Most colleges and universities require applicants to take at least one standardized test in order to be considered for admission. This usually means taking the SAT (administered by the College Board) or the ACT. Many selective colleges also require SAT Subject Tests (SAT II). Most colleges accept the ACT and SAT interchangeably, and at many colleges the ACT is accepted in place of both SAT and SAT Subject Tests. Most students should consider taking both the PLAN (offered for 10th grade students) and the PSAT (taken in 10th and/or 11th grade) at least once in order to gauge how comfortable they are with the content and structure of each test. The PSAT in 11th grade is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Competition (NMSC). Talk to your counselor to find out when your school is offering these practice tests.
The ACT is offered by one company (ACT, Inc.), while the SAT and SAT subject tests are
offered by another (College Board). They are not connected, so please think of them as separate entities. If you send your ACT score to a college through the ACT website, your SAT and/or SAT subject tests scores are not sent anywhere. Many students will choose either the ACT or the SAT / SAT subject tests, and therefore will only deal with one testing company. Further complicating things is that the Advanced Placement Program (APs) is also administered by the College Board, but this will be covered in future post. Do not think of AP scores as required components of a college application.
No matter which standardized test(s) you take, it will be your responsibility to send scores to colleges through either the ACT or College Board (for SAT/SATII) website. Your high school does not send scores to colleges for you and most high schools do not include scores on your transcript. In most cases, you are also responsible for registering yourself for each of the standardized tests you take.
NOTE: Some colleges have reduced or eliminated the use of the SAT in the admissions process. You can see a full list of these schools on the Fair Test website. ABOUT THE SAT
Registration materials for the SAT are available at www.collegeboard.com. Always use the same first, middle and last names, birth date, social security number, etc. when you register online, or your scores could be delayed or lost. If you are a student who has changed your name at some point in your life, be sure that the name you use for test registration, your high school, and on your college applications is exactly the same. When registering, you do not need to complete the Student Descriptive Questionnaire, but about 90% of test-takers do. The questionnaire asks you to provide information about your background, your school courses, your grades, your activities, and your college plans. The information is sent to the schools to which you are reporting your scores, along with your scores.
When you register for the SAT, you may select up to four colleges, universities, scholarship programs (ROTC), or other programs to send your scores to. If you want to send your scores to more than four recipients, you can do so in several ways by paying an additional fee. Since you will probably take the SAT or SAT Subject Tests again at some point in the future, it is not necessary to finalize your score reporting plans. In fact, it is wise for some students not to have their first SAT scores sent to any college. Just be sure to allow 3-4 weeks for the College Board to send your scores to the colleges you apply to. Most colleges will not begin to review your application until it is complete (including test scores and information from your school). When you register for standardized tests, you will need your school's CEEB code. The CEEB code for Hunter is 333705.
In February, the College Board returned to the “score choice” option for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, which you can read about here. Students will be able to choose which scores and test administrations to send to colleges. The ACT has always allowed you to send scores from different test dates separately. Some colleges have made some noise about this and may still require a full “score report” as they have in past years. For example, Yale will be requiring students to send scores from every test they take, relying on applicants' integrity and honest to do so. You can read an article about this here. The College Board claims that the score choice option will reduce test taker anxiety. Some colleges claim that score choice benefits students who can afford test prep and multiple tries at each test. This is a topic that I will be discussing in future posts on this blog.
The best thing to do would be to be prepared for every test you take. Taking the test twice is the common practice; to take it more than two times is excessive and unnecessary. Some colleges consider your best total score from a single test date, most colleges will use your highest scores as a composite, even if they were earned at two different sittings(some call this a "super score"). Sometimes military academies and a few other schools will use an average of your scores; still other schools will use only your most recent scores (these are less common).
PREPARING FOR THE SAT
As is the case with any test, it is important that you prepare for the SAT before taking it. The best type of preparation you can do for the SAT is to become familiar with the test. Taking practice tests before you actually take the SAT is an excellent way to prepare for the exam. Books of practice tests are published and are available at most book stores.
Preparation means something different to each person taking the SAT. For many students, preparation means taking a coaching or test preparation course. For others, it simply means taking many, many full-length, timed practice tests. Deciding what the best course of action is for you means thoughtfully evaluating your learning style and self-discipline (can you make yourself take at least one full practice test per week in the months leading up to the test?).
Study the claims made by SAT test prep companies very carefully. Remember that on average, all SAT scores increase on the second administration. There are countless claims and countless reports regarding coaching and SAT preparation. Before you decide on taking a course, ask some of these questions: How much time do you have to devote to this course? How much work will be required outside of class? Are you disciplined enough to prepare for the exam on your own?
However you decide to prepare, remember that what will be most important will be the time you devote to preparation and the attitude with which you approach the test. Remember that there is no course or any individual with a "secret" to success on the SAT. One of the most important factors on how well you do is how comfortable you are with the pacing, structure, and content.
