Testing, Testing, Testing

We're in prime test season now -- by which I mean, of course, SATs, ACTs, APs and subject tests. Here's a recap of some of the issues related to testing, particularly Score Choice vs. super scores, which many colleges do themselves.

With Score Choice, you tell either the SAT or ACT folks which test results you want sent to the colleges where you are applying. Super scores are created by the college: someone in admissions looks at all of your scores and takes the highest in math, reading and writing.

I asked the Mom's College Cram Course panel (parents and experts) what they believed was the best approach. Here are the responses.

Laura Wilson, founder of Wilson Daily Prep, likes Score Choice because it enables students to take the test as often they wish. "Superscoring is great, but all scores have to be sent. I've found that some parents fear that schools will penalize and not really take the highest. I trust the schools, and I do think they just look at the highest." But there is a hitch.

"Top tier schools ask to see ALL scores," she adds. "So, if you bomb a test they will see. However, colleges do not check with the College Board. That means students can still send only the scores they want the college to see. This is a family decision. Many families decide not to send all scores even though a college requests them, but an equal number of families do not feel comfortable with this decision and they send all scores as requested." A quandary.

Nancy Pullen, a Rutgers admissions officer, said Rutgers definitely super scores. "We take the highest score achieved on each of the 3 sections of the SAT to then make the highest combined best set of scores."

As Sue Boer, a guidance counselor at Columbia High School(Maplewood/South Orange) points out, "Score choice is when the students pick their two best test dates to send. They cannot choose the best scores. Students should use Score Choice, especially if they had a particularly troublesome test day."

Tina Squyres, mom of a senior and a college student, said, "We prefer Score Choice, which is essentially super scoring that you control - assuming none of your scores went down...which I think is unusual. Why send underwhelming scores when the student can and has done better?"

As for how many times, there's pretty much complete consensus. Tina says, "Three times is the maximum for SATs. We’ve heard in multiple info sessions that anything over 3 makes the student seem too intense." Sue agrees, saying, "No more than 3 times for either test; scores don't tend to improve after three times." Also, she adds that students should pick either the ACT or the SAT and stick with it. "There is no reason to take both tests. Students tend to score in the same percentile on both tests. They should do SAT or ACT practice tests and see which format they find more comfortable." And Laura concurs that 3 times is the limit for the SATs. But for the ACT, "most of my students take it 3 or 4 times and only send one or two scores to colleges."

Thinking about subject tests? Remember, as Sue says, "There is no need to take subject tests unless the schools you are interested require them. Some schools will take the ACT plus writing or the SAT and 2 SAT II’s. If that is the case, I suggest the students take the ACT instead of any SATs because it means less testing. These kids are hammered by standardized testing at this point in high school. You don't want to send poor subject SAT II scores to any school if they are not required.

Tina also makes a good point. "Subject tests are good if you have any idea about what you want to study in college. It gives the colleges a sense of what you bring to the table for that academic area. BUT if you are uncertain about what you want to study it would be best if you choose your tests carefully so that you are selecting tests that you feel fairly certain will give you a successful outcome. If the scores aren’t that good you really don’t have any options. They have to be sent."

And what's a good score? Laura says students should get a 670 or above on an SAT subject test to be competitive.

OK. Start figuring out your strategy now; there's lots to consider.

Thinking Way too Much about SATs, etc.

If you have a junior in the house, it's quite possible you are obsessing about SATs, subject tests, APs -- the whole mess of tests that are just one more hurdle in getting into college. You are probably already sorting through scheduling of tests, too. The SAT in March is the morning after the opening of our school musical -- doesn't seem like propitious timing. So, that means taking the SAT in May, subject tests in June, and quite possibly, the SAT again in the fall. My head aches.

Here's an at-a-glance range of scores that some of the most select colleges are looking for. As the article points out, numerical scores are one consistent way to view applicants. Even if SATs and ACTs still remain an important part of the application, remember one important thing about these ranges: these are the median scores, and 50% of accepted students fall within the range. Another 25% are above, the other 25% below.

Even if we think that these kinds of tests don't really predict that much about the ability to thrive in college (and schools that are dropping the testing requirement seem to think that), they are part of the non-monetary price of admission. So get a tutor or have your child take some SAT classes. At minimum, persuade them to take lots of practice tests at home. Practice may not make perfect in this case, but it sure can help.

Do Prep Courses Really Increase Scores?

Freshmen parents at our high school found out earlier this week that students could take the PSAT for free this weekend, courtesy Kaplan. I thought our teen should take it -- why not -- but was voted down. It was probably a good decision on several levels.

Clearly Kaplan knows how to do marketing -- the shock of low scores can translate into business. But do these courses, offered by a number of companies, really improve scores? I remembered something from The Wall Street Journal last year. The article focused on a study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling that found "SAT coaching resulted in about 30 points in score improvement on the SAT, out of a possible 1600 (research done before the addition of the writing portion), and less than one point out of a possible 36 on the ACT..."

The other finding: fake SATs such as those given by the testing companies are perhaps tougher than the real thing, therefore allowing the appearance of greater score gains when the official SAT is taken.

Finally, there will be plenty enough time to worry about scores -- and work on improving them once our teen takes the PSAT in October.

As for the test companies, they may have their place. But carefully weigh the cost vs. actual results before signing up.