my shit together in my late twenties and did fairly well in grad school. Don’t remember what I got on the GRE, but it was good enough to get in, and it made my wife mad because I beat her best score without studying or really preparing. Just something about standardized tests.
I also got a 32 but until now didn't realize it was that good lol. I wonder if this is why my college was so motivated to help me out with financial aid so I could attend. I didn't really want to go to college, but it was better than being homeless.
34 is effectively the minimum these days for Ivy League admission. 32 will secure you a seat at a top state university. Assuming your GPA is reflective of that score. This comes from looking at recent admission records.
I got 640 verbal and 760 math for 1400 PSAT.
My SATs were 600 verbal 780 math 1380. I hate that they had them so early on Saturday morning. I was always so bombed out tired. I even just decided to randomly fill in one entire section since it seemed like a fake test questions section and then tried to nap a little. Luckily I guessed correctly and that section was fake and didn't count.
For the GRE I was dumb and started thinking about one question and then realized 85% of the time was up and I had about 90% of the test to go and yeah just basically glanced for 1 second and punched an answer with barely a thought and got some hideous like 400-something or 500 for the logic/quantitative section or whatever the heck it was called LOL and then next time made sure to not be dumb and got an 800. I forget what I got on the other stuff.
Oddly the GRE didn't seem to be at any higher level than the SAT had been.
Same here. I was disappointed not to get a perfect score on Math, but I didn't prepare for it at all and only took it once because it was so expensive.
I already knew where I was going for university, so I just needed to meet the entry requirements.
That’s always been the case. Instead of docking points from kids in regular classes, they allow kids in honors classes to get more. It wouldn’t be fair for an A in so called “college prep” courses to count the same as an A in AP classes.
790 is really good! Was that on the math or English section?
😆
Out of curiosity, in terms of your adult career, do you think it made much of a difference? I got around 1200 and I went to a very mediocre state school. Other than getting me stuck in the asshole of the United States, school and SAT didn't matter. No one cared, they just wanted to see I'd got a degree.
I'm wondering if that test is really indicative of what we knew or where we were going in life. I don't think so. I was a fucking moron until I was 30 or so and the lightbulb came on.
I scored about the same. Didn’t study and was hungover. Took the ACT and did a bit better. Got into a state school. Then into the tech industry in the early 90s. Wasn’t even related to my degree. I’ve made a really good career in IT and along the way no one gave a shit about my SATs. I should also mention that I did flunk out after freshman year, but I finally got my shit together in and went back and actually got on the deans list several times. I went on to a graduate degree as well. So SATs just got me in the door. What I did once I was in was up to me. It just took me a little time to figure that out.
1100. I went to college to be a teacher, loved it, retired early a couple years ago with 25 years of service, and now I own a pottery studio and play in mud all day.
Yeah I don’t know how I stumbled into it, honestly. My wife and I had zero experience working with clay, but I wanted to try it and she just said “sure, why not?” Now I’m ready to retire from my retirement lol
Wow. You retired at what, 50? I taught for 20 years. By then I was 44 and realized I’d have to teach at least 20 more, if not 25.
How were you able to retire at 50 and pick up a spendy hobby? LCOL area? Inheritance? Wealthy partner?
I’m 55 now, the age my dad was when he retired. I’d give anything to retire. But divorce and various fallout from that set me back a LOT. Damn cheating ex.
I was 52, and my wife had retired a year earlier. We had a very lucky combination of both of us saving money since we were teenagers, a big 403b, and not one but TWO wealthy relatives who kicked the bucket with zero offspring. We are still getting decent retirement checks, so we would be fine even if the studio fails, but we are VERY busy. I’d say I work at least 50% more/harder than when I was a teacher but it’s incredibly rewarding. The pottery studio brings in a lot more money than I gave up by taking an early retirement and it’s a blast lol.
Sorry to hear about your divorce, man. That does suck, for sure.
I got the same absurdly high score as our valedictorian, 1460 (720 math, 740 verbal). We tied for the highest score at our high school. But she also had a perfect GPA while mine was... not perfect.
I got a 1465. No idea what the valedictorian got though.
I can't remember what my breakdown was but math was probably higher.
The night before the GRE, I got way too drunk and I was hung over as hell, so I could have done better on the math section... I got one of the answers wrong.
My roommates in college had a massive party the night before my GRE - and I had to take the physics subject GRE as well, which was (in ~1998) largely considered to be the most difficult standardized test possible. I tried telling them multiple times to keep it quiet, but they kept going until around 2 am, when I finally just called the cops about the noise and they actually came and cited them... felt like a dick move, but at the same time, this was my future.
Standardized testing gets at different skill sets than grades. Grades a reflect both your aptitude and your discipline, grit, etc. Standardized tests mostly just get at aptitude (unless you study, but that is impossible to tell from a score). Aptitude for the material, but also aptitude for taking those type of tests. I was blessed with a brain that was both. Got me out of the backwater hell hole I grew up in.
Yeah, I was advised to not take them again because I’d already done well the first time and my grades were so mediocre that colleges would realize I put zero effort into school if I upped my score any further. Most kids I knew took them twice but I only took them once.
I didn't get that advice, but I got a similar mid-1400s score, and had a less than great average (low 80s, B- basically at a more normal school), so I figured that I was doing well enough.
Never took the SAT, we had the ACT where I was. I scored a 31. Which, it turns out, was high enough to qualify me for Mensa.
Edit: typo. Certainly not immune from those.
Same score here too. What was your measured IQ back then? I was 128 around that age, I suspect that it's lower now. Isn't MENSA largely a scam?
You may find this interesting:
https://www.sebjenseb.net/p/converting-sat-and-act-to-iq
Tracks pretty well for me.
1080. I remember being so humiliated. I had plans to go to an Ivy League school, but would have needed a scholarship. I knew with that score, that would never happen.
Everything else was strong enough to get me into my state’s flagship university, and I had an excellent education. But I’ll always remember the moment that particular dream just died.
Yes. In large part because I was forced to take it a second time, in another town, because my initial score was thought to be too high... concern that I'd somehow cheated. 1430. Second time, 1490. Can't say I blame them, I had a 1.9 GPA at the time. Never went to college, but tech has treated me well.
This is interesting how some things stay stuck in our memories. I remember thinking mine were awful because I got a 560 in math and that seemed embarrassing at the time. For some reason it was important that I get over 600 and I didn’t do it. My verbal was a 680. My scores were adequate to get me into my local state university (which has a decent academic reputation, but it certainly wasn’t top tier). I don’t think my scores had much of an effect on my future life.
I don't remember each part individually, but I had 1340 total. I know I did better on the math than on the verbal. I went to college, but I ended up dropping out as well. I hope this doesn't come across as some sort of humble brag, but I do think some of us with higher scores that never really had to work in school, went off to college and suddenly had to do hours upon hours of difficult homework and studying. I'll be honest here, I didn't have the skills needed for college because I never really had to work at school before.
I often think I lucked out as well when it comes to my career. I'm one of the few lucky people who went to a temp agency, and I ended up making a lifelong career at the place they sent me. I'll have 29-30 years in a good union job by the time I retire. I don't take my lucky circumstances for granted. Yes, there's obviously a reason I've been able to keep a job, and always excelled, got promoted, etc. But, the circumstances that began it all involved a lot of luck, a lot of being at the right place at the right time, and a realization that I don't have a job that is super stressful or something most people couldn't learn and do. So, when I think back on my career, I have a lot of gratitude because I'm well aware that the vast majority of people struggle a lot more than I do. But, I will say that during my entire career, I have never had to work as hard as I did in college. I have a 9 - 5, when work is over, work is over. I have my life back, and college was way too hard and way too unnecessary. I think about that, and often encourage the young people in my life to not assume they have to go to college. There are other ways to cultivate a good life. If they want to go, that's awesome. But, if they don't, that's awesome too.
Don’t remember the score, but I did much better on verbal than math. Back then, my score was enough to get me into University of Maryland. That was when pretty much any Maryland resident with a high school diploma and a note from Epstein’s mother could get in.
Got a 74 on my IQ test they gave me at 9 ( in the 80s) and a 19 on my ACT at 17. I graduated college with honors! They really didn’t understand ADHD back then.
