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Admission Testing 2019: What You Need to Know Matt Steiner (they, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Admission Testing 2019: What You Need to Know Matt Steiner (they, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Admission Testing 2019: What You Need to Know Matt Steiner (they, them, theirs) Senior Director Compass Education Group Stay Current, Stay Connected Application Bubble The Compass Guide to College Admission Testing : Available for free
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Application Bubble Stay Current, Stay Connected
The Compass Guide to College Admission Testing:
- Available for free download
Ø compassprep.com/guide
- Subscribe to our newsletter!
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Why Standardized Tests?
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Standardized Tests Are Consistent
But Score Gains Are Relative
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“Good” Scores Are Relative
The Competitive Landscape pp. 12-18
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SAT or ACT Required ≈1,300 Subject Tests ≈50 ACT in lieu of Subject Tests ≈7 Test Optional/Flexible ≈50 (1000+)
Test Requirements
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Comparing Test Structure
PSAT 10 & NMSQT
(320 – 1520) 4 Sections, 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
SAT
(400 – 1600) 4 Sections, 3 Hours
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Comparing Test Structure
PSAT 10 & NMSQT
(320 – 1520) 4 Sections, 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
SAT
(400 – 1600) 4 Sections, 3 Hours
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Comparing Test Structure
PSAT 10 & NMSQT
(320 – 1520) 4 Sections, 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
SAT
(400 – 1600) 4 Sections, 3 Hours
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Comparing Test Structure
PSAT 10 & NMSQT
(320 – 1520) 4 Sections, 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
SAT
(400 – 1600) 4 Sections, 3 Hours
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Comparing Test Structure
PSAT 10 & NMSQT
(320 – 1520) 4 Sections, 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
SAT
(400 – 1600) 4 Sections, 3 Hours
ACT
(1 – 36) 4 Sections, 2 Hours and 55 Minutes w/ Experimental (no Essay) + 20 minutes w/ Essay (no Experimental) + 50 minutes
Experimental
w/ Experimental + 20 minutes
Experimental
w/ Essay + 40 minutes
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SAT/ACT Essay Required
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SAT and/or ACT Essay
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ACT or SAT?
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SAT vs ACT: Making the Choice
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Practice Tests & Score Reports
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Ø SAT or ACT Decision: Fall of 11th grade at the latest Ø 1st Official Test: SAT (March) or ACT (Feb)
- Prep begins 4-5 months prior (Winter Break)
Ø 2nd Official Test: ACT (April) or SAT (May)
Ø Refresher prep and practice tests
Ø SAT Subject Tests (2): May or June
Ø Practice Subject Tests can gauge readiness
Ø 3rd Official Test (Optional): ACT (July or Sept) or SAT (Aug or Oct)
A Sensible Timeline: 11th Grade
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PSAT Results – Sample Class
Score Change Sophomore to Junior Year
1520 800 1400 1100
Sophomore PSAT n Junior PSAT
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Content Knowledge Command of Strategies Emotional Control Test Management
How Test Prep Works
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ACT Math: Structure & Pacing
Structure:
- 60 questions in 60 minutes
- Content breakdown
- 23% Pre-Algebra
- 17% Elementary Algebra
- 15% Intermediate Algebra
- 15% Coordinate Geometry
- 23% Plane Geometry
- 7% Trigonometry
Pacing Concerns:
- Average 1 minute per
question*
- Difficulty escalates steadily
throughout
- Problems at the end are
much harder but worth same points
- Rushing and cherry-
picking can be dangerous
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ACT Math: Difficulty Distribution
See Compass Guide page 45 Data reflects performance of several thousand first-time ACT takers on eleven different tests.
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ACT Math: Where to Invest Effort
Student Accuracy Per Question
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59
10 20 30 40 50 60
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The Reality of College Admission
80% 16% 3% 1%
Enrollment by Admission Rate
> 50% 25-50% 10-25% < 10%
- Admit Rate: 70%
- Yield: 33%
Stanford (<5%) denied 70% of applicants with perfect test scores
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