The SAT and ACT. Katie Rose Premium Tutor Applerouth Tutoring Services

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1 The SAT and ACT Katie Rose Premium Tutor Applerouth Tutoring Services

2 The admissions process H.S. GPA in the context of Schedule Strength and Academic Strength of School Admissions Essays SAT ACT Teacher/Counselor Recommendations Activities (Leadership, Depth) SAT Subject Tests Demonstrated Interest Academic Index: quantitative components How will they read your application? qualitative components: the packaging of the application: Is there a cohesive story? 2

3 0 + a n d We will see more Test-Optional schools c o u n t i n g Going test optional gets an immediate admissions bump (more students apply) & increases average reported test scores (lower scores disappear). 41% of admissions directors feel tests should be optional. Chronicle of Higher Education Annual Survey,

4 Many admissions officers want to keep testing as a valuable selection tool When highly selective colleges receive 40,000 applications for 1,500 spots, they need an efficient form of screening. Assessments can be most useful here. 40,000 1,500 4

5 SAT/ACT Geographic Origins Berkeley, CA. First ETS branch 1948 Princeton, NJ. ETS HQ 1947 The SAT was first on the scene (first given in 1901!). 5

6 SAT/ACT Geographic Origins 1948 Berkeley, CA. First ETS branch 1959 Iowa City, IA ACT HQ 1947 Princeton, NJ. ETS HQ The ACT claimed the Heartland, starting in

7 Today the SAT and ACT are universally accepted Colleges will accept either test without prejudice. 7

8 The ACT is dominant SAT ACT Gap ,475,623 1,186, , ,465,744 1,206, , ,494,531 1,300, , ,518,859 1,421,941 96, ,530,128 1,480,469 49, ,597,329 1,568,835 28, ,647,123 1,623,112 24, ,664,479 1,666,209-1, ,660,047 1,799, , ,670,000 1,845, , ,700,000 1,924, ,436 8

9 The ACT - Section by Section English - 45 min Math - 60 min Mandatory Reading - 35 min Science - 35 min Optional Essay - 40 min The ACT s total time (without the essay) comes to 2:55 9

10 English Time: 45 minutes Questions: 75 Passages: 5 The English section is made up of two major types of questions - Grammar Questions and Rhetorical Skills Questions 10

11 English Grammar Questions: - Cover anything from punctuation to usage to pronouns - Require careful reading and close attention to the smallest detail This is the section where you ll need to remember comma rules and basic grammar. 11

12 English Rhetorical Skills Questions - Ask the student to improve a given sentence, paragraph, or the passage as a whole - May ask the student to add or delete information, reorganize sentences or paragraphs - Require the student to identify the author s goals and the intended audience - May sound like this: If the author were to delete the indicated sentence, the passage would 12

13 Math - Time: 60 minutes - Questions: 60 - Calculator? Yes - Formulas given? No 13

14 Math - Major content areas: - Arithmetic - Algebra - Geometry Smaller content areas include basic statistics and data analysis and trigonometry. 14

15 Reading Time: 35 minutes Questions: 40 Passages: 4 That s 52.5 seconds per question! The Reading section on the ACT is one of the most stressful, from a time-management perspective. Learning to read quickly and effectively for this test is vital. 15

16 Reading Passage 1: Prose Fiction - Usually an excerpt of a longer work Passage 2: Social Sciences - May come from history, sociology, psychology, or anthropology Passage 3: Humanities - Features artists, writers, musicians, or artistic movements Passage 4: Natural Sciences - May come from biology, zoology, geology, or another -ology 16

17 Reading Paired Passages - This new feature requires students to compare and contrast two related passages - They count as one passage (out of the 4) 17

18 Science Time: 35 minutes Questions: 40 Passages: 6 This is another 52.5second test! 18

19 The ACT has a rigorous science section, which tests science fluency, not science knowledge Science fluency examines one s ability to read tables, charts, and graphs and science texts. Students must see trends, correlations, extrapolate and interpolate data. The ACT Science section is a far greater challenge than the science tested thus far on the SAT 19

20 Essay - The essay is optional, but many competitive schools require it. - Don t be caught without one if you re applying to a list of competitive schools. 20

21 The ACT essay is challenging Evaluates 4 areas: ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use. Students are provided several perspectives and asked to create their own analysis of an issue Progressive Author 1 Vs. Moderate Author 2 Vs. Conservative Author 3 21

22 The SAT - Section by Section Reading - 65 min Mandatory Writing and Language - 35 min Math (no Calc) -25 min Math (Calc) - 55 min Optional Essay - 50 min The SAT s total time (without the essay) comes to 3 hours even. 22

23 Reading Time: 65 minutes Questions: 52 Time per question: 75 seconds The Reading section on the SAT is a marathon! It s the longest section and comes right at the beginning. 23

24 Reading Literature - Usually an excerpt of a longer work Science - You ll get two of these History/Social studies - You ll get two of these as well! Note: Students will certainly see graphs and charts on at least one passage in this section. 24

