My SAT Journey by Kiashia

My SAT Journey by Kiashia - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

During my junior year, I took the SAT for the first time. I remember sitting there looking at the questions and realizing I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was. There were math topics like proportions, functions, geometry, trigonometry, and even some reading questions that confused me. The more I looked at them, the more anxious and stressed I got. By the time I finished the test, I already knew I hadn't done as well as I wanted.
When I finally got my score back, I was upset. I got an 870, and I felt like all the time I spent studying wasn't enough. For a little while, I questioned myself, but I didn't let that score stop me. I realized one test didn't decide my future. Instead of giving up, I kept studying because I knew the more I practiced, the better I would get.
One of the biggest reasons I kept going was my sister. Even though both of us have busy schedules, she always makes time to study with me. Some mornings we study before we start our day, and other nights we spend hours on the phone going over math and reading. Sometimes I'll send her a picture of a question I don't understand, and instead of just telling me the answer, she'll help me figure it out. There are days when I don't feel like studying or don't have the energy, but she always reminds me why I started. She tells me that if I really want to go to the college I want, I have to keep working because I don't want one test score to limit my opportunities. She also tells me that what feels uncomfortable now will become comfortable later if I stick with it.
As time went on, I started seeing a difference. I wasn't just trying to get the answer anymore. I actually wanted to understand the problem. At first, topics like trigonometry and some geometry questions really confused me. Even reading questions would make me second-guess myself because I wasn't always sure why one answer was right and the others were wrong. I used to get frustrated when I missed the same type of question more than once. Now I slow down, break the problem into smaller steps, and try to understand why the answer is right. I even started noticing patterns that I didn't notice before. That showed me I was actually learning instead of just memorizing answers.
I'm still studying today, and I plan to take the SAT again during my senior year. I don't know what score I'll get yet, but I do know I'm not giving up. Every time I study, I learn something new, and I can already see myself getting better than I was when I first started.
Looking back, I'm actually thankful I didn't get the score I wanted the first time. If I had, I probably wouldn't have pushed myself the way I do now. It made me work harder, ask more questions, and believe in myself more. I still have more to learn, but I'm proud of how far I've come, and I know all the work I'm putting in now will be worth it in the end.