Wow... apparently I have almost *exactly* the same score as a famous serial killer! Mine was 1185...660 verbal and 525 math. I'd thought I would have done a bit better though, as I learned to read at age 2, started kindergarten a year early at 4, and scored between 93rd and 97th percentile on the C.A.T.s all through elementary and middle school. Lol...my brain took a bit of a dive in high school, though🥴
Edit: I, as well flunked out of college and spent most of my life living on the poor side of town.
Cool! Kinda lucked out there with them sort of grandfathering you in through your dual enrollment. I’m sure you earned it, it’s just convenient! I went to a JC before 4 year too, and I think it should be more popular to do so. My classes were small, inexpensive, and many of my classes transferred for credit. Would likely save the average student upwards of 10-20k off their total collegiate expenses.
Yeah, it’s a little disillusioning after the fact. So much hype and pressure to perform academically and then it comes down to some arbitrary HR team member deciding on if you get the job or not.
“I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record.”
If it’s any comfort, on the HR front, those of us with graduate degrees in HR or advanced professional certifications use assessment tools based on their reliability and validity, rather than “where do you see yourself in 10 years” and “what’s your biggest weakness?”
It's important to note that SAT scoring was revised in 1996. Here's a chart to convert pre-1996 scores.
https://www.greenes.com/html/convert.htm#:~:text=On%20the%20high%20end%2C%20a,be%20awarded%20a%20perfect%201600.
It's been inflated once more since, but there's no ready conversion since it went to 3 scores (separate writing section) and back to 2. [https://blog.collegevine.com/new-sat-vs-old-sat-score-conversion-chart](https://blog.collegevine.com/new-sat-vs-old-sat-score-conversion-chart)
1250. I remember because my psats were the same (I think they were scored differently but it ended up being the same when it all worked out). Then, 10+ years later when I applied to grad school my GRE score was 1240.
I enjoy the consistency.
1350 - my verbal was almost perfect. Math, not so much. I went to a top 5 school and barely graduated. I was always much better at standardized tests than I was at school. Undiagnosed ADHD and all that. ADHD is about attention regulation, and oddly enough, I kind of enjoyed standardized tests. I saw them as a game like a crossword puzzle or a good mystery novel. I was always trying to figure out what was behind the questions, what the test writers were trying to do with tricks and misdirection. Showing up in class and doing homework was not nearly as fun.
I didn't take the SAT, but I did take the ACT. I don't remember my scores, but I know I barely passed math, did good on whatever that other one was, and perfect on the writing because I knew there was a formula to it and I stuck to the formula.
Same here. My math scores dropped my ACT from what would have been high 20s to low 20s. The whole thing is so stupid because I was all arts and humanities even at 17 or 18 and knew I didn't want anything to do with math or science. I ended up being on the Dean's list my final two years of college, did awesome in grad school, have a job surrounded by people who went to private schools and had 30s on their ACTs. Oh, and I also write for a national publication. The whole thing is a ridiculous racket.
1430 SAT 33 ACT, went on to get multiple advanced degrees (PhD/MBA) only to realize sales guys doing keg stands barely graduating from party schools were making a killing…meh took me a couple decades but we good now
Yeah, I worked my way up from the bench to being general manager/COO and only then did I find out that sales people routinely made more than anyone else in the company, some even near seven figures!
I had 26-29s on everything except math, which was a score of 8 on the first one and 16 on the 2nd, lol. It plummeted my overall scores. And I also had a girl break up with me because I wouldn't tell her my ACT scores. And I went to graduate school and have a well paying job in the education field now. They are useless tests, just out there to make kids who have ADHD or from disadvantaged backgrounds feel even dumber than public schools already make them feel.
I never took the SAT. I was staying in state, more than likely based on what I wanted to major in, and both schools that had my major wanted ACT scores. I took it twice, scored the same both times. First time I took it I got a 36 in science. The second time science wasn't as high but reading and English came up or whatever the other two things were outside science and math.
I don't think scoring around the same on achievement tests is uncommon, but getting exactly the same is impressive!
(Although being a packrat, I dug my scores up and my Math achievement and SAT Math were the exact same number.)
780 math
680 verbal
Didn't do anything for me whatsoever. Parents were disappointed i didn't get 800 math (they were both math teachers). Rather, they were mathematicians who taught math too.
I did pretty well on the Math GRE too.
I'm nothing special, just good at taking tests.
I remember the Quantitative GRE in 2001 being easier than the SAT math in 1993, less geometry, more graph interpretation. Did a little better on the score (750 vs low 700s) but lower on the percentage.
Yep, 1250 - 700 math, 550 verbal. It was my first try at it with no prep in 11th grade, thinking I could try again in the fall of my senior year. When I got my scores, I felt like I didn't need to go through that again.
Ooof. I don't remember the exact number, but I do remember it was only 5 points higher than the minimum score to be able to go to an instate university. Oof. 25 years later, still rockin' it, ha!
I got a 1330 on the SAT and a 30 on the ACT. Good enough to get me into engineering school where I did well enough to graduate.
And it’s the diploma that matters. No has asked for my scores or even my GPA since I graduated.
Yes. And yes, I would say they mattered- as they resulted directly in over 20K in scholarship money in the 1990s. I also have a HEAVY G-factor, and they are the same as my GRE scores. Which were also "worth" it, because the directly allowed me (with a research proposal) to get over 60K in funding for grad school :).
I liked school, it came easy, and I was a dork- so I took full advantage of those scores and got a ton of it paid for. My ACTs paid for the other 20K of college back in the 1990s. IDK- I think everybody is different, but for me, I studied hard for those tests- That money mattered, and was the difference between working at the factory in town my whole life or getting out. I got out.
1310 on the SAT - 640 Verbal, 670 Math. Later, when I took the GRE, I got 1460 - 720 Verbal, 740 Math - because I read a study guide the night before. Lesson learned about preparation.
It never really mattered.
1160 - 580 on both. I only remember because of how many people (guidance counselor, etc) said they'd not seen someone have exactly the same scores on both before. 🤷🏻♀️
1380, which I thought meant I was gonna be a star in college…. until I got there and had two people in my dorm with over 1500. And until I discovered fun.
We didn’t take the SAT where I grew up. I got a 29 on my ACT. My brother had a 33 (?). Can’t remember exactly but much better than me and enough to make him a National Merit scholar and earn a full ride plus stipend. Which he lost after the first year when he had too much fun and couldn’t post a 3.5. Our dad yanked him out and made him move home and go to community college for a year.
My 29 was enough to get me full tuition to a state school. I kept it all four years and graduated with no debt, so I’ll take my 29 and be grateful, lol.
1020. I needed 1000 to get into my university, so I was happy. I received a solid education from a good school, found a good job and have had a strong career for the past 28 years -- no complaints!
Didn't take the SAT.
Got a 28 on the ACT.
Took it once. Never thought about taking it again. I was in a class of about 145 kids and more than a dozen of them got a 35 or 36. It made me feel pretty average, and a 28 was actually pretty good. Probably should have worked a little harder to find a better school and major to pursue.
One of the kids with a 35 was such a screwup. His GPA was like 2.25, he never went to school, terrible home life, never made good choices, Enlisted in the Army, got a general discharge. No clue where he is now. Could be a doctor or could be dead.
"One of the kids with a 35 was such a screwup. His GPA was like 2.25, he never went to school, terrible home life, never made good choices, Enlisted in the Army, got a general discharge. No clue where he is now. Could be a doctor or could be dead."
This is one of the reasons they are such a terrible metric for success in life in general. It's such a technocratic and elitist way to look at education . . .
I think it was 1310 SAT (680 and 630) / 31 ACT. I’m a pack-rat and found my scores a few years ago in a file folder. I have the fortune of testing well on standardized tests. Doing well on the PSAT made me a National Merit Scholar.
Test scores also landed me in an Honors program at a university in a different state and made me eligible for scholarships and in-state tuition. A good GMAT score landed me a great fellowship for grad school. A good LSAT score led to a top tier law school that likely has been beneficial in my career.
Completed undergrad in 3 years. Added 2 years to get my Masters. Worked for 4 years, then started law school. Was 29/30 when I got my J.D. / passed the bar (yet another standardized test.) Last standardized test was an additional state’s bar in 2007.
