STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

Do you know why the SAT exists today?

The answer might surprise you. Over its long history, the SAT has served many purposes including that of “leveling the playing field” through a standardized test that presumed to reconcile the great disparities that exist between high school academic programs across the country.

In its current iteration, however, the test’s intended purpose is that of a diagnostic assessment that helps admission officers predict the ability of applicants to perform academically during the first year of college. It is not an intelligence test nor is it predicting the likelihood of graduation.

Within this context—as a diagnostic test forecasting first year success—it holds little value. What’s more, admission officers seem to recognize this. They regularly conduct validity studies to determine the value of different variables (courses, grades, GPA, letters of recommendation, essays, etc.) and these studies routinely reveal that the SAT has only a marginal impact on their predictive models. In short, they know they can make good decisions about whom to admit without the presence of SAT results.

So, why, then, do so many colleges and universities insist that you submit test results?

Some institutions with great volumes of applicants (state universities, highly selective schools) use test results along with GPAs to screen candidates. In effect, scores in those cases are competitive credentials. Achieving the minimum score on a given school’s scale of acceptability is less a demonstration that you can do the work—and more an indication that you have hit that school’s rather arbitrary cut-off for consideration in the admission process.

And, at the end of the day, institutions use the SAT to project the strength of their entering classes. Intimating that the SAT is a universal metric for intelligence, they seem to be saying, “Look at all these smart students we have managed to attract.” As a result, colleges seek to attract candidates with “big numbers”—and, far from the diagnostic it is intended to be, the SAT becomes a competitive credential.

The good news is that more than 850 colleges now recognize the folly of this exercise and have made the submission of test results optional. In doing so, they have acknowledged that they can make good decisions about whom to admit without test results. To see a complete, alphabetized list of these schools, go to www.FairTest.org.

When I made reference to the test optional opportunity that exists at a growing number of schools during a presentation earlier this week, a student asked, somewhat incredulously, “Won’t colleges assume that if you don’t submit scores you are trying to hide low results?” I would make two observations from personal experience in response to questions like this.

One, the removal of the testing requirement in light of their confidence in other predictive factors frees admission officers to focus their deliberations on the personal strengths and attributes of the student without concern for how a score might affect their institutions’ academic profiles. The day that my former institution went test optional in the admission process was like a day of liberation for my colleagues and me. Free from the “tyranny of numbers,” we were able to admit the students who were most interesting to us.

Two, there tends to be very little difference between the test performance of “submitters” and “non-submitters.” Subsequent studies of the two groups at my institution revealed that average scores for the two groups were nearly identical. In fact, we discovered quite a few students who had withheld high scores, presumably, because they were philosophically aligned with the test optional policy.

Did we admit kids who benefited by not having to submit substandard scores? Sure—because they produced compelling coursework and supporting documentation that gave us confidence that they could do the work in our environment. And most did very well in college and in life after school. Similarly, we admitted more than a few students over the years with high scores, but relatively modest high school records who did not find the same success.

I have also heard the assertion that test optional schools are simply using the option as a marketing ploy to attract applicants and raise their scores (because low scores are no longer reported). While those might be natural outcomes that fall to such schools, it is my experience that the rationale for going test optional runs much deeper. Many schools with test requirements tend to admit students whose test results match or enhance their respective testing profiles. In the process, they tend to arbitrarily dismiss candidates who are otherwise very compelling but whose scores would “hurt the profile.” Making the test optional allows for a broader assessment of the candidate’s credentials.

The bottom line: If testing is not your thing you or are philosophically opposed to its place in the admission process, you should feel more than comfortable exploring the 850 colleges and universities that have made the submission of tests optional. They have defined a different paradigm for decision-making that, quite frankly, is student-centered. And that’s a good thing!

No credential sparks more consternation among college applicants than standardized testing. The following are eight tips that will help you put your best foot forward with testing when you apply for admission later this fall.

