Didn’t know there was ever a system whereby a college could have you take the SAT such that the scores weren’t reported directly to you.
But SATs at that time especially were aptitude tests. An engineering school’s assessment test would have been on knowledge, simply to know which classes to place you in.
It’s not surprising that you were behind on that, but with hard work could catch up and adequately complete their program. Yeah, they may have given you a boost in acceptance because of your veteran status, but you likely, especially if you had generally done well in school, were in range to be able to do the work.
I never did find out what they were. I took the SAT at that school on a Saturday and submitted the application along with it. To this day, it isn’t in my transcript.
As I said, my last year in HS was for crap - bad grades, constant skipping, all the bad stuff. The only reason I graduated is because I took everything needed to graduate the year before. I only really needed one course and I barely passed that.