Also did well on the GRE but chose a J.D. over a Ph.D.
The scholarships resulting from my test scores definitely mattered to my family.
[Back to how OP landed on this topic: Family lore is that, when the police in Florida called CJIS to confirm the body they found was Cunanan’s, a relative of mine was the employee who answered the call.]
I got a 1470. I graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA, College with a 3.1 I think. Law school a bit lower than that.
Multiple choice tests have always been easy for me.
I got a 1450. 760 on math and 690 on English. I was disappointed that I missed any questions on the math portion since it was the easiest test I'd taken in years. I only applied to one school (VA Tech) because I wanted to go to their engineering school. I didn't get accepted. So, I guess the scores didn't matter.
I went to a community college and there are rules in VA that say the in state universities have to accept transfer students with good grades. Once there, I did well and graduated in the top quarter of my major. I didn't get a job straight out of college either.
My road was altogether more difficult than it should have been.
I got 1100. I remember it because I made the mistake of telling my (college-age now) kids my score and now I get roasted (good-naturedly) every time I pipe up. "OK, Mr. 1100" or just "1100" (they all did MUCH better...they take after their mother)
I told them it wasn't THAT bad and it was easier now but they didn't believe me until I proved it. It still would only go up a bit on the new scoring. It wasn't that bad because back then nobody did test prep. I just walked into the test in my pajamas and bathrobe (literally), took it, and left. Didn't test prep. Didn't take it 2-3 times. It was different (read: better) back then.
I drank through college (Big 10) but did enough to get into the worst law school in the country. had a successful 20-year career as a lawyer and now teach high school.
The score didn't matter in my life much, but I am a very stereotypical GenX slacker.
Whatever.
I forgot we had the SAT coming up, so I didn’t prepare. I’m not proud of my score at all, 1250 IIRC.
When I applied to grad school and took the GRE, which is scored on the same scale as the SAT, I decided to actually apply myself and stop having regrets. 1480, not too shabby. :)
I did not do that great on them. I think made around 950. It was good enough for a full ROTC scholarship. Maybe the Army was just desperate for suckers. I went to a private college that supposedly was hard to get into in my home state. And I wasn't a provisional student either. Maybe it was a combo of GPA , which was really.good, and all the crap I did in high school like wrestling and track.
I took it when I was 15 through some honor society thing (did anyone else do that?). Don’t remember the score, the schools I applied to all wanted the ACT which I took as a senior.
I first took it in 7th grade through a program sponsored by Duke. Scored a 740. My father used to brag that I scored better than many college football players in 7th grade.
My combined score was 1170. But my verbal was very high and math was so low that I had to take an 099 math class. I don't recall each score.
It didn't matter because I went to a community college and quit after less than two years. At least it gave me some evidence that I'm not a complete idiot.
1310. I did pretty well academically in high school but bombed in college. I wasn't even drinking or partying, I was just young and lost with poor social skills. The college I went to didn't offer majors I was actually interested in or good at, but i was too young to realize that. I was a square peg trying and failing to shove myself into a round hole.
Being a high achiever in high school didn't translate to anything in real life. I sell / perform beauty services now, which I love and fits my personality and interests perfectly.
I think I got a 640 verbal, and a 590 math, but my last two years of HS GPA were total shit. I got into a school because my parents knew someone on the Board of Trustees, and I was great at Track. I lasted 1.25 semesters.
Means less now than it did then.
1080, which was decent back in 1990. My actual grades still meant I had to do 2 years of community college which I fucked up because I was lazy as fuck and never did homework.
1360 - 700 math, 660 verbal. I was an average college student, graduated on time but had to retake a class due to an F. I've had to take a few other standardized exams over the years (GRE, certification exams) which I've also done well on. Just good at standardized tests, I suppose.
I got a 950. LOL! I think I did quite well considering the circumstances. I had Grateful Dead tickets for a Thursday and Friday shows. It was three hours away. I made it home on the Saturday of my SATs around 6:00 am. I had a coffee, one more hit of acid, and then my dad gave me a ride to the testing sight. I asked him for a pencil before I go out of his truck. He reached into his golf bag and gave me one of those two inch golf pencils. Fuck. So, it was rough, especially without an eraser. I'm not even sure I filled the dots in for the rows that corresponded with each question. All things considered, I was rather pleased.
34 ACT and only had to do the SAT for National Merit, 760 math, 670 verbal. Got National Merit but not full ride where I went. Blew the interview, but got a “grant” that covered most of it. Student loan of about $5000 to finish.
I do, but largely because I got a bunch of scholarship money as a result of the PSAT/SAT (national merit scholarships). And I became a professor, so things like standardized test scores remained relevant in my life far beyond age 18.
I got an even 1200 (600 verbal, 600 math) on the SAT and I remember it being the weak link in my applications to elite colleges.
Not only is the test itself easier these days, but kids have more resources to prepare.
I remember my scores - I'm not sure why it feels weird to be more specific but I did in the low 700s each on both verbal and math, but it was a huge difference in percentages (like high 90s verbal vs 90th math.)
~~Also that whole TSWE part I totally bombed. Fortunately, colleges didn't seem to care.~~ *Memory is funny. I found the old paper, and I did great on the TSWE. The score I was remembering was from the stupid SAT they had us take in 7th grade for Johns Hopkins CTY.*
This was pre-recentering, graduated HS in '94.
I got into a better college than my mediocre (B- average) grades justified in part because of that, but not one (nor my major there) with a direct relationship with my eventual career. My college GPA was a solid 3.0, slightly better than HS, but nothing to write home about.
Fortunately, I graduated into the dot-com bubble and a CS minor from a name-brand-but-not-known-for-engineering school was better qualified than many folks who got into the industry then - the running joke at the time was "you can get hired for a programming job if you can spell the word Java."
I back to grad school after working for a few years in the field, because I didn't want to be the funny techy with only a social sciences degree.
We took the ACT and not the SAT in my area. I wanna say it was like 28? My ASVAB was 91. Went to a community college for two semesters (I paid for it working part time) and didn't continue after that.
Test from the 80s: [Can be Found Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/cognitiveTesting/comments/o4tzee/official_1980s_sat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Test from 94-95: [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/cognitiveTesting/comments/z0q6ei/the_last_sat_to_be_administered_before_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
In case you are wondering if you can beat yourself.
I got around 1200? In that area. Kids in my school were getting 1400+. I'm pretty sure it was out of 1600 at the time. I remember getting there and had to borrow a pencil. Like the one thing you had to bring. Probably should have failed it right there.
I got 1380. 730 Verbal, 650 Math. I had taken a very basic prep class at the public library with 2 teachers from my school. Having shown I was good at taking tests, I got into a good college. Once there I discovered I had no study skills or executive function and I bailed out after 3 years. Became a carpenter. Worked with a lot of other dropouts.
Didn't take the SAT, but 29 on the ACT. In my small town situation and with parent who weren't college graduates, I didn't know there were way to study and prepare for those tests. It got me into a state university that, at the time, I thought was a great school. Now, I know it was ok. It was perfectly fine.
In a perfect world, with my 4.2 GPA (4.0 scale but with weighted courses), I'd have taken a course in SAT prep and would have known that I had opportunities to go to an amazing school out of state. But hey, it worked out fine. Graduated, went to grad school, dropped out of that, traveled a bit to work and have fun, joined the military, retired from the military, and now am on the way back to grad school.
That's just career and school, of course. I also picked up a great family along the way and that wouldn't have happened the same way if I had taken off for a UC or something
Wow. If I can remember back to 1985 (when there were two sections, 800 pts each), I think I got 540 verbal and 620 math? Seems backwards knowing myself. But I’m pretty sure that’s what it was.
I got into some good schools, went to the fanciest one, found it snooty AF, so took a year off after frosh year and then transferred to a less snooty college, where I got a better education (Quakers love education and are rigorous!) and loved every aspect of it.
The valedictorian of my HS class tested very poorly and got under 1000, but was so smart and a great student. She got into the USNA! And there were no legacy family members or whatnot. They were a huge Catholic family of 12 kids that lived in like a 3 br old house. Dad was a firefighter and mom was a mom.
