Celebrity SAT Scores (Kesha, Bill Gates, and more)

Celebrity SAT Scores (Kesha, Bill Gates, and more) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What do you have in common with Kesha, Bill Gates, Al Gore, and Derek Jeter? They all had to take the SAT when they were in high school, just like you! However you feel about the SAT, it’s a landmark in the lives of many American students (and lots of international ones, too). Taking the SAT is an experience that many of you will share and remember well for the rest of your lives. Let’s check out some SAT scores of the rich and famous - and talk about how you can achieve some Kesha-worthy scores of your own. Feature image: Nicole Abalde/Flickr SAT Scores of Famous People We've gathered a complete list of celebrity SAT scores. These were often revealed in interviews or through investigative research. Some people were proud of their high scores, others proud of their low scores - and others couldn't care less. Here it is: Celebrity SAT Score (out of 1600) College Attended Paul Allen 1600 Washington State University Will Smith Rumored to be perfect None Ben Affleck Almost perfect Occidental College, University of Vermont Bill Gates 1590 Harvard Ben Bernanke 1590 Harvard Bill O'Reilly 1585 Marist College Ryan Fitzpatrick 1580 Harvard James Woods 1579 MIT Ben Stein 1573 Columbia Kesha 1500 None Scott McNealy 1420 Stanford Natalie Portman 1400+ Harvard Al Gore 1355 Harvard Stephen King 1300s University of Maine Meredith Vieira 1300s Tufts University George W. Bush 1206 Yale Derek Jeter 1200 University of Michigan John Kerry 90 Yale Courtney Cox 50 Mount Vernon College Amy Tan 00s Linfield College, San Josà © State University Kobe Bryant 1080 None Scarlett Johansson 1080 None Bill Clinton 1032 Georgetown Peyton Manning 1030 University of Tennessee Alex Rodriguez 910 None Clearly all people on this list are considered successful, indicating you don't need a high SAT score to be successful, if you have passion, drive, and talent. You can either get a Kesha-like SATscore of 1500 or a Kobe-like one of 1080. But for most people in the world (like you and me), working hard in school, getting good grades, and earning high scores set up a brighter future with more open opportunities. Actors, singers, athletes, entrepreneurs, and politicians are scattered all up and down the list, but how can you join the ranks of Bill Gates, Will Smith, and Kesha up at the top? Read on for the important strategies and resources you need to score high on the SAT. Walmart/Flickr Where Will You Fall On This List? You need a high SAT score to get into good colleges, and we've got tips for you to improve your score. Get to Know the SAT Well To do well on the SAT, you have to know the SAT - you must be familiar with its content and format, as well as able to work fast and efficiently. High quality materials are a must in readying yourself and improving your scores. Questions that aren’t well written or don’t match the complexity of real SAT questions won’t get you very far. Timing yourself as your practice will also help you with pacing. Study Smart, Not Dumb Getting ready is not just about how much you prep, but about how well you prep. There are several important strategies to your approach, including setting small, manageable goals and rooting out your particular strengths and weaknesses. Check out our free E-Book for the tips you need to know to customize your study methods to your abilities and learning style. Understand the Test Inside and Out By the time you take the SAT, you don’t want to have any lingering questions or uncertainties about the test, including how long the sections are or how your scores are calculated. To learn the ins and outs of the SAT, check out our numerous resources. Just a few good places to start involve how long the test is, how it is scored, and how you can get a perfect SAT score. Know About Upcoming SAT Changes These celebs took the old version of the SAT, when it was scored out of 1600. The current SAT is scored out of 2400, with a maximum possible score of 800 for Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Starting in the spring of 2016, however, the redesigned SAT will return to the 1600 scale system, with a maximum point value of 800 for Critical Reading and Writing (together) and 800 for math. There are several other changes in content that you should know about if you’ll be taking the new SAT. The new PSAT, furthermore, which all juniors will take in the fall, is changing this year (2015) to match the new SAT. Read about the redesign here, and learn how it will help next year’s juniors prepare for the new SAT. The SAT is a rite of passage that many high school students share on the road to college. What scores will end up being reported for you? What’s Next? No two people are exactly the same, so no two approaches to studying should be the same either. A good starting point to customizing your SAT prep to your unique strengths and skills is setting personalized goals. Find out what’s a good SAT score, a bad SAT score, and an excellent SAT score here so you can set your own individual target scores. The SAT is a long and important test, so obviously you wouldn’t be well served by only cramming the night before. But when exactly should you start prepping for the SAT? Learn how to schedule out your time to effectively study for the SAT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Understanding the U.S. Electoral College

Understanding the U.S. Electoral College The number of electors in the Electoral College is established in the United States Constitution. First, within the context of the Constitution, the meaning of  college, as in the Electoral College, does not mean a school, but of a group of people organized toward a common goal. The Electoral College was set up in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of citizens who are eligible to vote. The  12th Amendment expanded voting rights. The result was that the use of the popular vote in the States as the vehicle for selecting electors changed radically. According to the Constitution, the Founding Fathers determined that every state should be given votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. This gives two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its members in the U. S. House of Representatives. Therefore, every state has at least three electoral votes because even the smallest states have one representative and two senators. The number of any additional electoral votes per state is determined by the United States Census which is completed every ten years. After the Census, the number of representatives is reapportioned to reflect any changes in population. That can mean the number of electors each state can vary in different presidential elections. Because of the 23 Amendment, the District of Columbia is treated as a state and allocated three electors for purposes of the Electoral College. In total, there are 538 electors in the Electoral College. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President.   There is no law that requires the Electors in the Electoral College to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. These decisions are made by each state where restrictions fall into two categories- Electors that are bound by state law and those that are bound by pledges to political parties. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration  maintains a website dedicated to information regarding the Electoral College. The website lists the number of votes per state, the records of the Electoral College elections, and links to the Electoral College process in each state. There is also contact information for each Secretary of State on the National Association of Secretaries of State:  nass.org.   The Secretary of State of each state can provide information as to the voting procedure and whether or not the voting is open to the public. Currently, the state with the largest number of electoral votes is California with 55. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration also offers a frequently asked question page with links such as the ones below: Why did the Founding Fathers create electors?How many total electoral votes are there?How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win?What happens if there is a tie in the electoral college?Why dont the candidates get a proportion of the electoral vote?If the states winner chooses electors, wont the person with the most votes win?Why have elections when the states winner receives all the electoral votes?