College Admissions Testing A Roadmap for the SAT, ACT, and Other - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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College Admissions Testing A Roadmap for the SAT, ACT, and Other - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Feb 19, 2023 401 likes •834 views

College Admissions Testing A Roadmap for the SAT, ACT, and Other Tests Summit Educational Group History of SAT and ACT 1926 First administration of Scholastic Aptitude Test Focus on aptitude rather than mastery 1959 First

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Summit Educational Group College Admissions Testing

A Roadmap for the SAT, ACT, and Other Tests

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SLIDE 2
  • Prior SAT
  • New 3rd section: Writing (grammar + essay)
  • No Analogies or Quantitative Comparisons
  • 2400 scale: Critical Reading, Math, & Writing
  • First administration of ACT
  • Measures “achievement, not aptitude”
  • ACT overhauls Essay and makes minor

changes to Reading and Science tests.

  • Harvey Mudd College accepts ACT.

All colleges now accept both.

  • 1.57 MM ACTs and 1.55 MM SATs. First year

that more students take ACT than SAT.

2015 2005 2007 2016 1926 1959

History of SAT and ACT

  • First administration of Scholastic Aptitude

Test

  • Focus on aptitude rather than mastery
  • First administration of redesigned SAT:

March 2016

2010

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SLIDE 3

Create a Testing Plan

“You hold the power, not the tests. You control your learning. Demystify the test, know its purpose, what it covers, what it looks like, how it’s actually used (its relative importance) and then plan how best to tackle it.”

– Jon Ericson Former president of ACT

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Create a Testing Plan

  • Which tests should I

take?

  • When should I take

them?

  • How and when should

I prepare for them?

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SLIDE 5
  • PSAT
  • SAT
  • ACT
  • Subject

Tests

  • AP Tests

Which Tests Should I Take?

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PSAT is Practice for the SAT

  • p. 13

120 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

PSAT 8/9 (120-720) SAT (200-800) PSAT 10 / NMSQT (160-760) PSAT scores show what you would have scored on the SAT on that same day.

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SLIDE 7

Test Scores – 4th Most Important

Grades in college prep courses Grades in all courses Strength of curriculum Admission test scores (SAT & ACT) Essay or writing sample Counselor recommendation Student’s demonstrated interest Class Rank 92% 89% 89% 88% 60% 60% 54% 51%

Percentage of Colleges Reporting “Considerable or Moderate Importance”

  • p. 1
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SLIDE 8

Test Optional Schools

“We want outstanding students from all over the world and from all different backgrounds— regardless of their standardized scores.”

  • Karen Stroud Felton

Dean of Admissions George Washington University

  • p. 4
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Why the SAT/ACT? – Grade Inflation

GPA Reported by College-Bound Seniors

  • p. 2

A– A A+ A– A A+

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SLIDE 10

Why the SAT/ACT? – Consistent Curve

200-240 250-290 300-340 350-390 400-440 450-490 500-540 550-590 600-640 650-690 700-740 750-800

  • p. 2
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Dimensions of Standardized Testing

Power Test Speed Test Curriculum-Based Test Aptitude Test Old PSAT & Old SAT Aspire & ACT Subject and AP Tests PSAT & SAT

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SAT/ACT – Similar in Structure

  • p. 15

Reading

(65 min)

Writing & Language

(35 min)

Math

(No Calc)

(25 min)

Math

(Calc)

(55 min)

Essay

(50 min)

SAT (3 hours plus essay) English

(45 min)

Math

(60 min)

Reading

(35 min)

Science

(35 min)

Writing

(40 min)

ACT (2 hours 55 minutes plus essay)

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SLIDE 13

SAT/ACT – Structure and Scoring

SAT ACT

Overall Scores

Combined Score: 400-1600

(Reading & Writing + Math)

Composite Score: 1-36

(average of 4 test scores)

Subject Scores

  • Reading & Writing: 200-800
  • Math: 200-800
  • English: 1-36
  • Math: 1-36
  • Reading: 1-36
  • Science: 1-36