25 Writing and Language Time: 35 minutes Questions: 44 Time per question: 48 seconds The questions in this section cover both grammar/language use and rhetorical skills. 25

26 Writing and Language Aside from the length, placement and timing, this section is almost identical to the ACT English. The questions cover the same types of grammar and rhetorical skills. As with the ACT, knowing grammar rules is the key to success here! 26

27 Math (no Calculator) - Time: 25 minutes - Questions: 20 - Time per question: 75 seconds - Calculator? No - Formulas given? Yes 27

28 Math (Calculator) - Time: 55 minutes - Questions: 38 - Time per question: 77 seconds - Calculator? Yes - Formulas given? Yes 28

29 Math Content on the SAT - Major content areas: - Arithmetic - Algebra - Basic Statistics/data analysis Smaller content areas include geometry and trigonometry. 29

30 Essay - Like the ACT essay, the SAT essay is optional - The SAT essay is scored from 1-8 out of three categories: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. 30

31 The SAT Essay: A document based question The College Board has modified free response exercises from AP Language and AP Literature exams to create this new SAT essay 31

32 The ACT vs. The Redesigned SAT 32

33 The SAT made most of the moves towards the ACT SAT moves towards ACT Eliminates guessing penalty and E) answer choice Drops advanced vocabulary Focuses on rhetorical skills over grammar Adds science-type charts, tables, graphs Adds higher level math (e.g., trig) and puts more math in context Makes the essay optional at the end of the test ACT moves towards SAT Adds comparison reading passages Adds more critical thinking, analysis and time to optional essay Overlap of roughly 90%. Scores should correlate more highly than ever. 33

34 The recipe behind the Redesigned SAT The Redesigned SAT is more like the ACT, more aligned with the Common Core, and more rigorous than ever. 34

35 The amount of time allocated per question is a profound difference. The ACT is a speed test; the SAT less so Seconds Per Question Section ACT SAT Writing % Reading % Math % Science

36 Structurally the two tests appear nearly identical 3:00 SAT ACT Reading Reading Writing English Math 2:55 No Calculator Math :50 Testing Time Optional Essay 3:50 Math Science :40 Optional Essay 3:35 The ACT s stand-alone science section is one of the key differences, but there are also differences in the way the test treats the Reading and Math sections. 36

37 Reading: Expect an extremely hard passage on each SAT test, less so for the ACT Tough! Science (Comparison) Science Humanities Humanities Natural Science Narrative Fiction: Often archaic! Humanities Prose Fiction Social Science (Comparison) Students need to be prepared for the spikes in difficulty on the SAT. ACT is more consistent in its passage difficulty 37

38 SAT Reading is also really long! Reading 65 minutes Reading 35 minutes Some students have complained about the challenge of staying focused on a reading task for over an hour without a break: mental endurance now trumps speed on the SAT. 38

39 A tale of two visions of math Math is the area of greatest divergence. SAT is limiting its focus, emphasizing Common Core skills, while the ACT is expanding its reach into ever harder content 39

40 SAT math emphasizes conceptual understanding Interpreting trumps solving. Understanding how to build and manipulate functions and equations. Gives formulas! It s more of an applied math test, gauging fluency and understanding, rather than systematic solving. No more immediate roadmap to an answer, students must be more discriminating and find a path to an answer. Overlapping content with fewer items assessing a solitary concept. 40

41 ACT Math Is more straightforward Is more heuristic based: see this type of problem, follow this rule to solve it Puts a greater focus on geometry Tends to test math concepts in isolation Allows a student to always use a calculator, but doesn t give formulas Pulls from a broader range of topics 41

42 Comparing SAT and ACT content* Test Algebra Geometry Arithmetic/ Trigonometry Data Analysis ACT 46% 23% 24% 7% SAT 62% 6% 30% 2% SAT has more algebra and much less geometry. Trigonometry is mostly an afterthought. Algebra dominates the SAT. *Using SAT categories, slightly different from how the ACT categorizes math items 42

43 The SAT tests more math in the context of word problems than does the ACT Test Contextual Conceptual ACT 36% 64% SAT 53% 47% 43

44 Being able to solve on the SAT is often subordinate to being able to generate an equation or interpret a constant or variable 44

45 ACT math is shifting, integrating more varied concepts Expanding use of matrices (e.g., multiplication) Adding more conic sections (e.g., working with ellipses and parabolic equations) Understanding the domain of a function Vertical and horizontal asymptotes Trig: Using Radians, Terminal Sides and Coterminal Angles (e.g., 30, 330 and 390 ) Monomial factors Associative and commutative properties 45

46 Nuts and Bolts! Timelines, test choices, and score submissions 46

47 Fall Semester Junior Year Jun Jul Aug Sep PSAT Oct First SAT/ACT Nov Dec Jan Summer: Stay involved in extracurricular activities. Show consistency and depth. Aug: Take a challenging schedule. Add as many APs as you can realistically handle. Junior grades must be solid. Oct: PSAT. PSAT prep course if you are a potential National Merit Scholar or want to jumpstart SAT prep. Nov Jan: Take first SAT or ACT. Prepare 8 to 12 weeks prior to scheduled test date. 47

