P2P Bit Torrent (Torrents) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

P2P Bit Torrent (Torrents) - Assignment Example This makes it easy for people to download popular and huge files, like television programs and videos in a manner much faster than other protocols (Jagadeesh, 2012). When a person opens a web page and clicks on a link, he will have initiated a file download to the computer. Web browser software on the computer which serves as the client, tells the server (computer holding the required file) to transfer a copy of the file to the computer. The rate of transfer is affected by numerous dynamics, including the protocol type, the level of traffic from the server and the number of computers requesting the same file. If the file is both extensive and popular, a great demand is placed on the server and the download from the server (Kayne, 1). P2P File sharing is different from convectional file downloading. In P2P sharing a software program is used rather than a web browser, to locate computers with the required file. For the reason of these computers being typical and not acting as servers, they are referred to as peers. A user runs a P2P file-sharing program and a computer and sends out a request for the files the person wants to download (Utorrent, 2013). When the torrent client locates the computer with the required file on its hard drive, it initiates the download process. It is also possible for others using the same torrent client to obtain files they want from another person’s computer that has just downloaded the new file. This is referred to as seeding. The load of the file transfer is distributed among the computer that is exchanging the files. Some people choose to download files and once a download is complete, they terminate the torrent client connection. This is called leeching. This puts a limit on the number of computers that the software can search if a file is requested (Jagadeesh, 2012). Downloading different partitions of the file simultaneously helps to solve a common

Business Synoptic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Business Synoptic - Essay Example Strategic Posture of Nestle at Corporate Level 13 6.0. Efficacy of Nestle’s Strategic Posture 13 7.0. Alignment of Nestle’s Strategic Posture with its Management Structure and Philosophy 15 References 17 Bibliography 20 21 1.0. Linkage between Strategic Management Accounting and the Realistic Practices of Nestle According to the definition of Strategic Management Accounting (SMA), it efficiently links with the business strategy of a firm and helps to maintain and/or increase its competitiveness. Few basic attributes of the SMA process, relates with the collection of competitors’ information regarding price, products, market share and others; identifying opportunities in global market and recognising the efficacy of company’s strategic position with providing emphasis on the accounting aspects (Collier & Agyei-Ampomah, 2006). With a thorough analysis of Nestle’s case study, it can be stated that the company has achieved a sustainable and at the same time quite impressive growth with a long-term benefit to the company. Two most significant causes to stimulate growth of the company can be identified as strategic management approach and managerial accounting behaviour of the company to take a certain decision. These two theories can be evidently linked with the company’s adopted strategies, with reference to case study and fundamentals of the theory SMA. Nestle’s strategic decisions over the years have been focussed on its expansion in the global platform covering almost every economic market of the world. Thus, one of the company’s most significant strategic decisions can be identified as its aggressive expansion strategies. For instance, the company started expanding its operations worldwide since 1868 and by late 1990s, the company had already acquired the markets of 76 countries and 193 nations to manufacture and market its products respectively. Another strategic decision taken by the company was to diver sify its product lining from simple infant formulas to condensed milk, chocolates, coffee drink, soups and mineral water as well. With this strategic alliance the company was able to achieve a huge amount of profit in western economies, especially in European and the US markets. However, to imply these strategies in an effective and efficient manner the company focussed on few other factors, such as market competency, internal and external environment and others. In this regards, the company can be observed to apply a few analytical measures. For instance, as mentioned in case study, the company observed that markets of Europe and North America were particularly growing rapidly in terms of competition along with stagnant population growth. This in turn acted as a barrier to Nestle’s growth. To be specific, as the population growth was stagnant and number of market players was also increasing rapidly, there was a little scope for Nestle’s growth in the economies. Moreov er, the trends of markets were becoming much favourable for local firms manufacturing the products similar to that of Nestle’s. Realising these facts, the company initiated to expand its market in emerging markets where the population is at rise, demand for branded food items are also increasing and local competitors are also minimum. Hence, the company instigated its operations in eastern emerging countries such as China, India and others. Accordingly, the company also narrowed its market focus to basic food

Analysing The Virtue Of Patience Philosophy Essay

Analysing The Virtue Of Patience Philosophy Essay In today s fast paced world, where things happen with click of a button, we are growing inpatient. Gone are the days when people were patient enough to wait for days for the computer to produce the results, today we expect things to happen at speed of thought. We want success, money, happiness instantly without waiting, but alas! Ask any successful person and you will know the virtue of patience. Ancient wisdom like Bhagwat Gita has recognized importance of patience through quotes like Little by little, through patience and repeated effort, the mind will become stilled in the Self. If we examine our self as a part of nature we will realize that even nature creates change very slowly and is extremely patient. Ralph Waldo Emerson perhaps said it best in one simple line:Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience and that patience can improve life and bring it closer to perfection if you understand nature and work with it patiently. Nature exhibits patience in various forms. For example: considering the growth of seeds into trees- when we plant a seed and water it, it slowly turns into a flower and then into a fruit. The seed had to be planted, watered, and then be given time to grow into what it is meant to be. Without prior efforts and in absence of planting or watering or the nurturing the seed would not have sprung above the surface. It could not develop into its current form without all that patience, time and efforts. In order to be able to achieve success or any goals we set we have to practice patience. Patience is different from waiting. instead we have to do the work first, lay the foundation, plant the seed, make sure the soil is right prepare get ready and then wait for all the elements to come into place before making the right decision that will drive us to greater success. Conceptual Framework Definition: word web defines patience as Good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence . Other sources like Webster define patience as patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. From the above definitions we can deduce that patience is a state of persevering in case things take time or get delayed without negatively reacting or becoming sad or feeling provocated, or exhibiting patience when faced with difficulties which take a long time. Scope: This study focuses on importance of patience on individual and group behavior and performance. Importance of patience will be studied in two dimensions, first is the patience of waiting for a certain time period to end. This is perhaps what we normally mean when we use the term patience. Second, it is keeping one s mind free of distractions. It is perhaps only important when one is trying using one s mind on an important task that does not compel one s emotions. Methodology: Individuals will be interviewed independently to access the implication of the patience in day to day life and performance professional life. Implications of patience on group performance would be projected based on the study and observations in general. Five people will be separately interviewed with diverse profiles across age and profession. They include 3 students, one housewife and a bank officer. The reason for choosing people with different profile is to find out whether patience is a quality consistent across profession or does it vary across gender or work environment. Review of Literature: Patience: A Little Book of Inner Strength (Eknath Easwaran): the excerpts of the book giving its epitome are now quoted below- Patience is the ornament of the brave, Easwaran s wise grandmother used to say. In relationships, patience is the mark of love. An experienced spiritual teacher who combines humor with practicality, Easwaran gives powerful insights and sometimes surprising advice for developing patience at home and at work. Stories offer quiet interludes throughout this little book. Anecdotes about animals, sports stars, and happy family outings make these short, varied readings as entertaining as they are instructive. Gentle reminiscences of India, tales from Easwaran s Hindu heritage, and inspiration from Gandhi and the world s saints lift our spirits and give us courage. Just keep trying, Easwaran says, and you ll find there s no end to your patience no end to the wisdom, love, and compassion in your heart. Economist Magazine http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9898270: This article elaborates- Studies conducted to correlate subtle human traits such as patience and fairness with that to closest evolutionary relatives of human, apes such as chimpanzee. The article mentions that the essence of patience is the ability to delay the gratification of an appetite in favor of a greater ultimate reward. Past tests of the degree to which animals other than people can delay their gratification have focused on birds and monkeys. Both groups can delay gratification if a bigger reward is on offer, but only for a few seconds. Human, All Too Human: in this paper, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche argued that -Being able to wait is so hard that the greatest poets did not disdain to make the inability to wait the theme of their poetry. He notes that Passion will not wait, and gives the example of cases of duels, in which the advising friends have to determine whether the parties involved might be able to wait a while longer. If they cannot, then a duel is reasonable [because]to wait would be to continue suffering the horrible torture of offended honor. Patience and Religion: Source: Wikipedia.org: Patience is one of most important virtue as recognized by most of the important religions. o Judaism: Patience and fortitude are prominent themes in Judaism. The Talmud extols patience as an important personal trait. o Christianity: In the Christian religion, patience is considered as a very valuable virtue that it propagates people to imbibe. Increasing patience is viewed as the work of the Holy Ghost in the Christianity. This holy God who has accepted the gift of salvation. Patience is also regarded as one of the seven virtues in Christianity which are- -alongside chastity, -temperance, -charity, -diligence, -kindness, and -humility o Islam: Patience in Islam is one of the best and most valuable virtues of life. Through patience, a Muslim believes that an individual can grow closer to Allah and thus attain true peace. o Eastern Religion: In Buddhism, patience (Skt.: kshanti; Pali: khanti) is one of the perfections that a bodhisattva trains in and practices to realize perfect enlightenment also known as Bodhi. Patience is also praised in Hinduism, particularly in the Bhagavad Gita. In both Hinduism and Buddhism there is a particular emphasis on meditation which leads to patience, and an effective and well-organized thought. Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective: This book is written by Dalai Lama. In this book he has attempted to address the issue of anger. He argues that the issue of anger can be remedied through patience. He has suggested some meditation practices even for novice people. The book seems to be hard to follow if one is not much familiar with Buddhist scripture. Empirical Study and Generalization: Data Collection method employed: Interview. To study the implication of patience on individuals, I carried interview of individuals with different social and professional background. The interview consisted set of 10 questions and the answers were first recorded and then analysed to take cues and then finding the similarities and dissimilarities across the answers of the interviewees. The 10 questions used for this study are given below- Q1. Do you get fidgety if things that you want do not happen or take a lot of time to happen? Q2. Why do you behave the way you do? Q3. Are you patient in every situation alike or does your behavior depends on some factors? Q4. Do you think being patient