PSAT Results. PSAT Results. College Admissions Testing. What do they tell you? Took the PSAT last October

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1 College Admissions Testing PSAT Results What do they tell you? PSAT Results Took the PSAT last October Designed to give you an experience of the SAT (in a shorter, less intense form) Designed to give you information about your readiness to take the SAT Designed to give you a prediction about how you will do on the SAT

2 PSAT as Experience You already know about standardized tests - Regents exams are a good example... Uniform exams, given on the same date/time to measure your mastery in certain subject areas as part of fulfilling a requirement Regents exams are part of graduating from high school. The SAT is part of college admissions. PSAT as Information How prepared are you for the SAT? What level of mastery do you have in Critical Reading, Mathematics, Writing? Are you ready for college-level studies? (Contrast with College-Prep studies) What subject areas/skills do you need to focus on as part of your ongoing preparation for SAT AND college? PSAT as Prediction PSAT score is designed to give you an idea of what you would score on the SAT with the same level of effort and same level of preparation... Take your score in each section and add a zero (0) to get SAT score (out of 800) Add Reading and Math for the traditional Out of 1600 score which most colleges still use

3 PSAT Score Reports Your Scores, Your Skills, Your Answers PSAT Scores in Context Consider effort, preparation, motivation Consider many of you have not completed Algebra II/Trig which is 1/3 of the Math section Consider Reading and Vocabulary skills continue to develop throughout high school and beyond Where do my PSAT scores fit? Class of 2011 SAT Middle 50% = 1100 Upper 25% = 1280 Reading Math Writing Lower 25% Middle 50% Upper 25%

4 What are colleges looking for on the SAT? Niagara / Canisius / St. Bonaventure SUNY Colleges (Buffalo State, Brockport) University at Buffalo (UB) Rochester Institute of Technology Geneseo / University of Rochester University of Notre Dame SAT Timetable STRONGLY consider taking the SAT for the first time in March 2012 If not in March, DEFINITELY in May 2012 Considerations about May SAT date: Same day as Justinian dinner auction AP Exams begin the Monday following Does leave more time to prepare - but more doesn t always equal better! SAT Subject Tests One-hour exams - demonstrate mastery in other subjects beyond Reading, Math, Writing Look and feel like shortened, intense AP or Regents exams - all multiple choice Some colleges recommend or require Subject tests as part of admissions - Boston College and Cornell, for example. BE MINDFUL OF PARTICULAR COLLEGE SUBJECT TEST REQUIREMENTS. SAT in March, Subject Tests in May

5 SAT Preparation Every piece of data and research shows that students who prepare for the SAT achieve higher than students who did not prepare. SAT Prep classes almost always show greater improvement in SAT scores than prep on one s own. Study with your peers, have talented instructors who are experts in SAT, will be held accountable for showing up and doing work. The Formula for Success Your natural, God-given talents (which you can t change) PLUS Your effort, motivation, and preparation (which you can change) EQUALS Your SAT score Upcoming Work... On Thursday, December 15 - in Friars Hall Computer Lab with Ms. Quick Activate SFHS account (if not already done so) Link PSAT scores with College Board account Explore College Board s online resources as part of PSAT as Information Individual meetings with Ms. Quick to discuss PSAT results, SAT preparation, etc. After Christmas, more with Fr. Justin on SAT and Motivation (Notre Dame research project)

6 A Final Thought... Regents vs. SAT Vary in difficulty One subject per exam Start and go until finished/time up 2-3 hours Minimum goal - passing of 65+ Preparation... Rather difficult Reading, Math & Writing 10 sections with breaks (including Essay) Nearly 4 hours Maximum goal - score as high as you are able Preparation...