In a previous post, we talked about how to make a college list without test scores. But now, you have your scores and you want to start making a strategic list that accurately reflects your standing. While you take into account your personality, the college’s size and location, and student culture, you also need to have an eye on where you fit into these schools’ admissions data. From there, you can determine which schools make up your safety, target, and reach schools. If this sounds a little too ‘heady,’ don’t worry – we can help you sort through the numbers and find your fit.
Making a College List without Test Scores
College lists are hard to make in the first place – you have to take into account everything from your personality, to the location, to the culture, to the size. Then on top of that you have to look at your grades, extracurriculars, and standardized test scores to see where you fit in. Then you have to see which schools would be safeties, targets, or reach schools and how to create the most balanced list that takes all of this into account. “But wait,” you say, “I don’t have my standardized test scores. How can I even begin to make a college list?”
Stanford University SAT Requirements
The pandemic has upended everything in the college application process. But the most radical change has to do with testing. Most schools have made standardized testing optional during coronavirus, or have done away with it all together. That’s because you can’t ask thousands of kids to cram into testing centers and classrooms across the country during a pandemic. Stanford is one of those schools, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the test.
Is The SAT or the ACT Better for College?
Should I Study For Standardized Tests During My Sophomore Year?
College Board SAT and SAT2 Updates
On Tuesday of this week, the College Board put out this statement about updates that are being made to the SAT. The release is called “An Update on Reducing and Simplifying Demands on Students,” and it highlights three changes. We’re diving into them below:
Standardized Test Strategies for Class of 2025
Signing up for the SAT and/or the ACT was no easy feat this year. We saw hundreds, if not thousands, of tests cancelled month after month in light of the Coronavirus. Some people gave up entirely, especially after the huge influx of colleges opting to go test-optional for the class of 2025.
Is the Essay on the ACT/SAT Optional for Colleges?
According to Inside Higher Ed, the demand for college tests remains high in spite of the fact that most schools have opted to go test-optional this year. Even those who do sit for either (or both) tests might have further optional sections. While the writing test on both exams is technically optional (and not at all required at most top-ranked universities) some schools still do require students to submit them, while others would consider them as supplemental material. Some, like the UC schools, won’t look at them at all. Naturally, the pandemic is changing everything.
Should I Submit My SAT or ACT Scores 2020
The pandemic has impacted nearly every industry around the globe. Universities are no different. For the first time in modern history, schools have largely been forced to become test-optional. While many schools were headed in this direction already, we thought it would be years before we saw a real domino-effect in schools ditching test scores as a prerequisite. Since access to exams themselves is uncertain at best at the moment, a trend that was perhaps a ways into the future has arrived, at least for now.
SAT 2020-2021 Coronavirus/COVID-19 Policy
On June 2nd, the college board put out a statement asking colleges to “show flexibility in admissions this year” amidst the ongoing challenges with providing universal access to standardized testing. So, when the college board released the upcoming summer and fall test dates, they asked colleges to extend their deadlines for receiving test scores from prospective students AND to also equally consider students who were unable to take the test due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s an exact breakdown of the three ways that the college board asked for flexibility from colleges:
Should I Study for the SAT or ACT?
These are incredibly uncertain times. For students in particular, it might be difficult to get through knowing that the four years of high school you had pictured your whole life are altered and that the prospect of college hangs in the balance, too. But even as the world around us is changing and simultaneously pausing before our eyes, we strongly recommend avoiding the tendency to rest on your laurels. A lot of parents are wondering whether or not it’s worth their sophomores and rising juniors to study for SATs and ACTs in the fall. After all, we don’t know if they’re going to happen as planned. We recommend students stay the course. Here’s why:
How to Study for the SAT and ACT During Coronavirus/COVID-19
It was only a few weeks ago that College Board insisted that the June 6th SAT test date was set in stone. A lot has changed since then, and, unsurprisingly, the June 6th test date was tossed in the trash. ACT is also having to think on their toes, and while they still have two summer test dates scheduled, we would be surprised if they happen. Students most likely won’t be able to take either of these two crucial tests until the fall — and even that isn’t guaranteed! We’re getting a lot of questions about how to deal with SAT and ACT prep given the frequent schedule shifts and test date uncertainty, so here is our best advice:
SAT and ACT Requirements During the Coronavirus/COVID-19
Last week, the UC school system put out a statement that said that all UC schools will be drastically relaxing the admissions standards for the upcoming round of applicants. You can read the full statement here, but the main takeaways are that they suspended the letter grade requirements for A-G courses, and have done away with the standardized test requirement for current high school juniors.
SAT and ACT 2020 Date Changes and Cancellations: Coronavirus/COVID19
A few days ago, we wrote about how the AP tests were up in the air. College Board hadn’t announced what the plan was yet for 2020 tests, so all that we could do was lay out the possibilities and the probabilities. On Friday, we learned that what we were expecting is, in fact, happening. In-school tests are all canceled, but students will be able to take a shortened 45-minute version of the AP test on a concentrated amount of content at home online.
Coronavirus/COVID-19: Should I Study for the June 2020 SAT?
As the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic progresses, College Board is scrambling to make sure that students know what is going to happen as far as their standardized test dates. The ACT is doing the same. Both testing bodies have also canceled upcoming tests. College Board has canceled the May SAT date as well as the make-up test dates in March, and the ACT has rescheduled it’s April 4 test day to June 13. ACT’s decision to reschedule their April test date to June 13 should serve as a signal to the many students who are currently wondering if continuing to study for the SAT is even worth it. “If they canceled May,” we are being asked, “why should I put my effort into June?”
The Difference Between the SAT and the ACT
The SAT and the ACT are exams that you’re required to take to gain admittance to college. There are some similarities and differences, and we want to break it down for you. While a lot of the content is similar, it’s important to take note of the structure, timing, and how the tests are scored. Read on to get the lowdown.
How Much Do SAT/ACT Scores Matter?
Listen, we agree that humans are not quantifiable, that your potential isn’t dictated by a number, and that standardized testing is sometimes fickle and frustrating. All of that is true. But while we’d love to be able to say that scores don’t matter and that you being a great person and a world-class tap dancer will get you into your dream school, they do matter. A lot.
Is Sophomore Year Too Early to Think about Studying for Standardized Tests?
Should I Pay to Expedite My ACT or SAT Scores?
We know that you’ve all been listening very carefully every time we’ve told you to hand in your application materials by the deadlines. So, we’re sure that this blog post doesn’t really pertain to you who managed your time well, sent in everything months ago and have just been relaxing with your feet up. But in case you’re wondering what our hypothetical advice to those racing against the clock, wondering if they should pay to have their test scores expedited would be, here it is:
How Much Testing Information Is Too Much Testing Info.?
Imagine you are a little kid again and your parents tell you that if you took out the trash every day for a week, you can get a new toy. You’re probably going to want to demonstrate your compliance by alerting them, somehow, to your success every time you complete the chore. Perhaps you have a chart with gold stars, or you walk them over to the newly-emptied trash can each day, or maybe you just yell across the house as the door slams behind you, “IT’S WEDNESDAY AND I’M TAKING OUT THE TRASH AGAIN.” What you don’t do is take out every piece of trash, put each one on your parents’ desk so they can see, put the trash back in the bag, and then take the bag outside.