helps? Q5. Whenever you are patient is it because you feel it will help make things right i.e. had you known that situation is surely going to worsen and you can t help in a situation will you still try to be patient? Q6. Did you develop patience over the course of your life because of certain incidents/ experiences or have you always been patient Q7. How do you react if someone is being impatient or restless in front of you? Q8. What is your impact on others when they behave impatiently, do you find success in convincing them about not being impatient? Q9. Do you take any efforts to be more patient (like meditating, yoga etc?) Q10. When are you normally more impatient? When anticipating good things or when you feel bad things may happen Findings of study and Generalization Interviewee A: This person appears to be impatient; she understands the importance of patience and is ready to help others if they are impatient. She lacks the motivation to be patient but would like to earn techniques like yoga to get self control. She would need to learn meditation, self motivation to act patient in good and bad situation. Interviewee B: This person appears more patient than the others. He has developed his patience over the course of life. He is firm believer in god and has learned to accept which are beyond control. He values personal relationships over materialism and hence whatever impatience he experiences is only confined to personal matters which are close to his heart. Interviewee C: She practices yoga to gain self control. She has developed patience after shouldering the responsibility of younger siblings. She appears to accept good thing and do not show over enthusiasm. She needs to learn to help other impatient people. She knows her level of patience and has clear goals and targets. Interviewee D: She being housewife has more care about family. She has accepted her role as homemaker and believes in letting others take the decision; this acceptance has made her more patient in non family matters. Interviewee E: She gets impatient if her activities make trouble to others. She has followed mentor approach for encouragement. She shows acceptance for the things beyond control and tries to be aloof from them. Generalizations- Above analysis shows that people show various degree of patience. Their profession, experience, age and family has considerable impact on how they learn to accept the thing and get along with the problems. There is awareness about the techniques to develop patience in all the age groups but people normally don t follow them as they don t get time or are unable to manage their time for it. Personal problems have more impact on the level of patience and this trait appears to be common among respondents. Similarly Bad incidents have more impact on patience than good .Mostly there is a willingness to help others in case of trouble. I also deduced that normally patience is a trait that can be acquired and developed over the course of time. People find motivation to become patience on seeing the negative repercussions of being impatient that they experienced in their past or saw people experience in their past. They also find motivation by looking at the positive effects that patience as a virtue brings along. It was also seen that patient people are better at convincing others or making them feel calmer as compared to impatient people. Lastly a surprising finding was that people normally behave patiently because they feel it will help them achieve their immediate goals and not because it is a part of their intricate nature. i.e the desire to be patient is more driven by its perceived benefits than by the fact that it is a established virtue. Implication of Group Work: Patience is one of the one of the most important virtue to possess. Patience can have positive impact on individual and hence group performance. Being haste to get results hampers the ability of an individual to consider all the possible option for solution of a problem. It often leads to suboptimum choice and hence failure. Being patient does not means more time, but it s an emotional state wherein individual is not concerned about the quick output at cost of quality or effectiveness. Patience is the ability to perceive hard enough till desired output is obtained. All the major scientific breakthroughs had lot of hard work and patience behind it. Patience plays major role in negotiations, which demands a win-win situation for the negotiating parties. Individuals need to develop patience by assessing their current level of patience. One needs to set the goals and work hard enough to achieve them. Impatient people are often o Dissatisfied o Withdraw prematurely in jobs, relationships etc o Feel overwhelmed by the goals and lose motivation When one grows patient stress is reduced and one enjoys the process of accomplishments without getting overwhelmed by the time. It makes individual to relax and develop healthy lifestyle and achieve effectively. Individuals when work in group, the leader need to be patient and motivate the others to be patient in achieving group objectives. Impatient leader cause hasty actions by group which often is destructive and may cause delay or disorientation from group objectives. Patience is thus one of the most valuable qualities to possess for betterment of an individual and society. Contribution to OB Patience leads to a stable mind which is better at concentrating, and hence indirectly patience is related to a positive work performance. Its impact on job performance and hence satisfaction makes it a very important topic of study from the point of view of organizational behaviour. From this study, I have established that even impatient people perceive the value of being patient and that patience can be inculcated by various means like meditating, practicing yoga or by following positive reinforcement for people who are already patient. This study is a contribution to OB as it forms a base which can be further built upon by conducting further research on effectiveness of the techniques to establish patience and how to maximize the gains or benefits that one derives out of being patient in a organization. Conclusion: Time is subjective. When one is one is enjoying the time flies. In suffering time seems forever and leads to impatience and grief. Patience makes one to learn acceptance and overcome the grief. Being patient can have positive results in ones professional, personal and spiritual life. Patience can be learnt through religious techniques such as meditation. Patience is in nature, look around in nature and observe how life takes form. And hence why should we be unnatural by following impatience when we can instead be patient and experience all the benefits associated with it.

