Testing-Schmesting Part III - PSAT-SAT and PLAN-ACT

In this article, I discuss the two families of standardized tests: the PSAT/SAT offered by College Board and the PLAN/ACT offered by American College Testing. While an increasing number of colleges and universities are moving away from required testing (more than 800 according to FairTest, The National Center for Fair and Open Testing), the vast majority of schools still require either the SAT or ACT.

WHAT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PEOPLE LOOK FOR IN APPLICATIONS

In general, colleges look at three sources of information as they make their admissions decisions. The first is your academic record; that is, what courses you have taken freshman through senior years (including how many Honors and AP courses), and what kinds of grades you achieved in those classes.

A second area that college admissions officers look at is who you are as a person. They want to know what you do when you are not in class, what your interests and passions are, and if you have special qualities or talents? They are also interested in what you say about yourself in the essays you write.

The third area that colleges are concerned about is the test scores you receive on the SAT and/or ACT. Standardized tests are thought to be a kind of leveling instrument in evaluating students from different schools, different regions and different personal circumstances, although many would say that these tests favor students who have more privileged backgrounds.

THE PSAT/SAT FAMILY

What is the PSAT?

The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is a multiple-choice test comprised of three sections, Critical Reading, Math and Writing Skills, that is offered every October. Each of the sections is scored on a scale from 20-80 points, with the total of all three sections ranging from 60-240.

Some high school sophomores and most juniors take the PSAT. Top scores on the PSAT may qualify a few high school juniors for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and some colleges. In addition, the PSAT is seen as a rough predictor of how a student might score on the SAT. In reality, there are no negative consequences for taking the PSAT, but the PSAT does not affect your college admissions.

What is the SAT?

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is also a multiple-choice test comprised of Critical Reading, Math and Writing sections that is offered seven times a year, in October, November, December, January, March, May, and June. Every test also includes a 25-minute experimental section that doesn’t count. For each section, a student can score from a possible low of 200 points to a high of 800 points. The highest possible score for all three sections is 2400.

THE PLAN/ACT FAMILY

What is the PLAN?

Typically administered fall of a student’s sophomore year, the PLAN is the “pre-ACT.” The PLAN structure is slightly different from the PSAT in that it is comprised of 4 subject areas, English, Math, Reading, and Science. Test takers may score anywhere from 1 to 32.

What is the ACT?

ACT, (an abbreviation for American College Testing) is another standardized college admissions test that is accepted equally by college admissions offices.

The ACT is comprised of four tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science and there is also an optional writing test. A total composite score is an average of all four tests and ranges from 1 to 36. The Writing scores ranges from 2 to 12.

TO PREPARE FOR TESTS OR NOT?

For years now, there has been a lot of discussion about whether preparing for standardized tests does any good. In our opinion, there is no question that it does. As a matter of fact, the greatest increases in scores with the SAT and the ACT usually come to students who start out with the lowest scores. That is, the higher the score, the less room there is for improvement; the lower the score the more of a chance there is for improvement.

That being said, there are a number of ways to prepare for tests including:

1. SAT/ACT PREPARATION BOOKS are inexpensive, convenient and usually contain much of the information you need. However, it takes a very motivated student to stick with working from a book. And without feedback from someone who knows these tests, students often make the same mistakes over and over.

2. SAT/ACT COMPUTER SOFTWARE programs for test preparation are also available and tend to be inexpensive, convenient, and for those who are computer savvy, easy to work with. Once again, high motivation is needed to stick with the program, so if you aren’t a self-starter computer programs may not do the trick.

3. SAT/ACT TEST PREPARATION COURSES AT SCHOOLS are another resource. Some are as short as a day or a weekend, while others may last throughout an entire semester. Test prep at schools is usually free and convenient. However, the quality of the preparation varies, depending on the knowledge and skill of the test tutor.

4. COMMERCIAL SAT/ACT PREPARATION COURSES from the likes of Princeton Review and Stanley Kaplan are often the resource of choice by students. The advantages are that they have a predictable schedule, they tend to keep up with testing trends, and the classes are small. On the other hand, they can be very expensive and time consuming. More importantly, since the curriculum is fixed, you may spend the same amount of time in areas in which you don’t need improvement as you spend in areas where you need a lot.

5. INTERNET TEST PREPARATION RESOURCES FOR THE SAT AND ACT are becoming increasingly popular. Usually, they don’t cost anything. Often college professors and graduate students organize the preparation materials, but it takes a lot of self discipline to keep at it.

6. INDIVIDUAL SAT/ACT TUTORING is a another option. This type of help tends to be very expensive, as much as $200 per hour. The quality totally depends upon the knowledge and skill of the tutor, which is sometimes difficult to assess. The advantage, of course, is that if you get the right tutor, he/she focuses on your deficiencies, helps you know how to perform at your best on the tests, which can lead to your significantly raising your scores.

A May 20th, 2009 Wall Street Journal article declared, “…the only effective method to prepare for these admission tests is to study with a private tutor. While tutors typically cost more than a class or book, their expertise and personal catering to each student provides a real advantage and will result in higher scores.”

I am not endorsing any particular method, only providing you with what the options are. I leave it up to you and your parents to determine which option is best for you.

Like it or not, standardized testing is probably going to be a part of college admissions for some time to come. What you need to do is prepare for it in such a way that you can get the most out of a test that you can.

Copyright (c) 2010 Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz