SATITIS
What should you do if you wake up on test day and don’t feel well? Panic, beat
your fists against the wall, and curse the fates.
Then sit back and assess how you feel. If you really feel vile, consider
postponing the test and asking the College Board for a refund. If, however, you
just have a cold, slight nausea, and a mild headache, you should still take the
SAT. First of all, your “illness” could just be nerves, in which case it might go
away after you take a shower. Even if it doesn’t, adrenaline might well carry you
through the test (you can go home and allow yourself to wallow in your
symptoms afterward), and you won’t have the SAT looming in front of you for
another few months. Take some cold or headache or tummy medicine as long as
you’re certain it won’t make you drowsy. (It’s very difficult to succeed on the
SAT if you take the test while you are sleeping.) Try to relax and breathe deeply
and focus on the test, not on your scratchy throat, runny nose, watery eyes,
throbbing head, clogged sinuses, or aching stomach. And remember, the SAT
nauseates everyone. Finally, if you know you didn’t do well, just cancel your
scores.
Bring tissues—even if you’re feeling completely fine. A runny nose is the worst thing that could ever happen to you, ever.
—Samantha
CANCELING COUNSELING
If, after the test, you think you might have screwed up, that’s only natural, and
you shouldn’t worry about it. However, if you know you screwed up—for
example, you made some grievous error like choosing D for all the writing
questions or falling asleep during a section—then it is probably wise to cancel
(see below). But don’t cancel just because you made a few stupid mistakes. It’s
normal to feel uncertain and nervous about how you did right after the test.
Manek was troubled by a couple of dumb errors he’d made, but after some
stressing and sulking, he remembered that a couple of mistakes aren’t a huge
deal. Give it a few days and you will probably feel better about your
performance.
The simplest way to cancel is to fill out a Test Cancellation Form before you
leave the test center. However, if you decide to cancel after you’ve left the
center, you must notify the College Board by the Wednesday after the Saturday
or Sunday you took the test. (For details, go to collegeboard.org.)