"SAT: Why was it so bad?" by John Doe

Standardized tests are always a thorn in the test taker’s side. They are another glorious moment in any student’s life, Though many tests are somewhat tame, the vast majority of standardized tests pale in comparison to the hellish experience that is the SAT: the mothership of tests.

Though the exam itself was not particularly difficult on its own, the anticipation was the deal breaker. The moments before each section were marked with an air of fear and anxiety, each participant gasping for air before plunging once more into the cold depths of the “A”s, “B”s, “C”s, “D”s, and “E”s of the Scantron sheets. My prior conceptions about the test clouded the information placed before me, the questions twisting into complicated patterns and perplexing figures of bleak statistics about some new scientific discovery.

At some point, your mind just goes blank. You get tired of answering questions, the massive weight of the world pressing down upon your pencil as you struggle to allot sufficient energy to darken the circle of the Scantron paper. Once reaching this point, there is no going back. Your mind is adrift, focused on the bus outside or the birds flying outside the window. The train of the thought has left the station and crashed immediately.

If, by some miracle, you have the inherent ability to retain your focus, the test becomes immensely more difficult. From trying to recall information on math problems that you haven’t used in years to some obscene grammar rule that Dr.Hull scolded you about on the previous week, the challenges have just began once you sit down to begin the SAT.

Nothing and everything can go wrong once you open up the test booklet. It is truly an adventure, though not one worth going on multiple times. The atmosphere of test taking was the defining factor that keeps you looking at a mirage, keeps you bound to your seat in fear of

failure, or keeps you frozen with doubt in your abilities as a student. One of the most life-changing moments in a high school student’s life is certainly also one of the worst.

Looking back on the SAT experience, it was nothing you can describe. The mental gridlock is unfathomable, and the test unforgettable. No metaphor can truly illustrate the dismay that one faces upon finishing such a grueling challenge. No class can prepare you for it, the SAT is a test worthy of an epic hero, awaiting to be slain by a No.2 pencil.