1. You have options! Review your testing experience to determine which scores (SAT, ACT or both) you want to send to each school. Every college in the country will receive either the SAT or the ACT (or both), so submit the set of results that puts you in the most competitive light.
2. Decide which tests you will take this fall. If you have already taken the SAT two times and are disappointed by the results, you may be facing a point of diminishing returns. You might be better off turning your attention to the ACT. Achieving a respectable score on the ACT means that admission officers have options with regard to the test results they might use to rationalize offering you places in their respective classes.
3. Colleges strongly prefer to receive test results (SAT, ACT) directly from the testing services. Make arrangements with the appropriate testing service to have your results sent directly to the colleges to which you are applying.
4. “Score Choice” gives you options with regard to the testing information you need to send to most colleges. If you are taking tests this fall, you may want to wait until you have seen the results before deciding to have official score reports sent to colleges.
5. Remember that admission officers will look at the best combination of scores. If you have taken the SAT 2-3 times, your best Critical Reading score might have come on your third test while your best math might have come on your second test. In order for colleges to pull results from different test administrations, you will need to submit scores from each.
6. Don’t hold off on submitting your applications for admission until you have all of your results from tests taken this fall or to be taken this winter. You shouldn’t have to report actual scores on your applications. As long as you register with the testing service to have your scores sent to the colleges in question, the results will be forwarded automatically within 3-4 weeks.
7. Consider the “test optional” opportunities that might exist among the colleges to which you are applying. Compare your results with the range of scores reported for each test optional college. If your scores fall in the bottom 50% of the score ranges, logic would suggest that you not submit your scores as they will do nothing to enhance your application. A complete list of more than 850 “test optional” colleges can be found at FairTest.org.
8. Make sure you are choosing colleges at which your testing profile is a good fit. Remember, colleges are fond of reporting high scores for their entering classes. The further your scores fall below the mid-point of the reported range of scores at a college, the less likely you will be admitted at that college.

The following is the testing schedule through February 2012. For more information about test registration and score submission, go to www.collegeboard.org and www.ACT.org.

Test                                      Test Date        Registration Date
SAT & Subject Tests            11/5/11             10/7/11
SAT & Subject Tests            12/3/11             11/8/11
ACT                                     12/10/11             11/4/11
SAT & Subject Tests            1/28/12           12/30/11
ACT                                       2/11/12             1/13/12

It’s that time of year when I receive a lot of questions from rising high school seniors as they take stock of their college application preparations. Not surprisingly, a fair number of questions focus on testing strategies—from which test(s) to take to which results should be reported. The following note received from the parent of one such student speaks to the latter.

“My daughter scored a 34 on her ACT and a 2170 on her SAT (760 math, 730 writing and 680 critical reading.) Her ACT converts to a higher SAT score (2260) so would you be inclined to send only the ACT scores for those schools who will accept either, or would you be inclined to go ahead and send both to show that she did pretty well on both “types” of tests? She has also taken 4 subject tests: 700 in literature and 730 in math this June, and 680 in chemistry and 680 in history as a sophomore.”

In responding, I pointed out that every college in the country now accepts the ACT or the SAT and acknowledged that the young woman in question has produced superb test results on both tests. While it would be wrong to assume that she will be admitted based on the strength of her scores alone, I noted that they will put her on the competitive “playing field” (for admission) at any school in the country. While these scores are not likely to be the credential that tips the scale in her favor at highly selective places, they do indicate that she would be able to do the work if admitted.

In this student’s case, submitting either or both the ACT and the SAT will be fine.

That said, I would like to make several observations. One, be careful about being too literal with regard to how an SAT might convert to an ACT and vice versa. While both test makers provide concordance tables to give you an idea as to how their scores compare, the tests themselves are quite different in terms of what they measure. As a result, you can’t make exact comparisons with regard to the diagnostic benefit of the respective tests.

Two, the need to demonstrate proficiency on both types of tests may be a bit over-rated. At the most highly selective colleges, such proficiency is both expected and rather routine.