I remember my scores, primarily because of my father’s response. He grabbed the letter out of my hand, looked at it in disgust, and said “verbal is fine, but math could use improvement.”
I will never treat my child like that. I will never understand how a parent can tear their child down instead of lifting them up.
I moved as far away as I could and stay very low contact. My family and I are thriving on a different continent.
I felt like my score was more than good enough. It got me actively recruited by a bunch of good schools and got me a scholarship. My father’s reaction to the scores ensured that I stayed far away from every degree/career path he thought was good. I ended up being successful in my “fake” career after getting my “useless fluff” degree from an “imaginary” school.
>!(800 verbal, 720 math.)!<
1440. My Gen X partner (we were high school sweethearts) got a 1460 and I was a little annoyed with myself that I didn’t beat him.
Our 17 year old took it this year and got a 1500 and beat us both which I’m quite pleased about.
I do remember my scores from both times I took it and while they're not as high as some here (I was on the original scoring system), they are acceptable for membership to Mensa. That always seemed like a big deal to me but I never joined - it just seemed more important to know that I qualified.
Aside from that, dropped out of college after a semester and a half, took a few classes here and there later in my twenties, now own a business and no one asks me what my scores were or if I have a degree.
PSAT 80 verbal (three wrong) 79 math (one wrong), although people multiplied by 10 to describe them on the SAT scale. SAT 1520 - 760 math & verbal - didn’t study enough - motivation somewhat flagged after the PSAT, kinda an off day - that was on me. Overall, thank you Princeton Review! They helped for sure, got noticed for scholarship. Didn’t crack the Ivy League, but good engineering school.
The morning I was scheduled to take my SATs, I came down with pneumonia. I didn't know what it was at the time, I just felt like I was getting the flu, but like a true genXer, I sucked it up and pushed through. I felt like I had been run over by a dump truck but I took the test and went home and went to bed. When I got my scores in the mail, they were a lot lower than I thought they'd be. Luckily, neither of my parents cared enough to ever ask about it. It didn't really affect me at all because I went to junior college for a couple years before transferring.
I can’t remember what score I had. I know it’s wasn’t fantastic but I also knew I didn’t want to go to college - I already had a job that I worked after school and in the summers and I stayed there. When I graduated they hired me full time at a decent salary for an 18 yr old back then with a pension and health insurance. I had my own apartment at 19 and leased a brand new car. I’m still there today and I’m retiring in the next few years. I’m debating exactly when. I’ll have over 35 years in the pension system by the time I retire.
Wow…I haven’t thought about that in 25+ years. I recall needing something like a 1370 or 1380 for certain scholarships or funding through the university and I met the requirement so I was probably somewhere around 1400. My parents probably still have my results somewhere in the pile of stuff I always say I’ll go through and never do.
It seemed like a HUGE deal back then ('85) and I was told to not bother. Twist my arm. I heard stories about kids having a nervous breakdown over them.
I crapped out on the PSAT, so never bothered with the SAT. I'm horrible a big standardized tests. I hated school. My mother was never going to afford for me to go to a 4 year school. Luckily, I took accounting in HS and really liked it. Got my AAS at a local community college (13 bucks a credit fall of 85) In my 20s, my employer was pushing me to go back and get my BS, but would have had to basically start over. Anyway, I did pretty well in my career considering. So glad that colleges make so much easier for kids to start at 2 year schools and transfer.
I took it twice. The first time I was super nervous, spent months taking practice tests on weekends and got a 1190. I took it again, didn't prepare at all, didn't care, and got a 1350.
I was never encouraged to take them so sadly I have no score to gauge how I stood next to my peers. I guess those tests don't actually matter in the grand scheme of things. No one has ever ask me dirextly what mine were.
Our state took the ACT. it definitely was either a 26-27. And I only remember that because I remember my BFF score was 28 and she was mad and I felt irritated that I was just below her and she was making such a big deal about her score being low. But really she was mad because her sister got a 31. She retook it again and got a 30.
And now I have no idea how I pulled that out of my head….
I can't remember the scores, but the total just broke 1300. I remember that I had to take it again because the college I wanted to go to offered me a partial scholarship, but my score had to be at least 1300 and I had like a 1290 or something like that.
Scholarship was in music, obviously.😂
i had friends that got near perfect scores. One ended up working for NASA. The scores mattered most for college admissions and scholarships that I can recall.
It was in the 1400's and no it really didn't matter. Couldn't afford college after high school and couldn't apply for grants due to FAFSA rules, under age 26 your parents must sign with you...and I didnt want to saddle.my struggling family with more potential debt...
780 verbal 520 math. Applied and got into northeastern schools like BC, Bowden, or Villanova ended up at Providence College with my best friend. He graduated summa cum laude I flunked out my junior year.
I got a 1390 on my SAT (670 verbal, 720 math) and a 32 on the ACT. I was very driven by academic achievement in high school, so those scores were like part of my identity. Didn’t mean shit other than that I could take standardized tests well, in the end. Took me 10 years to graduate college because I spent most of my time high, drunk, or being an idiot. I eventually got my shit together in my late twenties and did fairly well in grad school. Don’t remember what I got on the GRE, but it was good enough to get in, and it made my wife mad because I beat her best score without studying or really preparing. Just something about standardized tests.
I also got a 32 but until now didn't realize it was that good lol. I wonder if this is why my college was so motivated to help me out with financial aid so I could attend. I didn't really want to go to college, but it was better than being homeless.
34 is effectively the minimum these days for Ivy League admission. 32 will secure you a seat at a top state university. Assuming your GPA is reflective of that score. This comes from looking at recent admission records.
A friend’s older (also GenX) brother scored 1600 but dropped out of undergrad and mostly has lived off his father.
I got a 34 on the ACT now I prefer to work blue collar to stay in shape and get that exercise dopamine with my paycheck.
Holy cow man, same scores on the SAT (even to math and English scores) and the ACT. Graduated college 20 years after high school.
I got 640 verbal and 760 math for 1400 PSAT. My SATs were 600 verbal 780 math 1380. I hate that they had them so early on Saturday morning. I was always so bombed out tired. I even just decided to randomly fill in one entire section since it seemed like a fake test questions section and then tried to nap a little. Luckily I guessed correctly and that section was fake and didn't count. For the GRE I was dumb and started thinking about one question and then realized 85% of the time was up and I had about 90% of the test to go and yeah just basically glanced for 1 second and punched an answer with barely a thought and got some hideous like 400-something or 500 for the logic/quantitative section or whatever the heck it was called LOL and then next time made sure to not be dumb and got an 800. I forget what I got on the other stuff. Oddly the GRE didn't seem to be at any higher level than the SAT had been.
Did you know they made the SATs easier in 1996? [https://www.greenes.com/html/convert.htm](https://www.greenes.com/html/convert.htm)
Yes! Apparently, we can add at least 70 points to our Verbal and 20 to our math scores to compare them to our children.
Seriously? I'm weirdly happy about this. My 1260 (640 V; 620 M) from back in the day jumps to 1350 in today's scores.
Same here. I was disappointed not to get a perfect score on Math, but I didn't prepare for it at all and only took it once because it was so expensive. I already knew where I was going for university, so I just needed to meet the entry requirements.
really? well that’s cool.
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Where can you get 2 bit coffee these days? Used to be able to get a shave and a haircut for that much.
They also starting allowing students to receive a higher GPA then 4.0 which I never understood.
That was possible in my high school in the 80s.
UC system in California system interpreted GPAs that way back in the early 1990s. Extra point for honors/AP classes.
That’s always been the case. Instead of docking points from kids in regular classes, they allow kids in honors classes to get more. It wouldn’t be fair for an A in so called “college prep” courses to count the same as an A in AP classes.
More points are given for honors classes.
Yes, they consider both the weighted and unweighted GPA (with respect to AP courses).
790...lets just say I didnt get into a good school
790 is really good! Was that on the math or English section? 😆 Out of curiosity, in terms of your adult career, do you think it made much of a difference? I got around 1200 and I went to a very mediocre state school. Other than getting me stuck in the asshole of the United States, school and SAT didn't matter. No one cared, they just wanted to see I'd got a degree. I'm wondering if that test is really indicative of what we knew or where we were going in life. I don't think so. I was a fucking moron until I was 30 or so and the lightbulb came on.
