Demystifying College Standardized Tests

Demystifying College Standardized Tests

A reality check

A reality check

A reality check

Today s agenda Why standardized tests? Understanding your PSAT Results The current SAT The Redesigned SAT The ACT The Next 12-24 months Q & A

Factors that colleges consider 96% - Grades in college prep courses 91% - Grades in all courses 89% - Scores on college admission tests 88% - Strength of curriculum 62% - Essay 59% - Letters of recommendation 50% - Student s demonstrated interest 50% - Class rank 48% - Extracurricular activities 38% - AP/IB test scores

Applications by the numbers Applications per Admissions Counselor All <50% Selectivity 1000 928 750 649 669 712 728 809 662 500 534 359 393 423 459 514 527 250 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Applications by the numbers 80% 60% Percentage of Students by Number of Applications, 1990-2011 0.77 0.74 0.75 0.78 0.7 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.67 0.67 0.67 0.68 0.61 0.62 0.63 0.62 0.6 0.61 0.62 0.63 0.64 0.61 40% 20% 0.09 0.08 0.09 0.09 Submitted 7+ applications Submitted 3+ applications 0.29 0.16 0.16 0.1 0.1 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.14 0.17 0.18 0.19 0.22 0.25 0.23 0% 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

GPA inflation 3.50 Average GPA of Graduating Seniors, 1990-2009 3.25 3.00 2.8 2.9 3 2.79 3.1 2.83 3.1 3.1 2.86 2.9 Female GPA Male GPA 2.75 2.68 2.59 2.50 1990 1994 1998 2000 2005 2009

SAT score distribution 300,000 Math (2014) 225,000 150,000 75,000 0 200-240 250-290 300-340 350-390 400-440 450-490 500-540 550-590 600-640 650-690 700-740 750-800

What is the PSAT? (October 2015) Mathematics Critical Reading and Writing 160 760 160 760 320-1520

Summary of PSAT Changes Former PSAT Redesigned PSAT (Oct 2015) Maximum score 240 (3 x 80) (Math, reading, and writing) 1520 (2 x 760) (Math and reading/writing) Duration 130 Minutes 165 Minutes Essay No Essay No Essay Guessing Guessing penalty (1/4 point) No guessing penalty Number of answer choices 5 possible answer choices 4 possible answer choices Calculator usage on math Allowed on all math questions Not allowed on all math questions Vocabulary assessment Mostly Sentence Completions All vocabulary in context Use of visuals Only math section Math and reading/writing sections Used for National Merit Scholarship Consideration? Yes Yes

Understanding your PSAT score

Breaking down your PSAT score

National Merit 1,500,000+ juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT 34,000 Commended; 16,000 Semifinalists

The current SAT Test of endurance twice the length of the PSAT Three sections of 800 points, total score out of 2400

So what s the reading section like? SAT Critical Reading

The power of your two-track min

Mathematics Concept mastery Identify, Setup, Make sure & Execute

Writing Multiple-choice questions test grammar (70%) 25-minute essay requires a clear and well-supported thesis (30%)

The Redesigned SAT 3 Sections 2 Sections 2400 1600 Optional essay

Redesign or rebranding? -- ACT takers have outnumbered SAT takers since 2012 -- The ACT is reputed to be the more relevant, content-based test -- Achievement, not aptitude -- Free preparation material at khanacademy.org -- deliveringopportunity.org This is a clear message that good hard work is going to pay off and achievement is going to pay off. This is one of the most significant developments that I have seen in the 40-plus years that I ve been working in admissions in higher education. -- Dean of Admissions, Harvard University

Highlights Still an Endurance Test Including the optional essay, total test time increases to 3 hours and 50 minutes Back to 1600 Math: 200-800 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Verbal): 200-800 A Longer, Optional Essay Score (6-24) not factored into the Evidence-Based Writing or cumulative scores Analyze and respond to a piece of text 50 minutes, up from 25

Highlights Don t Leave Anything Blank No guessing penalty Fewer Answer Choices Four answer choices instead of five Put the Calculator Away (Sometimes) One no-calculator section

Highlights No More Flash Cards Sentence Completions eliminated Define words in context Emphasis on Data Analysis Charts, graphs, and tables appear in Reading, Writing, and Math questions