And, three, admission officers like to be afforded a measure of flexibility when considering attractive candidates who present relatively modest scores. This is where having experience with both tests can be advantageous to the applicant. Schools that receive a preponderance of one test type over the other are regarded as dominant with regard to that test. For example, a school where most of the applicants submit the SAT is considered “SAT dominant.” While ACT results are considered in its admission process (and are usually reported on institutional profiles of entering classes), the ACT scores themselves disappear when test results are reported to ranking guides. This is because the latter only factors in results for the dominant test reported by the schools they are ranking.

So, what does this mean for you, the applicant? If you find yourself competing for admission at a college where your overall credentials are compelling but your test results are relatively modest, the fact that you submit test results from both testing services—or for the non-dominant test only—allows the admission committee to rationalize an offer of admission based on the scores from the non-dominant test. Without the scores from the non-dominant test, the committee might be wary of offering you admission for fear that your scores from the dominant test will adversely affect its testing profile.

The key, however, is to make an overall presentation that would warrant such consideration—give the admission committee a reason to want to admit you. Otherwise, it won’t matter which scores have been submitted.

It is best, then, to think of your test results, whether they are from the SAT or the ACT—or both—as credentials that help to put you on the competitive “playing field.” And know that colleges like big numbers. If you have the opportunity early in the process to sample one of each (perhaps the PSAT for the SAT and the PLAN for the ACT), do so to determine the testing format and methodology to which you respond best. If one test emerges as a favorite, then focus on preparing to do well on subsequent administrations of that test. Trying to master both will only distract you from other more important pursuits in your life.

I recently received a question about the Score Choice option offered to SAT test takers. Score Choice acknowledges the student’s ownership of test results and gives her the opportunity to determine which of her SAT results she would like to send to colleges. It is similar to the long-standing score reporting option offered to test-takers by the ACT.

The test makers assert that giving you the choice in distributing your scores will ease the stress you feel on the day of the test which will in turn help you relax and perform at a higher level. As logical as that assessment seems, I have not seen published research that demonstrates that higher scores will result.

While nearly 25% of the four-year colleges and universities in this country (830) offer optional test submission policies of some sort (check out FairTest.org to see the list), it is not likely that you will be able to escape having to take the SAT or ACT entirely. Somewhere along the line, you’ll need to submit test results with a college application. As a result, make sure you are aware of your testing options as well as the implications that come with them.

The following are a few observations relative to Score Choice.

1. You can’t mix and match subscores. Score Choice for both the SAT and the ACT allows you to choose from among different sets of test results those that you want to forward to colleges. It does not allow you to put a Critical Reading score from one test administration together with the Math result from a separate test and the Writing from yet another. While it is common for admission officers to combine the best subscores in their assessments of candidates, you cannot make such determinations through Score Choice.
2. If you want to take advantage of Score Choice, be careful when you register to take the SAT that you do not provide names of schools to be recipients of your results. If you do, those schools will automatically see results that, had you been able to see them in advance, you might have elected to withhold. I recommend waiting until early in your senior year when you have identified your short list of colleges to order score reports. At that point, you can determine which scores should be sent to each college.
3. Not all colleges observe the Score Choice option. In fact, a handful of institutions require their applicants to submit all of their test results. That said, they have no way of knowing how many times you have taken the tests—you’re on your honor to convey the necessary information. Check with the schools that interest you to find out what they require.
4. Resist the temptation to take the SAT over and over until you get the scores you want to submit. Not only is there a point of diminishing return with score improvement on multiple test administrations, obsessing on tests and test results will detract from your ability to do the other things you enjoy in life. You only have one shot at being a teenager. Don’t give it up to the pursuit of higher test scores! Focus on the test (SAT or ACT) with which you are most comfortable and limit yourself to three testing opportunities.
5. Finally, ownership is the essence of Score Choice. You own your test results. You control who sees them. Nobody, other than your counselor (on a need-to-know basis), should see your test results unless you give your consent. Moreover, your results should not arbitrarily appear on your high school transcript without your permission.

Regardless of your college aspirations, standardized tests are going to loom large in your life as you engage in the competition for admission. Take the time now to make sure you understand your testing/reporting options and then develop a plan that will enable you to put your best foot forward.