Got the same question..thats overall score!
I scored about the same. Didn’t study and was hungover. Took the ACT and did a bit better. Got into a state school. Then into the tech industry in the early 90s. Wasn’t even related to my degree. I’ve made a really good career in IT and along the way no one gave a shit about my SATs. I should also mention that I did flunk out after freshman year, but I finally got my shit together in and went back and actually got on the deans list several times. I went on to a graduate degree as well. So SATs just got me in the door. What I did once I was in was up to me. It just took me a little time to figure that out.
1100. I went to college to be a teacher, loved it, retired early a couple years ago with 25 years of service, and now I own a pottery studio and play in mud all day.
Success!
Yeah I don’t know how I stumbled into it, honestly. My wife and I had zero experience working with clay, but I wanted to try it and she just said “sure, why not?” Now I’m ready to retire from my retirement lol
So great to see that! Congratulations and happy retirement!
Thanks! We have an art show opening today in a nearby town and we’re setting up at markets all summer selling our pottery to tourists 😁
Wow. You retired at what, 50? I taught for 20 years. By then I was 44 and realized I’d have to teach at least 20 more, if not 25. How were you able to retire at 50 and pick up a spendy hobby? LCOL area? Inheritance? Wealthy partner? I’m 55 now, the age my dad was when he retired. I’d give anything to retire. But divorce and various fallout from that set me back a LOT. Damn cheating ex.
I was 52, and my wife had retired a year earlier. We had a very lucky combination of both of us saving money since we were teenagers, a big 403b, and not one but TWO wealthy relatives who kicked the bucket with zero offspring. We are still getting decent retirement checks, so we would be fine even if the studio fails, but we are VERY busy. I’d say I work at least 50% more/harder than when I was a teacher but it’s incredibly rewarding. The pottery studio brings in a lot more money than I gave up by taking an early retirement and it’s a blast lol. Sorry to hear about your divorce, man. That does suck, for sure.
I got the same absurdly high score as our valedictorian, 1460 (720 math, 740 verbal). We tied for the highest score at our high school. But she also had a perfect GPA while mine was... not perfect.
I got a 1465. No idea what the valedictorian got though. I can't remember what my breakdown was but math was probably higher. The night before the GRE, I got way too drunk and I was hung over as hell, so I could have done better on the math section... I got one of the answers wrong.
TIL SAT scores can end in 5
I only colored in half the circle. Maybe it was 1460? Honestly, it was like 38 years ago.
My roommates in college had a massive party the night before my GRE - and I had to take the physics subject GRE as well, which was (in ~1998) largely considered to be the most difficult standardized test possible. I tried telling them multiple times to keep it quiet, but they kept going until around 2 am, when I finally just called the cops about the noise and they actually came and cited them... felt like a dick move, but at the same time, this was my future.
Standardized testing gets at different skill sets than grades. Grades a reflect both your aptitude and your discipline, grit, etc. Standardized tests mostly just get at aptitude (unless you study, but that is impossible to tell from a score). Aptitude for the material, but also aptitude for taking those type of tests. I was blessed with a brain that was both. Got me out of the backwater hell hole I grew up in.
Haha yeah, I'm aware of that.
Yeah, I was advised to not take them again because I’d already done well the first time and my grades were so mediocre that colleges would realize I put zero effort into school if I upped my score any further. Most kids I knew took them twice but I only took them once.
I didn't get that advice, but I got a similar mid-1400s score, and had a less than great average (low 80s, B- basically at a more normal school), so I figured that I was doing well enough.
Never took the SAT, we had the ACT where I was. I scored a 31. Which, it turns out, was high enough to qualify me for Mensa. Edit: typo. Certainly not immune from those.
I was proud of my 29. Showoff.
I retook it and only got 30?
Wow, a 31 is GREAT. I think that translates to a 1350 in SAT talk, which was Ivy League material. And Mensa, as you mentioned.
My best friend got a 32. Grrrrrr!
That's probably why you were friends :)
Same score here too. What was your measured IQ back then? I was 128 around that age, I suspect that it's lower now. Isn't MENSA largely a scam? You may find this interesting: https://www.sebjenseb.net/p/converting-sat-and-act-to-iq Tracks pretty well for me.
I've never known my actual IQ. My mom has said various crazy high numbers over the years, but she never lets facts get in the way of a good story.
1080. I remember being so humiliated. I had plans to go to an Ivy League school, but would have needed a scholarship. I knew with that score, that would never happen. Everything else was strong enough to get me into my state’s flagship university, and I had an excellent education. But I’ll always remember the moment that particular dream just died.
Mine was 0. Cause I'm Canadian
hah! Canadians don't know nuffin! 0! Even I beat that!
Writing your name gets you 400 points.
Yes. In large part because I was forced to take it a second time, in another town, because my initial score was thought to be too high... concern that I'd somehow cheated. 1430. Second time, 1490. Can't say I blame them, I had a 1.9 GPA at the time. Never went to college, but tech has treated me well.
This is interesting how some things stay stuck in our memories. I remember thinking mine were awful because I got a 560 in math and that seemed embarrassing at the time. For some reason it was important that I get over 600 and I didn’t do it. My verbal was a 680. My scores were adequate to get me into my local state university (which has a decent academic reputation, but it certainly wasn’t top tier). I don’t think my scores had much of an effect on my future life.
I don't remember each part individually, but I had 1340 total. I know I did better on the math than on the verbal. I went to college, but I ended up dropping out as well. I hope this doesn't come across as some sort of humble brag, but I do think some of us with higher scores that never really had to work in school, went off to college and suddenly had to do hours upon hours of difficult homework and studying. I'll be honest here, I didn't have the skills needed for college because I never really had to work at school before. I often think I lucked out as well when it comes to my career. I'm one of the few lucky people who went to a temp agency, and I ended up making a lifelong career at the place they sent me. I'll have 29-30 years in a good union job by the time I retire. I don't take my lucky circumstances for granted. Yes, there's obviously a reason I've been able to keep a job, and always excelled, got promoted, etc. But, the circumstances that began it all involved a lot of luck, a lot of being at the right place at the right time, and a realization that I don't have a job that is super stressful or something most people couldn't learn and do. So, when I think back on my career, I have a lot of gratitude because I'm well aware that the vast majority of people struggle a lot more than I do. But, I will say that during my entire career, I have never had to work as hard as I did in college. I have a 9 - 5, when work is over, work is over. I have my life back, and college was way too hard and way too unnecessary. I think about that, and often encourage the young people in my life to not assume they have to go to college. There are other ways to cultivate a good life. If they want to go, that's awesome. But, if they don't, that's awesome too.
750 math, 490 verbal. I might have the record for the biggest spread in the two scores :-0
Hah my spread was 780 math and 600 verbal but yeah you have me there. (also on PSAT it was a closer with 760 and 640).
Don’t remember the score, but I did much better on verbal than math. Back then, my score was enough to get me into University of Maryland. That was when pretty much any Maryland resident with a high school diploma and a note from Epstein’s mother could get in.
1310, can’t remember the split exactly but it was like 720 verbal and whatever 1310 minus that is, because I’m still pretty bad at math.
It's not that hard. I believe that would make your math score 900.
Got a 74 on my IQ test they gave me at 9 ( in the 80s) and a 19 on my ACT at 17. I graduated college with honors! They really didn’t understand ADHD back then.
Wow... apparently I have almost *exactly* the same score as a famous serial killer! Mine was 1185...660 verbal and 525 math. I'd thought I would have done a bit better though, as I learned to read at age 2, started kindergarten a year early at 4, and scored between 93rd and 97th percentile on the C.A.T.s all through elementary and middle school. Lol...my brain took a bit of a dive in high school, though🥴 Edit: I, as well flunked out of college and spent most of my life living on the poor side of town.
A 660 was at or above the 95th percentile when you took it, a lot of English teachers didn't score that high.
I didn't take them. Furthering education wasn't encouraged in my home, so no point.
1330 which almost 1337
Technically, 1340 is closer to 1337. Hello, fellow nerd and score twin!