Measuring Public Relations Effectiveness For The Dole Food Company :: Business Case Study, solution

I also chose to analyze an article by Dr. Walter Lindenmann, a case study called â€Å"Measuring Public Relations Effectiveness For The Dole Food Company and the Society for Nutrition Education.† The main reason I chose to analyze this article was because it focuses specifically on one measurement study and tells exactly how it was conducted. Dr. Lindenmann‘s study was to determine the effectiveness of a program conducted by the Dole Food Company. The Dole food Company’s program involved creating a CD-ROM in conjunction with the Society for Nutrition Education that would educate third grade students and their teachers of the importance proper nutrition. The CD-ROM was to inform them about how they needed to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to maintain a healthy nutrition. Dole chose to test their CD_ROM in 178 classes in 65 schools across 5 different states before they took the program nationwide. Dole used Dr. Lindenmann and the office Ketchum Public Relations to conduct the study on the effectiveness of the CD_ROM in their test program. Dr. Lindenmann explained that they used a three-phased research design to conduct their study. They started off by sending out questioners that were distributed to about 1000 students and 40 teachers. The questioners were used to measure the awareness and attitudes of the classes before they were introduced to the CD-ROM. This was used to establish a base line to compare the results of the study against in the report. They then conducted a qualitative telephone poll with one forth of the teachers after the introduction of the program at about the mid point of it. The poll was used to track the teacher’s views and concerns regarding the CD-ROM. The third phase the research team conducted mirrored the first phase. The team distributed questioners four months after the programs completion in order to measure awareness and behavior change as result of the CD-ROM. Results of the measurement test found the program to be beneficial. Before introduced to the CD-ROM students were only able to answer five out of eighteen questions on the questioner correctly, four months after the program students were able to answer eleven of the eighteen questions correctly. The proportion of student that were able to answer seventeen of the eighteen questions correctly also went up. The study also found that students were talking more with there families about the importance eating five fruits and vegetables a day, this increased from forty five percent before the program to sixty seven percent after being exposed to the program.

