Almost every day I get asked a question like “I got a 30 on my ACT, what colleges are good for me?”  There is no way for anyone to answer that question but let’s look at what impact test scores like the SAT and ACT do have on college admissions.

The most important thing to understand is that test scores alone will never guarantee admission to a selective college. You can have a 2400 SAT or a 36 ACT but if you don’t have the grades to go with that high score, you will have trouble getting admitted to a very selective college.

The problem with high test scores and low grades is you look like a bright slacker to the colleges. And no college wants to have a student that isn’t motivated and who may fail out for lack of trying.

Now, that is not to say that high test scores won’t help in admissions. But more important than test scores at every college are your grades and the classes you have taken to get those grades.

If you have good grades in challenging courses and good test scores you will be competitive for selective college admissions. That means that your grades and test scores will get your application a serious look by the admissions committee.  This is particularly true at public universities as they rely primarily on grades and test scores in making admissions decision.

But, there are many other factors that go into admissions at a selective private college.  What activities have you been involved with, have you shown leadership, how strong are your application essays and other factors also play an important part in admissions at private colleges.

While test scores on the SAT and ACT are very important for many colleges, there are also a number of colleges that are going test optional. In fact, at this point, there are over 800 colleges that do not require a student to submit an SAT or ACT score with their application.

So, what do I say to students that ask what colleges are good for a particular test score? Figure out what you want from a college, including academic competitiveness, size of college, location and environment and then find colleges that meet your complete needs.

Share on Facebook

Many students have recently received their SAT and ACT test scores and for many of you these are your final scores. If you did well, congratulations. If not, all is not lost.

Not everyone is aware that there are over 800 colleges in the US that are test optional. In other words, you don’t need to submit either the SAT or ACT for admissions.  And if you think only non competitive colleges don’t require test scores, think again. There are some great colleges that don’t require tests. Bowdoin, Bates, Mt. Holyoke and just three examples of very strong, competitive colleges that don’t require the SAT or ACT.

To see a list of test optional colleges go to FairTest.org.

Not everyone is good at taking standardized tests. It has nothing to do with how smart you are. If you happen to be one of those students whose abilities are not reflected by your test scores, start checking out test optional colleges.  You can still receive a great education.

Share on Facebook

There have been a number of colleges that have announced test optional policies in the past several weeks. Sacred Heart University eliminated the need for ACT or SAT test scores for all incoming freshman except home schooled students and international students.

The State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam not only eliminated the need to send test scores but also revised their entire admissions approach which had previously only considered grades and test scores. Now the college will consider essays, recommendations and interviews as well as grades.

Washington and Jefferson College has also announced a test optional policy. Under their new policy students who do not submit test scores will be required to have an interview with a member of the admissions staff either on campus or by phone.

Congratulations to these colleges for providing three new options for students who do not test well.

Share on Facebook

Smart Money magazine has published an interesting article entitled “10 Things College Admissions Tests Don’t Do.”  Among the things that the SAT and ACT don’t do:

1.  We don’t measure what you think we do.

3.  You don’t have to be Shakespeare to ace the essay.

7. There’s no point in taking both tests.

For all 10 things that the tests don’t do, go read the article.

Share on Facebook

A fairly common question I receive is whether you need to submit both the SAT and ACT to a particular college.  The quick answer is that you only need to submit the SAT or the ACT but not both.

In the past I had addressed the question of whether a student needed to take both tests and again the answer was no.  If you have already taken both the SAT and ACT and are trying to decide which test to send to the colleges, check out this earlier post comparing the scores from the SAT and ACT.

Share on Facebook

Assumption College, a selective college in Worcester, Massachusetts, has announced that they are going test optional for students planning on enrolling in fall 2010.

There are now over 800 colleges throughout the country that are test optional.

Share on Facebook

For several years, many colleges have determined your SAT score for admission by adding together the best sections from multiple tests.  But some colleges only use the best one time test.

This has come under scrutiny recently with the College Board’s announcement of score choice. Score choice is the ability to decide which of your test scores to send to colleges. Some colleges allow score choice and some say they want to see the scores of each test you took.  But which college uses what approach?

The College Board has a chart that breaks down how each college handles the question of what scores to send and, if not all scores are required, whether the college combines the best sections or uses the best overall test.

Many of the colleges that require all of your test results may still combine subsections  in arriving at your ultimate SAT score for that college.  You will need to check with each college to find out their practice.

The chart does not list all colleges and in fact there are a number of colleges that did not provide this information to the College Board.  However, if the college in which you have an interest is listed, this chart can be a very helpful guide to how that college will handle your test scores.

Of course, as the College Board warns, you should always confirm with the particular college if you have any question on their policy as policies can change from year to year.

Share on Facebook

Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania has announced a change in the testing required for freshman admissions.  The change becomes effective for students entering in Fall 2010.

Students may continue to submit the SAT and two SAT Subject Tests or the ACT as has been required in the past. However, students may now submit as an alternative to the other tests, three SAT Subject Tests and/or AP exams in the following areas:

• English, history or languages;

• Math or science and;

• One subject of the student’s choice but in a subject different from the other two. Only one non-English language may be submitted.

I think this is a good move on Bryn Mawr’s part since studies have generally shown that the SAT Subject Tests are a better predictor of college success than the SAT itself. Giving students various options to determine where their testing strength lies puts more control of the process with the student.

I still believe that a test optional policy is preferable to any test requirements but this new policy of Bryn Mawr is a step in the right direction.  Colby College and New York University have moved to similar policies in the past year.

Share on Facebook

Are you confused about which colleges require SAT Subject Tests? And which colleges recommend the Subject Tests but don’t require them? How about those colleges that will consider them?

A helpful table listing colleges for each of these categories can be found at Compass Prep web site. Head on over there to get your questions answered.

Share on Facebook

The National Association for College Admission Counseling, NACAC, has released a new paper entitled “Preparation for College Admission Exams“.

According to this new paper, the average gain on the SAT from paid test prep is about 30 points and less than 1 point on the ACT.  The paper also finds that many colleges suggest that even small score differences such as this can make a difference in admission. Both NACAC and the testing agencies consider it inappropriate to use such small differences in the admissions process.

The paper leaves open several questions including whether some paid test prep companies are more helpful than others, are there particular types of students who would benefit more from test prep and is paid test prep more helpful than a student who does the prep themself.

Based on my experience I don’t think there is a black and white answer to the question of whether a student needs paid test prep. I have seen some motivated students prepare on their own and do very well. Other students, had great improvements after taking a paid test prep course. And some have seen very little change in their scores after paid test prep.

Much of the answer seems to depend on the particular approach of the test prep company as well as the motivation of the student in question.  Those students with more motivation seem to do better with paid test paid. But these same students also typically do well with self prep. Motivation seems to be the biggest factor in how much a student may improve their test score.

Finally, don’t forget those colleges that have gone test optional and don’t require standardized tests. Here is a list of test optional colleges.

Share on Facebook