Top one percent. Paid for college.
Same- I think I was top 2-3%. But got college paid for. And GREs paid for Grad School
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Not even for your college app? Presuming you went, of course.
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Cool! Kinda lucked out there with them sort of grandfathering you in through your dual enrollment. I’m sure you earned it, it’s just convenient! I went to a JC before 4 year too, and I think it should be more popular to do so. My classes were small, inexpensive, and many of my classes transferred for credit. Would likely save the average student upwards of 10-20k off their total collegiate expenses.
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Yeah, it’s a little disillusioning after the fact. So much hype and pressure to perform academically and then it comes down to some arbitrary HR team member deciding on if you get the job or not.
“I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record.” If it’s any comfort, on the HR front, those of us with graduate degrees in HR or advanced professional certifications use assessment tools based on their reliability and validity, rather than “where do you see yourself in 10 years” and “what’s your biggest weakness?”
Well, today is your day. Congrats on that pretty kick ass score! 🎉
I took them twice. First time was 930. Second was 1090.
I had like a 1090 (I think?) on the SAT and a 29 on the ACT. Not horrible as it got me into university, but in the end, it meant jack squat.
1310, before the scoring changed. I remember because my boyfriend only scored 1200. It bruised his ego.
It's important to note that SAT scoring was revised in 1996. Here's a chart to convert pre-1996 scores. https://www.greenes.com/html/convert.htm#:~:text=On%20the%20high%20end%2C%20a,be%20awarded%20a%20perfect%201600.
Man even SAT scores have inflation.
It's been inflated once more since, but there's no ready conversion since it went to 3 scores (separate writing section) and back to 2. [https://blog.collegevine.com/new-sat-vs-old-sat-score-conversion-chart](https://blog.collegevine.com/new-sat-vs-old-sat-score-conversion-chart)
Man I'd have had close to 1500.
1410. 700 and 710; I took it twice and got the same scores but on opposite tests.
1320. 780 Math 540 verbal
1250. I remember because my psats were the same (I think they were scored differently but it ended up being the same when it all worked out). Then, 10+ years later when I applied to grad school my GRE score was 1240. I enjoy the consistency.
I got an 800 on my verbal and a 560 on math. I didn't graduate high school and never went to college.
1350 - my verbal was almost perfect. Math, not so much. I went to a top 5 school and barely graduated. I was always much better at standardized tests than I was at school. Undiagnosed ADHD and all that. ADHD is about attention regulation, and oddly enough, I kind of enjoyed standardized tests. I saw them as a game like a crossword puzzle or a good mystery novel. I was always trying to figure out what was behind the questions, what the test writers were trying to do with tricks and misdirection. Showing up in class and doing homework was not nearly as fun.
I didn't take the SAT, but I did take the ACT. I don't remember my scores, but I know I barely passed math, did good on whatever that other one was, and perfect on the writing because I knew there was a formula to it and I stuck to the formula.
Same here. My math scores dropped my ACT from what would have been high 20s to low 20s. The whole thing is so stupid because I was all arts and humanities even at 17 or 18 and knew I didn't want anything to do with math or science. I ended up being on the Dean's list my final two years of college, did awesome in grad school, have a job surrounded by people who went to private schools and had 30s on their ACTs. Oh, and I also write for a national publication. The whole thing is a ridiculous racket.
1430 SAT 33 ACT, went on to get multiple advanced degrees (PhD/MBA) only to realize sales guys doing keg stands barely graduating from party schools were making a killing…meh took me a couple decades but we good now
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Yeah, I worked my way up from the bench to being general manager/COO and only then did I find out that sales people routinely made more than anyone else in the company, some even near seven figures!
ACT baby. And, yes it was average.
I had 26-29s on everything except math, which was a score of 8 on the first one and 16 on the 2nd, lol. It plummeted my overall scores. And I also had a girl break up with me because I wouldn't tell her my ACT scores. And I went to graduate school and have a well paying job in the education field now. They are useless tests, just out there to make kids who have ADHD or from disadvantaged backgrounds feel even dumber than public schools already make them feel.
1210, 650 verbal, 560 math.
I never took the SAT. I was staying in state, more than likely based on what I wanted to major in, and both schools that had my major wanted ACT scores. I took it twice, scored the same both times. First time I took it I got a 36 in science. The second time science wasn't as high but reading and English came up or whatever the other two things were outside science and math.
630, 630. I was also hung over.
Double 630 here too…plus every achievement test I took also had the same score. I think their computer got stuck!
I don't think scoring around the same on achievement tests is uncommon, but getting exactly the same is impressive! (Although being a packrat, I dug my scores up and my Math achievement and SAT Math were the exact same number.)
780 math 680 verbal Didn't do anything for me whatsoever. Parents were disappointed i didn't get 800 math (they were both math teachers). Rather, they were mathematicians who taught math too. I did pretty well on the Math GRE too. I'm nothing special, just good at taking tests.
I remember the Quantitative GRE in 2001 being easier than the SAT math in 1993, less geometry, more graph interpretation. Did a little better on the score (750 vs low 700s) but lower on the percentage.
Yeah me too, I was so surprised when I was taking the Quantitative GRE! I'm like wait, this is easier than the SAT!
Yep, 1250 - 700 math, 550 verbal. It was my first try at it with no prep in 11th grade, thinking I could try again in the fall of my senior year. When I got my scores, I felt like I didn't need to go through that again.
Ooof. I don't remember the exact number, but I do remember it was only 5 points higher than the minimum score to be able to go to an instate university. Oof. 25 years later, still rockin' it, ha!
I got a 1330 on the SAT and a 30 on the ACT. Good enough to get me into engineering school where I did well enough to graduate. And it’s the diploma that matters. No has asked for my scores or even my GPA since I graduated.
Yes. And yes, I would say they mattered- as they resulted directly in over 20K in scholarship money in the 1990s. I also have a HEAVY G-factor, and they are the same as my GRE scores. Which were also "worth" it, because the directly allowed me (with a research proposal) to get over 60K in funding for grad school :). I liked school, it came easy, and I was a dork- so I took full advantage of those scores and got a ton of it paid for. My ACTs paid for the other 20K of college back in the 1990s. IDK- I think everybody is different, but for me, I studied hard for those tests- That money mattered, and was the difference between working at the factory in town my whole life or getting out. I got out.
1310 on the SAT - 640 Verbal, 670 Math. Later, when I took the GRE, I got 1460 - 720 Verbal, 740 Math - because I read a study guide the night before. Lesson learned about preparation. It never really mattered.
I only took the ACT, got a 30. Didn’t study for it. It ended up giving me a PhD in chemistry.
1160 - 580 on both. I only remember because of how many people (guidance counselor, etc) said they'd not seen someone have exactly the same scores on both before. 🤷🏻♀️
1380, which I thought meant I was gonna be a star in college…. until I got there and had two people in my dorm with over 1500. And until I discovered fun.
We didn’t take the SAT where I grew up. I got a 29 on my ACT. My brother had a 33 (?). Can’t remember exactly but much better than me and enough to make him a National Merit scholar and earn a full ride plus stipend. Which he lost after the first year when he had too much fun and couldn’t post a 3.5. Our dad yanked him out and made him move home and go to community college for a year. My 29 was enough to get me full tuition to a state school. I kept it all four years and graduated with no debt, so I’ll take my 29 and be grateful, lol.
1020. I needed 1000 to get into my university, so I was happy. I received a solid education from a good school, found a good job and have had a strong career for the past 28 years -- no complaints!
Didn't take the SAT. Got a 28 on the ACT. Took it once. Never thought about taking it again. I was in a class of about 145 kids and more than a dozen of them got a 35 or 36. It made me feel pretty average, and a 28 was actually pretty good. Probably should have worked a little harder to find a better school and major to pursue. One of the kids with a 35 was such a screwup. His GPA was like 2.25, he never went to school, terrible home life, never made good choices, Enlisted in the Army, got a general discharge. No clue where he is now. Could be a doctor or could be dead.
"One of the kids with a 35 was such a screwup. His GPA was like 2.25, he never went to school, terrible home life, never made good choices, Enlisted in the Army, got a general discharge. No clue where he is now. Could be a doctor or could be dead." This is one of the reasons they are such a terrible metric for success in life in general. It's such a technocratic and elitist way to look at education . . .
