Up Up & Away! Superscoring the SAT & ACT Tests

Can’t quite get your best critical reading and math scores on the same SAT? Does the difficulty level of the ACT’s four sections seemingly change at random from test to test? Most universities offer a fix for these problems through superscoring. When you submit all of your test scores for the SAT or ACT, most schools will take your top score from each section to create a “superscore”. For example, say you sat for the SAT this past May and June earning CR scores of 550 and 580 and math scores of 600 and 550 respectively. Schools would superscore your test by combining your June CR score of 580 with your May math score of 600 for a total combined score of 1180.

While superscoring certainly benefits students, colleges have a stake in the game too. By creating superscores for every student, they boost the overall average scores of their incoming freshman, and thus they climb in college rankings.

Some students worry that taking lots of tests is a black mark on their applications, but most schools utilize computer programs that compile scores and spit out ranked lists of applicants making admissions officers’ jobs a little easier. In other words, most admissions officers never see how many tests you take save at a few select colleges. This may sound like an invitation to take as many tests as you can, but there are good reasons to limit the number of tests you sit for which we covered in our last blog article.

College Board helpfully keeps an up-to-date list of schools that superscore the SAT at SAT Score-Use Practices by Participating Institution. A brief list of colleges that DO NOT superscore the SAT can be found here. The list of schools that superscore the ACT is a bit more elusive. I always encourage students to get in touch with the institutions that they’re considering applying to. The most up-to-date ACT list I found is at Schools that Superscore.

So take a deep breath. When taking your seat on test day remember that your performance on that one test may not solely decide the score a college will use to admit you.

How Many Tests Should I Take?

Open season for SAT and ACT testing typically runs from the beginning of junior year through mid-December of students’ senior year. Over that span, ten SATs and nine ACTs are offered. So how many should you take? While there is no definitive answer, there are many considerations to help you decide.

First, look at the research. Statistics from SAT and ACT indicate that scores plateau after a second test. The numbers from the 2013 ACT, for example, show that 57% of the students taking the test a second time increased their composite score. Research also shows that re-testing too many times can negatively impact your scores. You’ve heard it before – moderation! So is two times the best plan?

Two important caveats to consider before you walk away after only two tests. The first is that you need to be prepped before taking a test. Test prep companies have proliferated for a reason: prep works. Again, research proves that gains are made on the second attempt AFTER preparation. So, if I meet a student who’s taken one ACT, but hasn’t been prepped, there’s a good chance I’ll recommend he take it twice more after prep to maximize his score potential.

Why else would students take the SAT or ACT more than twice?

a) If a college they are applying to “superscores” the tests, students may want to chance a third to earn the best combined score among the three. (See our next blog for more on superscoring).
b) If you are trying to reach a particular score because of athletics or scholarship opportunities, then test away. When accepting athletes, colleges often require a specific score be earned to attend. In this instance, take the respective test as many times as needed to get that score. Similarly, every time you hurdle a milestone score on the SAT or ACT, say 1200 or 29, schools typically kick in more scholarship money. The cost of additional prep and test registration may be peanuts compared to the THOUSANDS students may potentially earn with better test scores.

Also keep in mind that both the SAT and ACT tests are accepted by every four year college. ACT prep is much less time consuming so it’s cost effective. Therefore consider an early ACT test before committing to the SAT. In fact, I usually suggest students take one of each and then focus on the one which they like better and scored better on. Finally, simply taking more tests does not guarantee improvement. Students must take practice tests, utilize strategies and tactics and be conscientious in their preparation.

SAT or ACT?

I’m often asked which test should my teen take and when should s/he take it. My answer is an unequivocal BOTH! I typically follow this up with an explanation of the plan I laid out for my niece. I had her take the January SAT followed by the April ACT (There is no February ACT offered in NY). We then stuck with the test that she liked better and performed better on. In her case, it was the ACT. So she took her second ACT in June. This left the fall of her senior to take another ACT test if needed. Since she finished with a 28, one point shy of the equivalent of a 1300 on the SAT and thus one point away from significantly more scholarship money, I had her take the ACT one last time in September.

This strategy of taking an SAT followed by an ACT and then focusing on one or the other has a number of benefits. The first is that one never quite knows which test students will perform better on and with college admission and scholarship money riding on these scores, it is well worth taking a shot at each. Visit this link to see the differences between the tests – https://www.testprepsbuffalo.com/act-prep/act-vs-sat/. Second, students get fatigued by the preparation and effort of taking each test 3 or 4 times. If one test score stands out, it is worth putting in the effort to become an “expert” on that test. Of course, this doesn’t happen if the student doesn’t practice sufficiently. Expecting a rise in score on a second or third test without any additional practice is not realistic.

The best answer as to when to take the test is to look at a student’s high school extracurricular and academic schedule. My niece played field hockey in the fall and softball in the spring so I targeted test prep for the winter months when she had more free time in her schedule. If her falls were free and her winters busy with say basketball, I may have had her take the SAT in November or December. Regardless of when a test is taken, I tell every one of my tutees that they are doing themselves a disservice if they do not take each test and then become a master of one!