Peak Oil

During my research on peak oil and energy resources, climate change, and the capacity of the Earth to support human life, I found that there was much information available on the issues (i. e. , the relevant science, data, and facts were already available), but that much of it was not synthesized to make a comprehensive and complete picture (i. e. , complete with accurate data and comprehensive analyses). So, some of the people who may be aware of peak oil (or climate change) may not fully understand the consequences. And, while some people may be concerned about peak oil, they may be unaware of the extent of the climate change crisis†¦And vice versa. For instance, many policymakers and negotiators are arguing with little progress over the wrong climate targets (i. e. , an average global temperature increase of 2 o C above pre-Industrial Revolution levels by limiting the atmospheric CO 2 concentration to 450 ppm), while assuming that anything resembling business as usual energy consumption and economic growth is possible. Yet, the scientific evidence and projections clearly indicate that all of these targets and assumptions are very incorrect and woefully inadequate.As another example, much of the peak oil literature does not offer the reader a comprehensive explanation of peak oil and its potential impacts on society. The information is very good, but much of it focuses on one or only several issues, which may leave many readers unfamiliar with peak energy issues with more questions than answers about the issue, its consequences, or how to adapt to it. Similarly, much climate literature does not consider energy scarcity or population limits in their analyses. It became obvious to me that writing this report was one of the most important acts I could do for the public, right now.All discourse and policy on these issues must be based on the current and correct data and science, if it is to have a chance to succeed. This report is an attempt to synthesize an d holistically analyze the current state of knowledge on these important and inter-related issues. Despite the inherent uncertainties stemming from the data, science, and predictive power of models, the overall analysis provides a clear picture of the orders of magnitude and probability distributions of current and future global changes.Ultimately, this report is for the public for the benefit of humanity. It is a warning and a call to action. Since peak oil and climate change are occurring now without much of the public's awareness, this report may also act as a sort of history so that people in the future may be able to understand what happened to the world regarding peak energy, climate change and economic and societal collapse, after the fact. Future generations should know what happened during this period of history in order to learn from the past mistakes of humanity.Hopefully, this report may contribute to a smoother and less disastrous post-peak oil transition period by warn ing people of the impending crises. When I set out to investigate peak oil and energy resources, it was with the intention to either: disprove peak oil theory and/or the predicted timings of when peak oil and energy resources would occur; or to communicate what is peak oil and the potential crisis, if I could not disprove peak oil and its urgency. The deeper I investigated peak oil and energy resource issues, the more it became clear that peak oil was a very severe and imminent crisi

Mergers & Acquisitions Paper Essay

Mergers and acquisitions is an important aspect of corporate strategy, finance and management. This is done with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities. It can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector as well as the new sector it just acquired without the hassle of creating a subsidiary from scratch. This activity is on the rise worldwide. According J. Finnegan in â€Å"Global Mergers and Acquisitions Activity Continue to Rise† article, this increase has been accompanied by the return of mega-deals (value exceeding $10 billion) driven primarily by large multinational corporations flush with cash in the U.S. Two of the biggest acquisitions in 2012 are from the Energy Industry and Tech industry where Duke Energy Corporation acquired Progress Energy Inc. and Google acquired Motorola Mobility. I) Duke Energy Corp. acquired Progress Engergy Inc. According to Yahoo finance, in the first case in the energy industry, when the merger was announced on January 10, 2011, the transaction value totaled $26 billion, including Progress Energy’s debt. Currently based on Duke Energy’s share price and including Progress Energy’s debt, the transaction is valued at about $32 billion. Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) announced that it has acquired Progress Energy Inc., effective July 2, 2012. The original Duke Engergy includes Duke Energy International, which operates power plants in Central and South America; Duke Energy Renewables, which develops and owns wind and solar projects in the U.S.; and Duke Energy’s Midwest generation and Duke Energy Retail, which generate, market and sell electricity in the Midwest. Now, the new entity has nearly $49 billion in market capitalization, total assets more than $100 billion and 7.1 million electric users in the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The transaction makes Duke Energy the largest U.S. utility and increases its ability to build new power plants to meet future greenhouse-gas emissions limits. Earlier, Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (EXC) was the largest U.S. utility. The new company would be known as Duke Energy with headquarters in Charlotte, and substantial operations in Raleigh, North Carolina. Duke Energy would trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol â€Å"DUK†. Pursuant to the merger deal, Progress Energy has become a wholly owned direct unit of Duke Energy. On a standalone basis, Duke Energy had an adjusted earnings per share guidance range of $1.40 – $1.45 for 2012. Under the terms of the merger agreement, each share of Progress Energy common stock has been converted into the right to receive 0.87083 shares of Duke Energy common stock. Due to the effect of the 1-for-3 reverse stock split, which was completed related to this merger transaction, this guidance