48 Spring Semester Junior Year Feb Mar Testing, Testing, Testing Apr May Jun Jan Feb: Register for spring AP exams (if schools don t register the students). Dec May: Explore financial aid/ scholarships/ grants for college. May Jun: Take APs, SAT subject tests, ACT, SAT (prep courses as needed). Jun Aug Make a college list and collect applications Begin applications/essays, set up interviews and college visits 48

49 Fall Semester Senior Year College Visits Jun Jul Final SAT/ACT Tests for EA/ED, ED/EA Applications Due Aug Sep Oct Nov Summer: Stay involved in extracurricular activities. Aug: Strong academic schedule. APs are ideal. Keep grades solid. Sep Nov SAT/ACT final push if needed Meet with your guidance counselor for application advice Finish early applications October: ED deadlines 49

50 Spring Semester Senior Year Finish Apps Dec Jan Yay!! Feb Mar Apr May Jun Nov Dec: Complete remaining applications Dec: ED responses arrive Mar Apr: Responses from colleges May: Deposits due Jun: Graduate and send final transcript to your school of choice! 50

51 Which Test Should I Try First? Both, ideally, to establish dual baselines 1. Start with your STRENGTH. If none, 2. Prep to your PREFERENCE. 3. If prep is not yielding results, switch to the other test. If you have to switch, 90% of the content transfers 51

52 There are no historically easy or hard test dates for the SAT or ACT! Historic SAT Data Reading Math Total Students June Averages October November December January March May Patterns of easy or hard sections or tests vary from year to year

53 Score Choice and SuperScoring For the vast majority of colleges, students can select which scores to submit and which to withhold (e.g., send March and June, withhold May). Some 100 colleges (typically highly selective institutions) require students to send all scores Test Date Verbal Math Composite March May June Send a score if it strengthens the application, top section or composite 53

54 Superscoring A majority of colleges will superscore the SAT and many will superscore the ACT, combining the top section scores to form a new composite score, the only score to be used in the admissions process. Test Date Verbal Math Composite March May June Superscore March and June contribute to the superscore, May does not. Withhold May unless a school requires all tests 54

55 You can also permanently expunge any bad ACT scores from your record. To delete your scores for a particular test date, you must submit a written request. All scores from that test date will be deleted. Write to: ACT Institutional Services P.O. Box 168 Iowa City, IA This eliminates the ACT scores for the few schools who deny Score Choice (e.g.,georgetown, Stanford) 55

56 What about the PSAT? You should prep if you are on the cusp of National Merit NM Scholarships can translate into serious moneyfamilies can leverage the $2,500 Award for merit based scholarships which may lead to free tuition at particular schools, a savings of $100,000+. Junior PSAT informs National Merit, otherwise these scores have no bearing upon college admissions. 56

57 Vertical Scaling of PSAT scores Additional content Passport to advanced math Higher Trig Science reading Advanced Texts PSAT 10 PSAT / NMSQT SAT As content gets harder, the possible point total increases 57

58 National Merit Overview Of the 1.5M+ juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT in a given year, approximately 50,000 (3.3%) will be identified for National Merit recognition. Approximately 16,000 students will be selected as Semifinalists; from those, 15,000 will be selected as Finalists. This represents top 1% of all test-takers nationally. The number of Semifinalists from GA is determined based on the percentage of total US High School graduates coming from GA. 58

59 National Merit Scholarship Selection Index: (CR + W + M) x The highest index score for the redesigned PSAT is 228: ( )*2 The cutoff score for Georgia last year was 219. Available at 59

60 Should we prep for the SAT Subject Tests? Fewer than 100 colleges use Subject Tests for admissions Timing: May and June after Junior year are ideal, aligned with APs Some schools accept the ACT as a replacement for the SAT+ SAT subject tests Some schools require subject tests for admission into particular programs/majors (e.g., Math 2 for finance or engineering) Recommended typically means take them. 60

61 Elements to Successful Prep Mock tests: testing effects Distributed practice Starting early Time on Task Finishing strong Having a goal (use Collegeboard.org to calibrate) 61

62 Allow Enough Time to Prep This is a process, not a oneshot deal. Cram jobs almost never work. Plan on taking the test 2-3 times. It s smart to start early! 62

63 Accommodations Both the ACT and SAT offer a range of accommodations for eligible students, such as extended time, a separate room, and visual/audio aids Typically, students must be using accommodations at school to qualify for testing accommodations For the SAT, you must apply once for all testing; for the ACT, you must apply for each test administration you plan to sit for. The accommodations process (even with no appeals) can take several weeks - get started early! 63

64 Getting more help Leverage your school counselor Consider hiring an Independent Educational Consultant 64

65 Some good resources 65

66 Our Services SAT & ACT prep (online, private, group) SAT Subject and AP prep HS subject assistance Study Skills Helping prepare students for higher scores and grades since