I think it was 1310 SAT (680 and 630) / 31 ACT. I’m a pack-rat and found my scores a few years ago in a file folder. I have the fortune of testing well on standardized tests. Doing well on the PSAT made me a National Merit Scholar. Test scores also landed me in an Honors program at a university in a different state and made me eligible for scholarships and in-state tuition. A good GMAT score landed me a great fellowship for grad school. A good LSAT score led to a top tier law school that likely has been beneficial in my career. Completed undergrad in 3 years. Added 2 years to get my Masters. Worked for 4 years, then started law school. Was 29/30 when I got my J.D. / passed the bar (yet another standardized test.) Last standardized test was an additional state’s bar in 2007. Also did well on the GRE but chose a J.D. over a Ph.D. The scholarships resulting from my test scores definitely mattered to my family. [Back to how OP landed on this topic: Family lore is that, when the police in Florida called CJIS to confirm the body they found was Cunanan’s, a relative of mine was the employee who answered the call.]
I just remember people being weirded out bc I got like a 730 verbal and 510 math and supposedly everyone is supposed to get a higher score in math???
I got a 1470. I graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA, College with a 3.1 I think. Law school a bit lower than that. Multiple choice tests have always been easy for me.
I got a 1450. 760 on math and 690 on English. I was disappointed that I missed any questions on the math portion since it was the easiest test I'd taken in years. I only applied to one school (VA Tech) because I wanted to go to their engineering school. I didn't get accepted. So, I guess the scores didn't matter. I went to a community college and there are rules in VA that say the in state universities have to accept transfer students with good grades. Once there, I did well and graduated in the top quarter of my major. I didn't get a job straight out of college either. My road was altogether more difficult than it should have been.
I only remember the combined score, 1330. And a 29 on the ACT. Fat lot of good it did me.
1510 (780 verbal and 730 math). I was good at standardized tests. And I work at a nonprofit, don't make a lot of money. It made no difference.
That was in the late 1980s
I got 1100. I remember it because I made the mistake of telling my (college-age now) kids my score and now I get roasted (good-naturedly) every time I pipe up. "OK, Mr. 1100" or just "1100" (they all did MUCH better...they take after their mother) I told them it wasn't THAT bad and it was easier now but they didn't believe me until I proved it. It still would only go up a bit on the new scoring. It wasn't that bad because back then nobody did test prep. I just walked into the test in my pajamas and bathrobe (literally), took it, and left. Didn't test prep. Didn't take it 2-3 times. It was different (read: better) back then. I drank through college (Big 10) but did enough to get into the worst law school in the country. had a successful 20-year career as a lawyer and now teach high school. The score didn't matter in my life much, but I am a very stereotypical GenX slacker. Whatever.
I forgot we had the SAT coming up, so I didn’t prepare. I’m not proud of my score at all, 1250 IIRC. When I applied to grad school and took the GRE, which is scored on the same scale as the SAT, I decided to actually apply myself and stop having regrets. 1480, not too shabby. :)
I went to a podunk school and there was no preparing for anything back then.
1070, 640 math, 430 English, became a CPA.
I did not do that great on them. I think made around 950. It was good enough for a full ROTC scholarship. Maybe the Army was just desperate for suckers. I went to a private college that supposedly was hard to get into in my home state. And I wasn't a provisional student either. Maybe it was a combo of GPA , which was really.good, and all the crap I did in high school like wrestling and track.
I took it when I was 15 through some honor society thing (did anyone else do that?). Don’t remember the score, the schools I applied to all wanted the ACT which I took as a senior.
I first took it in 7th grade through a program sponsored by Duke. Scored a 740. My father used to brag that I scored better than many college football players in 7th grade.
My combined score was 1170. But my verbal was very high and math was so low that I had to take an 099 math class. I don't recall each score. It didn't matter because I went to a community college and quit after less than two years. At least it gave me some evidence that I'm not a complete idiot.
1310. I did pretty well academically in high school but bombed in college. I wasn't even drinking or partying, I was just young and lost with poor social skills. The college I went to didn't offer majors I was actually interested in or good at, but i was too young to realize that. I was a square peg trying and failing to shove myself into a round hole. Being a high achiever in high school didn't translate to anything in real life. I sell / perform beauty services now, which I love and fits my personality and interests perfectly.
I think I got a 640 verbal, and a 590 math, but my last two years of HS GPA were total shit. I got into a school because my parents knew someone on the Board of Trustees, and I was great at Track. I lasted 1.25 semesters. Means less now than it did then.
lol. no. Went to JC, so no SATs for me!
1080, which was decent back in 1990. My actual grades still meant I had to do 2 years of community college which I fucked up because I was lazy as fuck and never did homework.
I don't even remember taking SATs
1360 - 700 math, 660 verbal. I was an average college student, graduated on time but had to retake a class due to an F. I've had to take a few other standardized exams over the years (GRE, certification exams) which I've also done well on. Just good at standardized tests, I suppose.
It's not the worst skill to have when you're young, and then ceases to be useful after that.
1120. 620 verbal and 500 in math. Never studied for it and I'm abysmal at math. Literally just guessed most.
1120 with the old scoring. 610 verbal 510 math. Not bad for a C student and good enough for state school.
I got a 950. LOL! I think I did quite well considering the circumstances. I had Grateful Dead tickets for a Thursday and Friday shows. It was three hours away. I made it home on the Saturday of my SATs around 6:00 am. I had a coffee, one more hit of acid, and then my dad gave me a ride to the testing sight. I asked him for a pencil before I go out of his truck. He reached into his golf bag and gave me one of those two inch golf pencils. Fuck. So, it was rough, especially without an eraser. I'm not even sure I filled the dots in for the rows that corresponded with each question. All things considered, I was rather pleased.
It was around 900. I had no prospect of going to college so I spent the night prior on some substance that lasts 6-12 hours, I think.
34 ACT and only had to do the SAT for National Merit, 760 math, 670 verbal. Got National Merit but not full ride where I went. Blew the interview, but got a “grant” that covered most of it. Student loan of about $5000 to finish.
I do, but largely because I got a bunch of scholarship money as a result of the PSAT/SAT (national merit scholarships). And I became a professor, so things like standardized test scores remained relevant in my life far beyond age 18.
I got an even 1200 (600 verbal, 600 math) on the SAT and I remember it being the weak link in my applications to elite colleges. Not only is the test itself easier these days, but kids have more resources to prepare.
I remember my scores - I'm not sure why it feels weird to be more specific but I did in the low 700s each on both verbal and math, but it was a huge difference in percentages (like high 90s verbal vs 90th math.) ~~Also that whole TSWE part I totally bombed. Fortunately, colleges didn't seem to care.~~ *Memory is funny. I found the old paper, and I did great on the TSWE. The score I was remembering was from the stupid SAT they had us take in 7th grade for Johns Hopkins CTY.* This was pre-recentering, graduated HS in '94. I got into a better college than my mediocre (B- average) grades justified in part because of that, but not one (nor my major there) with a direct relationship with my eventual career. My college GPA was a solid 3.0, slightly better than HS, but nothing to write home about. Fortunately, I graduated into the dot-com bubble and a CS minor from a name-brand-but-not-known-for-engineering school was better qualified than many folks who got into the industry then - the running joke at the time was "you can get hired for a programming job if you can spell the word Java." I back to grad school after working for a few years in the field, because I didn't want to be the funny techy with only a social sciences degree.
Sub 1000. I was also a high school dropout tho so…
We took the ACT and not the SAT in my area. I wanna say it was like 28? My ASVAB was 91. Went to a community college for two semesters (I paid for it working part time) and didn't continue after that.
Test from the 80s: [Can be Found Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/cognitiveTesting/comments/o4tzee/official_1980s_sat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) Test from 94-95: [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/cognitiveTesting/comments/z0q6ei/the_last_sat_to_be_administered_before_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) In case you are wondering if you can beat yourself. I got around 1200? In that area. Kids in my school were getting 1400+. I'm pretty sure it was out of 1600 at the time. I remember getting there and had to borrow a pencil. Like the one thing you had to bring. Probably should have failed it right there.