range is the equivalent of $4.20 – $4.35 per share. The combined company continues to target 2012 adjusted earnings per share range of $4.20 – $4.35. The reverse stock split is designed to reduce the number of outstanding Duke Energy shares. The merger is expected to keep the company’s long-term goal of 4% – 6% growth in good shape. Overall, their strong balance sheet, ongoing capital expansion projects and an above average dividend yield are very good signs that this merger and acquisition is working well for them. II) Google acquired Motorola Mobility One of the world’s most valuable brand name in the tech industry is Google, Inc. – a silicon valley native company. Founded in 1988 out of a garage, it has now become the largest and most popular search engine on the Internet. Its strong growth is credited to its creative, think outside the box and risk-taking culture. In recent years, it has been involved in a lot of new ventures and mergers and acquisitions with different industries to expand its operation. One of its new product is the Android operating system offered for free to smartphone manufacturers to compete with the Apple iphone’s iOS system. Google has also been trying to produce and release its own smart phones but hasn’t met much success. In addition, it is facing the risk of many lawsuits relating to pattern with Apple. So in smart and bold move, Google has decided to acquire phone maker Motorola Mobility and completed this deal in May 2012 for a whopping $12.5 billion which makes it the largest Google acquisition ever! This will definitely push it deeper into the fast growing cell phones industry. Motorola Mobility used to be a strong player in the cell phone industry but in recent years, it has struggled and suffered constantly. As its line of smartphones has waned in popularity, Motorola Mobility has suffered losses totaling $1.7 billion during the past three years while Google has earned a total of $25 billion over the same stretch. The acquisition is largely a defensive one from Google’s perspective. Google needs Motorola’s trove of 17,000 cellphone patents (plus an extra 7.500 that are awaiting approval) to defend Android phones against lawsuits by Apple, which accuses them of copying iPhone features. It’s now playing in Apple territory. Buying Motorola gives Google the ability to control both hardware and software, by making its own integrated smartphones and other devices. Under the term of the acquisition, Google will acquired all outstanding common shares of Motorola for $40 per share and transaction costs were $50 million. Out of the 12.4 billion total purchase price, goodwill takes up to $2.6 billion, patterns takes up to $5.5 billion with only $670 million to other net assets. Although it initially was drawn to Motorola Mobility for its patents, Google has been signaling recently that it has been drawing up more ambitious plans for Motorola Mobility. Besides producing smartphones and tablet computers, Motorola Mobility also makes cable-TV boxes that could provide Google with a springboard for delivering more of its services, including advertising, to living rooms. References Goldman , David. â€Å"Google seals $13 billion Motorola buy.† 22 2012: n. page. Print. . â€Å"Google completes $12.5B acquisition of phone maker Motorola Mobility after China clears deal .† 22 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. . Finnegan, Jim. â€Å"Global mergers and acquisitions activity continues to rise.† 24 2011: n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .

SAT Scoring Error Get Someone Elses Scores By Mistake

SAT Scoring Error Get Someone Else's Scores By Mistake SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Did you get your SAT scores back and were surprised by how low they were?Do you think that you may have gotten someone else’s scores by mistake or that there was another scoring error? SAT scoring mistakesare rare, but they do happen. This guide will go over the steps you need to take in order to verify your scores, as well as what you should do to improve your score on future SATs if there was no scoring error. Did the College Board Make an SAT Mistake? It’s very rare for the College Board, the organizationthat designs and distributes the SAT, to make a mistake, but it does happen.One recent example occurred in June 2016, when the College Board incorrectly printed the amount of time students had on a certain section of the SAT, resulting in a lot of stress and anxiety for test takers.In 2006, about 4,000 students received incorrectly low scoreson their SAT because of problems with the scanning of their answer sheets. So the College Board does make mistakes. However, it's important to know that these mistakes are very rare. The vast majority of students who take the SAT have a problem-free experience, both during the test and when receiving their scores.Before you begin the process of verifying your scores, you should be aware that it is very unlikely your test was scored incorrectly. The most likely scenario is that you simply didn’t do as well on the SAT as you expected to.This can be disappointing to hear, and you may wish this were a world where the College Board descends from the heavens and tells you that there's been a big mistake, and that you really scored 400 points higher than originally reported. However, at some point you do have to overcome denial and focus on improving your scores for future exams. It's also important to remember that, if there was a mistake, fixing it may not always raise your scores. Sometimes, correcting a scoring error will lower your SAT score, and there is no way to undo this, as all adjusted scores are final. Potential Causes of SAT Scoring Errors There are multiple reasons a test may have been scored incorrectly. Below are some of the most common causes of scoring errors. Errors Caused by the College Board Sending a test taker the wrong score report. Incorrectly printing a question or section time on a test booklet. Problems with scanning answer sheets or essays. Errors Caused by the Test Taker Filling answers in for the wrong section. Filling in the wrong test identifying code. Writing the essay with pen instead of pencil. Incorrectly filling in answer bubbles (e.g. not filling the bubble in all the way, not shading dark enough, etc.). (Josh Davis/Flickr) How to Learn If There Was a Scoring Error There are a couple of actions you can take to determine whether your score is really the result of an error. Review Your Free Score Report Before taking any action, you should carefully review your official score report, which you will receive about five weeks after you take the SAT.On your score report, you can see how many questions you answered correctly, how many you answered incorrectly, and how many questions you didn’t answer at all.It also allows you to see a copy of your essay. Your score report also breaks down your results based on SAT section, question type, and question difficulty.Check over these numbers and see if there is anything unusual about them. For example, does your score report state that you omitted four answers when you are certain you didn’t skip any questions?If you believe there is a mistake with your score report, proceed to the next step. Request Student Answer Verification If you believe your SAT scores are incorrect, College Board offers two student verification services, although only one is available for each test. Even if you don't suspect that your exam was graded incorrectly, these services can be very helpful for future studying because they can help you identify the specific areas where you need to improve. You can order these services when you register for the SAT or up to five months after you take the test.If you are ordering after you registered for the SAT, you can order online by visiting MySAT and selecting â€Å"Order Verification† under â€Å"My Scores.† You can also order byphone or via post. 1. Question and Answer Service This service is available for May test-takers worldwide and October and January test-takers in the US and Canada.If you order the Question and Answer Service, you will receive: A booklet containing the SAT questions from the exam, as well as your answers to each of the questions. The test answer key. Information for each question that states what subject the question is asking about and how difficult the question is. Question and Answer Service costs $18.00 (if you didn’t have a fee waiver), and materials will be mailed 6-8 weeks after the exam. 2. Student Answer Service This service is available for all other test dates that don't offer Question and Answer Service. If you order this service you'llreceive a computer generated report containing: Which question numbers you answered correctly, which you answered incorrectly, and which questions you didn’t answer. Information about the type of test questions and level of difficulty for each question. This information is more in-depth than your free score report because it tells you for each question if you got it right, wrong, or left it blank. However, unlike the Question and Answer Service, the actual test questions and answers are not included.Student Answer Service costs $13.50 (if you didn’t have a fee waiver), and materials will be mailed 6-8 weeks after the exam. If, after ordering a verification service, you still believe your SAT scores are incorrect, you can also request hand-scoring. Request Hand Scoring The final option you have is to request hand scoring of your exam. Hand scoring is the most rigorous score verification service that College Board offers, and ifyou order it, your entire multiple-choice answer sheet and/or your essay will be manually reviewed. You can request hand scoring if, after ordering student answer verification, you still believe your exam was graded incorrectly. In most cases you'll want to order student answer verification before hand scoring because student answer verification is cheaper and can give you a lot of useful information that, in most cases, convinces you that your test was graded properly.However, you can also order hand scoring without ordering student answer verification firstif you think there is an issue that will be solved by hand scoring. It's also important to note that, if you order hand scoring, you will be unable to order student answer verification services afterward if you hadn't already ordered them. Reasons to request hand scoring before student answer verification: You think you wrote your essay with pen instead of pencil. Your essay isn’t visible on your free score report. You think you bubbled youranswers in on the wrong section. You think youused the wrong test identifying code. You can request hand scoring for your multiple choice answers, your essay, or both. Having your multiple choice answers and your essay hand scored each cost $55, or $27.50 each if you had a fee waiver. Hand Scoring for Multiple-Choice Questions If you want to have your multiple-choice answers hand scored, your entire answer sheet will be reviewed; you cannot request hand scoring for only certain sections of the test.If the person hand scoring your exam finds that you marked your answers correctly, but there was a mistake in the scanning or scoring process, then your hand scoring fee will be refunded, and your score will be updated. If it’s found that you made an â€Å"obvious error† on your answer sheet, such as filling answers in on the wrong section or using the wrong test identifying code, then your score will be updated, but your hand scoring fee will not be refunded. If it’s found that you did not follow instructions for filling in answers (for example, you didn’t completely fill in answer bubbles or filled in multiple circles in a single row/column), your score will not be changed, and you will not be refunded the hand scoring fee. Hand Scoring for the Essay If you request hand scoring of your essay, be aware that your essay will NOT be reread.Hand scoring of your essay only includes determining whether there was an error in the scanning or processing of the essay scores assigned by the two graders who read your essay. If an error is found, your score will be adjusted and you will be refunded your hand scoring fee. If you wrote your essay in pen, it may not have scanned properly. You can check this by looking at your free online score report, where a scanned copy of your essay is visible. If the essay is unreadable or appears blank, you may want to request that it be hand scored.If you wrote your essay in pen, you will not have your hand scoring fee refunded, even if your essay score changes. Considerations to Keep in Mind if You Request Hand Scoring Hand scoring can be requested