The Boot Camp Model

The boot-camp format for SAT and ACT prep is booming not just in Western New York, but across the country.  There are a few good reasons.

First, teenagers’ schedules make President Obama’s look lackadaisical.  In early for a club meeting, after- school practice, tournaments on weekends, room for another commitment simply doesn’t exist.  And even when a few hours can be carved out of the schedule, there is no regularity to them, so a weekly prep class isn’t feasible.  Test Preps’ Boot Camps are held over school breaks.  We target the calm spot in the school schedule so kids can focus on improving their scores, getting into the colleges of their choice and earning more scholarship money.  What’s more, boot camp attendees are taught the same tactics and strategies that they’d learn if they signed up for our traditional SAT or ACT class, they receive the same interactive instruction, the same personalized attention.  

SHOW ME THE ACT!

You know EVERY college will accept an ACT score in lieu of an SAT, you know there’s no vocabulary component,  you know that scores are averaged, and you have a basic idea of what each section looks like.  Still hesitant to register?

There’s no substitute for experience.

Have your teens take the ACT for a test run and see for themselves why it may be the test to get them the scores they’re hoping for.  Test Preps is sponsoring an ACT PREVIEW DAY, Saturday, April 30th from 8:00 – 12:00 noon at the Boys and Girls Club of Orchard Park.

The cost is only $20 and includes test-taking tips from experienced instructors and results emailed to you within 3 days!  Register online or call Ray Mangione at 474-8053 for additional information.

Find out if the ACT is the test to get your teen into the college of her choice.

Meet the ACT, Part II

Test Preps is on a mission to spread the ACT news across Western New York and beyond: The ACT is a great test, well worth taking.  To help convince you, our last “Meet the ACT” covered the ABCs of the ACT, today’s entry will each section in depth, and a last entry will compare the ACT with the SAT.

While the SAT boasts its well known 1600 perfect score, the ACT tempts test-takers with hopes of scoring a perfect 36.  The average ACT score is 21, but those seeking Ivy League admission need a score in the top 90th percentile which most years translates to a score of 28 or higher.

Scoring the ACT is straight forward. The scores of all four tested categories (English, math, reading, science) are averaged.   All of the categories are scored on a scale of 1 – 36, and in the event the average score is not a whole number, the ACT rounds the average score to the nearest whole number.

Of the four sections, English is first and easiest to manage time-wise despite the 75 questions.  This section makes one the editor requiring grammatical and rhetorical fixes to five passages.  The grammatical knowledge required is fairly simple and can be easily reviewed if a refresher is needed.  There are fewer rhetorical questions, but they are more complex and require a bit more time to answer. They often involve shifting sentences and paragraphs around a passage or deciding whether sentences should be added to the passage.

Most of the math on the ACT resembles what students see everyday in high school: straight forward calculations and word problems.  The bulk of the 60 problems requires knowledge of algebra and geometry with just four problems covering trigonometry.

The reading section consists of four passages, each with ten questions.  When students struggle on this part it’s because the pacing is very quick, not because the questions are extremely difficult or inferential.  Finding answers quickly is a key to scoring well on this section.

And those who fear science need not tremble before the ACT science section.  No background knowledge is required to answer any of the 40 questions.  The section tests how quickly and accurately one can read graphs and charts.  Like the reading, many mistakes on the science section are due to the quick pace and not to the difficulty level of the questions.

An optional writing section closes out the test.  Note, however, that many schools will not accept an ACT score unless a student has sat for the essay though it is not counted for admission purposes.  Schools seem to think students are taking the easy route if they don’t opt for the essay.  If registering for the ACT, make sure to register for the “ACT Plus Writing!”

Convinced yet?  Stay tuned.

Meet the ACT!

Growing up in Western New York in the 1980s, my friends and I all took the SAT. This was and still remains a junior year rite-of-passage. We’d heard of the ACT, we knew of rumors that somewhere in the American Midwest all students sat for it, but the colleges we were applying to certainly didn’t require it.

Fast forward thirty years and EVERY COLLEGE in the United States will accept an ACT score in lieu of your SAT score for admissions purposes. I therefore encourage every student I tutor to give the ACT a shot. And the results support my encouragement. The majority of students I’ve tutored over the past two years have scored better on the ACT than the SAT.

The ACT includes 4 subject area tests: English, mathematics, reading and science. Students have 45 minutes to complete the five English passages which test grammar, punctuation and writing skills. Next, students get 60 minutes to complete 60 math questions. The reading and science passages are each 35 minutes, but the reading contains 4 passages, while the science has 7. There’s also an optional thirty minute essay which concludes the test.

In New York State the ACT is administered on five test dates —in September, October, December, April, and June. Registering for the test and choosing scores to be sent to colleges is similar to the SAT.

I’ve found that many people of my generation, now parents, are still leery of the ACT. No longer a Midwestern novelty, it’s time to acquaint ourselves, and our teens, with it.