I got 1380. 730 Verbal, 650 Math. I had taken a very basic prep class at the public library with 2 teachers from my school. Having shown I was good at taking tests, I got into a good college. Once there I discovered I had no study skills or executive function and I bailed out after 3 years. Became a carpenter. Worked with a lot of other dropouts.
1400, which was amazing because I barely studied and I had to drag my drunk dad to bed the night before so he would drive me to the test.
Didn't take the SAT, but 29 on the ACT. In my small town situation and with parent who weren't college graduates, I didn't know there were way to study and prepare for those tests. It got me into a state university that, at the time, I thought was a great school. Now, I know it was ok. It was perfectly fine. In a perfect world, with my 4.2 GPA (4.0 scale but with weighted courses), I'd have taken a course in SAT prep and would have known that I had opportunities to go to an amazing school out of state. But hey, it worked out fine. Graduated, went to grad school, dropped out of that, traveled a bit to work and have fun, joined the military, retired from the military, and now am on the way back to grad school. That's just career and school, of course. I also picked up a great family along the way and that wouldn't have happened the same way if I had taken off for a UC or something
It did not. Got tired of AG classes and just wanted to be a part of normal people. Yep, my mother raised a Sheldon but none ever knew.
Wow. If I can remember back to 1985 (when there were two sections, 800 pts each), I think I got 540 verbal and 620 math? Seems backwards knowing myself. But I’m pretty sure that’s what it was. I got into some good schools, went to the fanciest one, found it snooty AF, so took a year off after frosh year and then transferred to a less snooty college, where I got a better education (Quakers love education and are rigorous!) and loved every aspect of it.
The valedictorian of my HS class tested very poorly and got under 1000, but was so smart and a great student. She got into the USNA! And there were no legacy family members or whatnot. They were a huge Catholic family of 12 kids that lived in like a 3 br old house. Dad was a firefighter and mom was a mom.
590/640=1230
Good enough score but wasn't he supposed to have a genius level IQ? Expected his score to be higher.
1230 all together. I think the breakdown was 650 math/580 verbal. Also got a 29 on ACT
1320 back in like 1990
800 verbal, 760 math; got me into Northwestern
Yep. I got a 1050. Did great on language but crashed and burned in math. Got the same score the same way on my GRE!
Yes I got into Duke with Sat scores lower than that. Now I wouldn’t ever.
From Canada. (Edmonton) We didn't have to do SAT tests.
I never was presented the option of taking the ACT. My school only gave the SAT. Why was this?
I remember my scores, primarily because of my father’s response. He grabbed the letter out of my hand, looked at it in disgust, and said “verbal is fine, but math could use improvement.” I will never treat my child like that. I will never understand how a parent can tear their child down instead of lifting them up. I moved as far away as I could and stay very low contact. My family and I are thriving on a different continent. I felt like my score was more than good enough. It got me actively recruited by a bunch of good schools and got me a scholarship. My father’s reaction to the scores ensured that I stayed far away from every degree/career path he thought was good. I ended up being successful in my “fake” career after getting my “useless fluff” degree from an “imaginary” school. >!(800 verbal, 720 math.)!<
1440. My Gen X partner (we were high school sweethearts) got a 1460 and I was a little annoyed with myself that I didn’t beat him. Our 17 year old took it this year and got a 1500 and beat us both which I’m quite pleased about.
480 in verbal and 600 in math. Yay me. Didn't matter.
1500 ... 780 math, 720 verbal It made me a minor celebrity in my school for a couple of days
I do remember my scores from both times I took it and while they're not as high as some here (I was on the original scoring system), they are acceptable for membership to Mensa. That always seemed like a big deal to me but I never joined - it just seemed more important to know that I qualified. Aside from that, dropped out of college after a semester and a half, took a few classes here and there later in my twenties, now own a business and no one asks me what my scores were or if I have a degree.
PSAT 80 verbal (three wrong) 79 math (one wrong), although people multiplied by 10 to describe them on the SAT scale. SAT 1520 - 760 math & verbal - didn’t study enough - motivation somewhat flagged after the PSAT, kinda an off day - that was on me. Overall, thank you Princeton Review! They helped for sure, got noticed for scholarship. Didn’t crack the Ivy League, but good engineering school.
The morning I was scheduled to take my SATs, I came down with pneumonia. I didn't know what it was at the time, I just felt like I was getting the flu, but like a true genXer, I sucked it up and pushed through. I felt like I had been run over by a dump truck but I took the test and went home and went to bed. When I got my scores in the mail, they were a lot lower than I thought they'd be. Luckily, neither of my parents cared enough to ever ask about it. It didn't really affect me at all because I went to junior college for a couple years before transferring.
I can’t remember what score I had. I know it’s wasn’t fantastic but I also knew I didn’t want to go to college - I already had a job that I worked after school and in the summers and I stayed there. When I graduated they hired me full time at a decent salary for an 18 yr old back then with a pension and health insurance. I had my own apartment at 19 and leased a brand new car. I’m still there today and I’m retiring in the next few years. I’m debating exactly when. I’ll have over 35 years in the pension system by the time I retire.
I remember taking it and that I scored well enough to get into college. Apart from that, I don’t remember anything about it.
620 verbal 500 math. But it was in 1992 before the test was revised and made significantly easier.
Wow…I haven’t thought about that in 25+ years. I recall needing something like a 1370 or 1380 for certain scholarships or funding through the university and I met the requirement so I was probably somewhere around 1400. My parents probably still have my results somewhere in the pile of stuff I always say I’ll go through and never do.
It seemed like a HUGE deal back then ('85) and I was told to not bother. Twist my arm. I heard stories about kids having a nervous breakdown over them.
I crapped out on the PSAT, so never bothered with the SAT. I'm horrible a big standardized tests. I hated school. My mother was never going to afford for me to go to a 4 year school. Luckily, I took accounting in HS and really liked it. Got my AAS at a local community college (13 bucks a credit fall of 85) In my 20s, my employer was pushing me to go back and get my BS, but would have had to basically start over. Anyway, I did pretty well in my career considering. So glad that colleges make so much easier for kids to start at 2 year schools and transfer.
I don’t know if this is true, but apparently when someone asked Jennifer Lopez what she got on her SAT, she replied “Nail polish.”
1050 and I was hung over when I took it but I’m not saying I would have done better otherwise.
I took it twice. The first time I was super nervous, spent months taking practice tests on weekends and got a 1190. I took it again, didn't prepare at all, didn't care, and got a 1350.
I was never encouraged to take them so sadly I have no score to gauge how I stood next to my peers. I guess those tests don't actually matter in the grand scheme of things. No one has ever ask me dirextly what mine were.
1050 and my tiger mom is still disappointed with me.
I had the mumps and appendicitis but i still managed to score 30,569 on my SAT
Our state took the ACT. it definitely was either a 26-27. And I only remember that because I remember my BFF score was 28 and she was mad and I felt irritated that I was just below her and she was making such a big deal about her score being low. But really she was mad because her sister got a 31. She retook it again and got a 30. And now I have no idea how I pulled that out of my head….
I can't remember the scores, but the total just broke 1300. I remember that I had to take it again because the college I wanted to go to offered me a partial scholarship, but my score had to be at least 1300 and I had like a 1290 or something like that. Scholarship was in music, obviously.😂 i had friends that got near perfect scores. One ended up working for NASA. The scores mattered most for college admissions and scholarships that I can recall.
It was in the 1400's and no it really didn't matter. Couldn't afford college after high school and couldn't apply for grants due to FAFSA rules, under age 26 your parents must sign with you...and I didnt want to saddle.my struggling family with more potential debt...
My verbal was 840. Math was..... 5 something...80ish maybe? Low 600s? Overall was high 1300s low 1400s. ACT was 32.
780 verbal 520 math. Applied and got into northeastern schools like BC, Bowden, or Villanova ended up at Providence College with my best friend. He graduated summa cum laude I flunked out my junior year.
I didn’t take the sat, but I scored 34 on the act. My son got a 1580 on his sat. He missed one question in math.
1100. Took it in '93. Don't remember the verbal/math split, though