up to five months after taking the SAT.You can request it by completing and mailing a Request for SAT Score Verification form. If you have any information that you think would be helpful (such as if you know you wrote your essay in pen or think you used the wrong test identifying code), report it to the College Board's Customer Serviceat the same time you submit the form. If you order hand scoring, you will be mailed a letter confirming the results of your multiple-choice or essay hand score verification within five weeks after your request and payment are received. If you order hand score verification, you will no longer be able to see your free online score report and you will no longer have access to the Student Answer Service or Question-and-Answer Service.Hand scored reports can only be requested once per test, and once they are completed, they are final and cannot be appealed or reordered. After going through the above steps, you will know whether or not College Board made an error while grading or sending your scores. What if there was no mistake, and that really is the score you got? Read on to find out what to do. Don't despair if there wasn't a grading error. There are ways to raise your score! What to Do If There Wasn't a Scoring Error First of all, don’t feel like it is the end of the world if your SAT score is lower than you thought it would be. Your standardized test scores are only one component of your college applications, and you likely have time to retake the SAT and aim for a higher score. The College Board also offers a service called Score Choice that allows you to choose which SAT scores you send to schools. As long as the schools you’re applying to don’t require you to send all your SAT scores (and we have a complete list of schools that require all SAT scores sent), then a low SAT score will not affect your application if you retake the SAT and receive a higher score. It is also normal for your SAT scores to fluctuate a bit. Drops in score of up to 150 points are normal and can occur just due to chance. This is especially true if you had a high score (680+) on previous SAT sections. Check out our guide to learn more about changes in SAT scoresand what a normal drop is and isn’t. Read on to learn strategies to help improve your scores on future SATs. How to Improve Your SAT Score Identify and Focus on Your Weak Areas Take some time to look over your score report. It has a lot of useful information, including how many questions you got wrong in each section as well as how well you did on specific subject areas within those sections.For example, you’ll be able to see not only how well you did on the Math section, but how well you did in different subjects such as Algebra and Geometry. If you ordered one of the student answer verification services, you should review those materials as well to get more information. Make note of the areas where you answered the most questions incorrectly and focus on them for your future studying.How can you improve a low section score? Check out these section guides: SAT Critical Reading The Ultimate Guide for SAT Reading The 4 SAT Reading Strategies You Must Use SAT Math The Complete Guide to Fractions and Ratios The Critical SAT Math Strategy You Must Know SAT Writing The Complete Guide for SAT Writing The Top7 SAT Writing Tips to Boost Your Score Practice, Practice, Practice Don’t be under-prepared for your next try at the SAT! Even though you’ve already taken the test before, you’ll still need to study and practice for the next time.A great way to do this is to take complete, strictly timed practice tests.Doing so will help you track your progress over time and help you identify where you are improving and where you still need to practice. We have links to multiple official SAT practice tests. Taking complete practice SATs will also give you a more accurate estimate of what your score will be on a real SAT than taking one section at a time would.Review your results for these practice tests carefully so you learn what mistakes you made and how to avoid making them again in the future. Consider Hiring a Tutor or Taking a Prep Course Sometimes, having a study plan developed by someone else is the best way to effectively target your weak areas and raise your score.There are a lot of great tutors and prep courses.Read our guide on finding the best tutor for you. Be Ready for Test Day Simple logistics can be enough to have a significant impact on your test scores.On test day, make sure you are confident and prepared so you don’t let any outside circumstances affect your scores. Get enough sleep the night before the exam, bring a snack with you on test day, and know how to get to your test center. Having these things set will help you focus all your concentration on the test.Also, make sure you give yourself enough time before retaking the SAT. Around two-fourmonths is recommended so that you have enough time to practice and improve. Are you prepared? Summary It’s very rare for the College Board to send incorrect SAT scores, but it does happen. If you are surprised by how low your SAT scores are, there is a process you can go through to get your scores verified, but be aware that they are most likely correct. To verify your scores, order a Student Answer Verification service. If you are still not confident that your scores are correct, you can also request hand scoring of your multiple choice questions and essay. There is a fee for each of these services, and they must be requested within five months of taking the test. If there was no scoring error, there are multiple ways you can improve your score, including analyzing your score reports, taking practice tests, and using a tutor or prep program. You can find more information about SAT score verification on the College Board's website. What's Next? Are you interested in a test prep program? PrepScholar has the industry's leading SAT and ACT prep program.Built byHarvard grads and full scorers, the programlearns your strengths and weaknessesthrough advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Try a 5-day risk-free trial for theSATor ACT today! Also, check out our ultimate study guide to SAT prep. Covering every section of the SAT, this guide combines our best SAT study materials on one page. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: