Standardized+Tests

Standardized Tests SAT's. ACT's. OMG! With standardized tests come good and bad. They can be a chance for a quiet brilliant student to shine or they can be the most complicated annoying bits of paper you have ever seen. However you should never feel like they are a reflection of you as a person - they are very narrow in their subject matter, rigid in their grading, and besides college admissions, hold no impact on the rest of your life. So, don't stress, because a year from now, they'll just a blip in your monitor.

I hate to add more stress to the already smoldering furnace that must be your brain, but there are many benefits from strong standardized test scores, so taking more than one standardized test (like taking the SAT’s for a second time or taking the ACT’s as well) may be beneficial. While colleges usually do not rely heavily on standardized test scores for admissions decisions__,__ they can be absolutely essential when it comes to earning scholarships. Some schools will offer you (might even guarantee you) merit scholarships based solely on your standardized test scores. Rutgers University, for example ([]) gives Scarlet Scholarships to qualified students who have at least 1950 combined SAT scores or a 30 ACT, something I wish I knew. My friend even got a full ride from Rutgers with a 2370 SAT score.

However, on the flip side, you should realize that SAT’s are not a measure of intelligence. My one friend who goes to Emerson has a 4.3 GPA and got a 1660 on her SAT’s (is that not bad), while my other friend with a similar GPA get that 2370. If after taking two to three standardized tests, trying your best and getting bad scores, you should realize they are probably not for you. Instead, you should focus on improving/strengthening a different part of your application, like your GPA or extra-curricular activities.

Here’s an __insider tip__ when it comes to sending in your SAT scores to colleges. Some schools ask that you send in all of the results of each and every test you took. However, the way the SAT website works is that you pick and choose the SAT or SAT Subject tests that you want to send in to schools. Colleges do not have the time nor the authority to call the CollegeBoard and check that you sent in all your scores. So if there is a really bad score on your record because for whatever reason you were out of your element, then simply click every test but that one to send in, and your schools will be none the wiser. There’s no need to stress over something you can control.

It’s not a good idea to go into the SAT’s “cold” (without studying) just to see what you may and may not have a grip on. This is a waste of your time (4-5 hours of it) and your parent’s money. Prepare for all of the subjects sufficiently before going in, and then if you discover you need help in one area, go back and focus on just that one before the next test. Using Score Choice, you can pick and chose which Subject Scores you want to send to colleges and build your best combined score off of that, so don’t stress if you achieved your best reading score on a different test than your best math score. Colleges, if you send in multiple SAT’s/ACT’s, will generally compile all your best scores to get your best combined score anyway.

"Generally, SAT results are available online about three weeks after you take the test. The official results are mailed to you, your high school, and any other recipients you specified (like colleges) about five weeks after you take the test." ([|link]) So many students will take the SAT (with the scores that they will eventually send to college) in the beginning of their senior year - at the Sept/Oct/Nov months so that their scores can be available by Dec/Jan deadlines. However, it would not be wise to take your very first SAT test in your senior year for there is not enough time to recieve your scores and study adequately in between tests. In addition, be sure to look up the [|dates] for the SAT Subject Tests you eventually want to take because they are not offered every month and certain subjects like world history and foreign language. When you know when they are being offered, you can plan out your study schedule ahead of time.

//Don't let that "Ahh Senior Year!!" be a scream of fury. Let it be an sigh of relief and contentment as you stretch out comfortably, relaxing poolside. : ) //