SAT SUBJECT TESTS (SAT II)
The SAT subject tests are administered by the College Board and are usually given on the same days as the SAT. You cannot take both the SAT and SAT Subject Tests on the same day. The tests are designed to measure your knowledge or skill in a particular subject area and to apply that knowledge or skill. The tests are curriculum-based, so it can be much easier to study for them than it is for the SAT. Many of the more selective colleges require their applicants to take one or two Subject Tests. A few colleges require three Subject Tests and a few colleges even specify the tests you must take. Tests are offered in: It is good to take SAT subject tests in two or three different subject areas to show your strengths across various academic disciplines. You will want to make sure that you take each subject test when you are ready for them. Talk to your teachers and counselors to help you to figure out when this will be. You want to take the subject tests after you have completed the highest course you plan to take in that subject. For example many 9th grade students taking biology will want to take the SAT II in biology at the end of 9th grade. Other students might be planning to take AP biology in 11th grade, so they will wait until the end of 11th grade to take the subject test in biology. Talk to your teachers and counselor to help you make a plan. Many students use the spring of their 11th grade year to take the majority of their SAT and SAT II subject tests, although the timing can vary widely depending on the student.
To summarize, there are a lot of factors to consider when making decisions regarding which SAT II subject tests to take and when to take them. Your decisions should be based on your academic strengths and the timing of the courses you will take that can best prepare you for your tests. There is no award for taking more than three subject tests!
PREPARING FOR SUBJECT TESTS
Many colleges prefer to see tests taken in 11th and 12th grade, but most will have no issue with tests taken in 9th grade. Some students are seeing score choice as a reason to take tests multiple times. I still think that you should only take tests after you have thoroughly prepared for them at home. Keep in mind that it does not impress colleges to see that you took SAT II subject tests every year from 9th – 12th grade. Colleges really just want to see your best 2-3 scores, not an array of 4-5 scores that vary widely.
You might be wondering about AP tests and their scores right about now. AP test scores are not directly used in the college admissions process and are usually not requested on college applications. The main purpose of AP scores is to help students take advanced courses once they arrive at college (talk to your counselor or collegeboard.com for more information). More information on AP courses, tests, scores, and their uses in future posts.
The language tests should be considered by students who have studied at least three years of that language. Good study books for all of the tests are available in bookstores or online (second hand test prep books are very inexpensive on amazon). Even if you are fluent in a language, it is still a good idea to take several practice tests so you are familiar with content and structure.
Scores for the subject tests are similar to those on the sections of the SAT, on a scale of 200 to 800. The tests you decide to take, when you take them, and the scores you receive can be very important factors in the admission formulas of the schools that require them. Most schools list their test requirements on their admission website. Here is a link to Carnegie Mellon University's test requirements. Since schools have widely varying testing requirements, you must check the Subject Test requirements for each of the colleges to which you are applying. Registration for the Subject Tests is the same as that for the SAT. You may take up to three tests at one administration, but it is advisable to take one or two so as not to overload yourself.
ABOUT THE ACT
The ACT, administered by the American College Testing Program, is a college admission test that in the past has been more commonly used in the Midwest, parts of the South and the West, but now is being considered as often as the SAT in the Northeast. Because the ACT is curriculum-based, some students see it as a better match for their testing style than the SAT. It is a matter of personal preference and I suggest using the PSAT and the PLAN to help you decide what is going to be the right fit for you.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Each of the standardized tests described in this section can be taken with extended time by students with documented learning disabilities or other handicaps. Information on testing conditions and qualifying for extended time can be found here for the College Board (SAT) and here for the ACT. Students with identified learning difficulties and special needs who request special testing and proctoring arrangements usually must have a recent (within three years) psychological/educational evaluation on file with your high school learning specialist. Applying for extended time can take weeks or even months, so plan ahead with your high school's learning specialist. The guidelines for documentation are very specific, and it is the student's responsibility to provide that documentation to the learning specialist so they can file paperwork on your behalf.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
How important are your test scores? That depends on where you are applying. Test scores are just one component of a college application and schools use test scores to evaluate applicants in different ways. Test scores may be very important to some schools and not as much to others while other schools have eliminated them all together or made them optional. Also, the value placed on scores may vary depending on the strength of the other qualities the student presents in their application.
College guidebooks and admission materials often indicate an average score for students
accepted to particular colleges. Keep in mind that this is an average, not a minimum. More schools have moved to the reporting of their scores as ranges for the middle 50% of their students. This information is usually more helpful and a lot less intimidating. If your test scores are within the college's range, their relative importance decreases when compared to other parts of your application. Of course it is also important to keep in mind that applicants are sometimes evaluated in "applicant pools" which might mean that your test score will be evaluated in the context of typical standardized test scores at your school. This comes into play a lot at Hunter where the average test scores are very high due to the fact that we are a school that uses a test for admission.
Finally, most college admission officers are fully aware that some students do not "test well." Slow reading speed, unfamiliarity with the test format, or test anxiety may cause a student not to perform well on standardized tests. For these reasons, test scores are usually reviewed in the context of all other parts of the student's application. As one admission officer said, "We are much more interested in what the student has done in three and a half years than we are in what he has done in three and a half hours on a Saturday morning."
