SAT scores is the most widespread and significant contribution to admission decisions for colleges, universities and other higher education systems. However, the SAT scores are not the sole criteria; every college has its own way of making its informed decision. The selection committee members at each institution use SAT scores in conjunction with other indicators, such as –

Secondary School record (grades and courses)

Interviews

Personal statements

Writing samples

Portfolios

Recommendations etc Read more…

How much of the college prep routine is just plain dysfunctional? SAT, a standardized test that reduces a human life to three or four hours at a desk with a pencil.( No regard for individualism, unique talents or abilities, socioeconomic differences, or extraneous matters that may influence test performance at any given time). The formulaic approach to college acceptance has now become the tendency to turn the student into what he (or she) perceives the colleges want him to be instead of what he wants to be himself. Students are put through mostly time-honored curricula in relatively closed environments while checking on their vital extracurriculars, whether it be sport, the arts, student government, community service and so forth.

Meanwhile, parents have gotten in on the act and are starting to act like they’re the ones applying to college instead of their children. If the parents can’t actually be the students, they can and will do everything within their power to see to it that their children are meeting their scripted objectives, obligations and appointments. It has become a vicariously shared experience that has arguably assumed its own set of problems.

Parents motivate and tutor academically behind the scenes (or hire someone else to do the same), drive the children everywhere (when a simple bike ride might be more than sufficient) and maintain every aspect of scheduling and micromanaging to the extent that children become at risk of not thinking for themselves.

Thankfully, universities like Wake Forest have started de-emphasizing SAT scores, if not ignoring them entirely. And it’s about time. Meanwhile, theories behind college preparation are evolving toward extracting the best of what each student has to offer from within, instead of without, while not undermining the importance of essential prerequisites. Read More on Post and Courier.com

The number of perfect ACT scores for the Class of 2010 is more than twice the perfect scorers in the Class of 2006. 588 out of 1.5 million who took the test in 2010 versus 216 out of 1.2 million in 2006.Meanwhile the College Board saw a 25 percent increase in perfect SATs: 297 perfect scorers among 1.5 million students in 2009, compared to 238 among 1.4 million tests in 2006.

Across the nation a growing cadre of high school students is doing what used to be nearly impossible, earning perfect scores on the SAT and ACT. Gabe Blanco, 17, a Seven Hills senior, earned a perfect 2400 on the SAT. Meredith Bradley, a 16-year-old Beechwood High senior, aced the ACT, earning all 36 points on the college entrance exam.

No one says the tests are easier. But ACT and SAT spokespeople theorize that more students are taking tougher, college-prep classes than in prior years. Both tests claim more than 1.5 million test takers a year, though no one knows how many students take both. The ACT has generally been favored in the Midwest, central and southern states, while the SAT is embraced on the east and west coasts and among Ivy League colleges. Read More on Cincinnati News.

In Part 1 of “How to score high on the SAT,” I discussed how to study the content of the test.  In this post, I have some tips for what you should be doing in the days leading up to the exam.

1. Return to practicing with a few full-length tests.

Yes, I mean all 3 hours and 45 minutes at once.  Simulate testing conditions for yourself with a stopwatch and practice bubbling in answer sheets.  This way, you won’t have the anxiety of confronting the unfamiliar on test day.  That said, don’t do this so much that get tired, lose focus, and become even more stressed.

Now is the time to practice pacing yourself during the test.  If you aren’t fully comfortable with every kind of question, accept that.  It’s unlikely that you will suddenly become proficient in a subject the night before the exam.  But simply knowing what kinds of questions are hard for you can get you points on test day.  Every question is worth the same number of points, whether you spend 30 seconds or 10 minutes on it.  So start with the questions you find easiest, and don’t be afraid to skip a question if you don’t get it right away.  You can come back to it if you have time (and often, it will seem a lot easier with fresh eyes). Read more…

If you’re anything like I was before I took the SAT in high school,you’re a little anxious.  It’s probably the most important test you’ve ever taken; you know how important numbers are, and while you’ve had years to work on your GPA, the SAT only takes a few hours.  So you may be wondering: at what schools will your SAT scores matter the most?

Unfortunately, you’ll be hard pressed to find a school admitting that SAT scores are more important there than at other schools.  Rather, they prefer to talk about how many other things they consider: leadership experience, special talents, foreign language skills, community involvement, diversity, etc.  College admissions is getting less and less transparent, and emphasizing SAT scores is quite unfashionable for admissions committees nowadays.  Some large public schools, such as the excellent University of California system, do make admissions calculators available that will determine your eligibility for admission based on the numbers.  But eligibility is far from a guarantee of acceptance. Read more…