Could It Be, A World That Is SAT-Free?

Wake Forest would rather see students spending their Saturdays doing community service or playing in a youth symphony rather than in tutoring sessions or taking the SAT or ACT. This seems to verge on college admissions heresy.

But the dean of admissions at Wake thinks it's the way to go, as she points out here. It sounds sensible to me, and as we have heard at college information sessions, the GPA is considered a better gauge of college performance than standardized tests.

But for now, most schools still want the scores, and as a result, we want them to be as strong as reasonably possible. I am certainly counting on just one or two takes on the test. Colleges do not like to see, for instance, four sets of scores. And besides, there really are better ways to spend Saturdays.

Meanwhile, our teen has started an online coaching program that emphasizes short, consistent daily prepping rather than several-hour classroom marathons.

We'll see how it goes. What's your thinking on these standardized tests?

Are Test Scores Destiny?

Decades ago, when I was applying to colleges, I had lopsided scores: near perfect verbal and let's not talk about math.

I got into a good school, but not the ones I wanted at the time. I am pretty sure my math score held me back. In retrospect, it seems to me my college took a chance. And I managed just fine in my classes. Do schools still take chances, or do students' scores really provide immediate boundaries in terms of which colleges might accept them?

Here's a list of colleges that do not use the SAT or ACT as primary elements in the admissions process.

While you may not have heard of many of the colleges, you'll also see some pleasant surprises.

ACT vs. SAT -- What's the Diff?

All the schools I applied to wanted the SAT. I assumed that still held. Boy, was I wrong. There's a big business in testing, and in deciding which tests to take.

I had no idea that, according to Fortune, the octogenarian SAT and the boomer ACT (born in 1959) are fighting for college test supremacy. In 2009, the tests were taken equally, with most schools accepting either test.

Some teens take both -- and experts think that is a waste of time and money. A better idea is to find which test plays to the student's strengths. A counselor at our teen's school described the SAT as more strategy-focused, while the ACT is more content-driven. Some test-prep organizations give diagnostic tests in both SAT and ACT to help you and your teen determine which one to concentrate on.

Or start simply. Take the PSAT and the PLAN (pre-ACT) in sophomore year to see not only which scores are higher but which test seems most comfortable.

Here's a good overview of the issue. It offers useful information, including a comparison of the two tests.

The College Board Is Your Friend

I was just exploring the College Board site and discovered grade-geared newsletters for parents.

While on the site, I also signed up for the SAT question of the day, found on the newsletter sign-up page. My responses to these questions will reflect badly, I am sure, on my glory days of high verbal scores. And let's not even think about how much lower my low math scores have sunk. Still, it's a good step to take; we will make it a family experience as we discuss our answers at dinner.

There is also a question of the day for ACTs, too.

These questions will offer a touch of reality that will, I hope, make us more understanding of what our teen faces.