Mathematics on the Redesigned SAT Current SAT (through January 2016) Redesigned SAT (from March 2016) 54 questions, 70 minutes 57 questions, 80 minutes Calculator allowed for all parts Arithmetic, Geometry, some Algebra One no-calculator section More Algebra and some Trigonometry One-off problems Multi-step word problems

Verbal on the Redesigned SAT Current SAT (through January 2016) 67 reading/vocab questions, 70 minutes Redesigned SAT (from March 2016) 52 reading questions, 65 minutes 49 grammar questions, 35 minutes 44 grammar questions, 35 minutes 25-minute essay scored from 2-12 50-minute essay scored from 6-24 Finding the best-fit answer Focus on command of evidence

Sample math question

Sample verbal passage

The ACT compared ACT The Current SAT The Redesigned SAT 3 hours and 25 minutes 3 hours and 45 minutes 3 hours and 50 minutes Includes science No science section No science section Includes trigonometry No trigonometry Includes trigonometry Essay optional Includes essay Essay optional No guessing penalty Guessing penalty No guessing penalty Math/science accounts for 50% of your score Random question order (except math) Math accounts for 33% of your score Questions mostly follow order of difficulty Math accounts for 50% of your score Random question order (except math) Content based Reasoning based Content based Big challenge: time crunch! Big challenge: tricky questions! Big challenge: higher-order skills!

Sample ACT science question A photocell is a device for generating an electrical current from light. Each photocell contains a metal. A photon of light that strikes the metal can eject an electron from the metal if the photon's energy exceeds the metal's work function. The maximum kinetic energy the ejected electron can have is the photon's energy minus the metal's work function. The amount of electrical current varies with light's relative intensity (a measure of the number of photons with a given energy striking the metal each second). Relative intensity of light Electrical current (ma)+=** Maximum kinetic energy of electron if ejected from metal (ev) Energy per Trial photon (ev)* 1 2 2 2 low medium 0 0 0 0 3 2 high 0 0 4 4 low 29 0.9 5 4 medium 43 0.9 6 4 high 60 0.9 7 6 low 27 2.9 8 6 medium 40 2.9 9 6 high 55 2.9 *ev = electron volts **ma = milliamps Table 1 Table 1 shows the results of 9 trials in which a photocell was exposed to light.

Choosing between the tests SAT ACT

How not to do it

SAT ACT concordance table

Class of 2017: Old SAT, Redesigned SAT, or ACT?

SAT Subject Tests Designed to demonstrate mastery and academic achievement in specific subject areas Scored on a 200-800 scale 1 hour per test; students can take up to 3 subject tests in one sitting Plan ahead, early on in the school year, to maximize scores Required? Recommended? How many, and which ones?

SAT Subject Tests Literature U.S. History, World History Math Level I, Math Level II Biology (E/M), Chemistry, Physics Languages: French*, German*, Spanish*, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Chinese**, Japanese**, Korean** *also offered with Listening portion **only offered with Listening portion

SAT Subject Test policies The UC System no longer requires SAT Subject Tests scores, but will consider them if they are submitted No college requires 3 subject test scores Georgetown and Johns Hopkins recommend submitting 3 scores ~30 colleges require 2 subject test scores Many colleges recommend submitting 2 scores

Colleges that require Subject Tests Amherst College Barnard College Boston College Brown University Bryn Mawr College Caltech Carnegie Mellon University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges Harvey Mudd College Haverford College MIT McGill University Olin College Pomona College Princeton University Rice University Swarthmore College Tufts University University of Pennsylvania Vassar College Webb Institute Wellesley College Wesleyan University Williams College Yale University

Colleges that recommend Subject Tests Carleton College Claremont McKenna Cooper Union Davidson College Emory University Georgetown University Hollins University Johns Hopkins University Lafayette College Lehigh University Northwestern University Oberlin College Occidental College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Scripps College Skidmore College Stanford University University of Delaware University of Georgia University of Southern California University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Washington and Lee University Washington University St. Louis

What next? Create a roadmap. Decide which tests to take and when to take them.

Questions? New England Manager Amanda Bruneau amanda.bruneau@revolutionprep.com (617)640-0744