Essay Scores

Optional Essay

(not included in Combined Score)

  • Reading 2-8
  • Analysis 2-8
  • Writing 2-8

Optional Writing: 1-36

(not averaged into Composite Score)

  • Ideas & Analysis 2-12
  • Development and Support 2-12
  • Organization 2-12
  • Language Use 2-12

Scoring

Right-only

(no penalty for wrong answers)

Right-only

(no penalty for wrong answers)

  • p. 16
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SLIDE 14

Mathematics

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SAT/ACT – Math

Narrow and Deep Algebra – about 60% of Math No-Calculator Section 83 seconds / question Broad and Shallow Algebra – about 30% of Math Calculator allowed throughout 60 seconds / question

SAT ACT

  • p. 21, 30
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SAT/ACT – Math

If two lines in the standard (x, y) coordinate plane are perpendicular and the slope of

  • ne of the lines is 3, what is the

slope of the other line?

  • A. –3
  • B. –1
  • C. –1/3
  • D. 1/3
  • E. 3

ACT SAT

The graph of the linear function f has intercepts at (a, 0) and (0, b) in the xy-plane. If a + b = 0 and a ≠ b, which of the following is true about the slope of the graph of f ? A) It is positive. B) It is negative. C) It equals zero. D) It is undefined.

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Reading

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SLIDE 18

SAT/ACT – Reading

Complex passages, high- level reading 13 minutes per passage Data Graphics SAT ACT

  • p. 18, 32

Quick, efficient reading for comprehension 8 minutes per passage

3 4

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SLIDE 19

SAT/ACT – Reading

What can reasonably be inferred about gliding animals from the passage? A) Their young tend to hop along beside their parents instead of flying beside them. B) Their method of locomotion is similar to that of ground birds. C) They use the ground for feeding more often than for perching. D) They do not use a flapping stroke to aid in climbing slopes. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question? A) Lines 4-6 (“They jumped. . . air”) B) Lines 28-29 (“They. . . traveling”) C) Lines 57-59 (“The birds. . . slopes”) D) Lines 72-74 (“something. . . theory”)

SAT

The passage points to which of the following as a characteristic of trap-jaw ants’ mandibles that prevents the ants from harming themselves with their powerful bite? F. A hinge prevents the mandibles from snapping together forcefully.

  • G. Mandibles with cushioned under

edges provide a buffer when the mandibles snap shut.

  • H. A latch mechanism prevents the

mandibles from closing completely. J. The mandibles begin to decelerate before they meet.

ACT

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Writing & Language / English

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SAT/ACT – Writing & Language / English

SAT ACT

Emphasis on understanding main idea and author’s intent Inclusion of charts and tables 75 seconds / question Emphasis on correcting sentence structure and punctuation 36 seconds / question

  • p. 19, 29

Very similar tests. Both require strong grammar and editing skills.

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SAT/ACT – Writing & Language / English

SAT

The article goes on to suggest that the most valuable resources provided by coworking spaces are actually the people whom use them. A) NO CHANGE B) whom uses C) who uses D) who use

30

ACT

Although I had never met more of the people who walked with me, I felt a kinship with them.

  • A. NO CHANGE
  • B. more of the people whom
  • C. most of the people who
  • D. most of the people whom

3

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… As of 2010, there were approximately 40,300 urban and regional planners employed in the United States. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts steady job growth in this field, projecting that 16 percent of new jobs in all occupations will be related to urban and regional planning. Population growth and concerns about environmental sustainability are expected to spur the need for transportation planning professionals.

SAT Data Graphics Questions

Which choice completes the sentence with accurate data based on the above graph? A)NO CHANGE B) warning, however, that job growth in urban and regional planning will slow to 14 percent by 2020. C) predicting that employment of urban and regional planners will increase 16 percent between 2010 and 2020. D)indicating that 14 to 18 percent of urban and regional planning positions will remain unfilled.

6

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SLIDE 24

Science

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SAT/ACT – Science

SAT ACT

No Science section, but 21 science-related questions appear throughout the test. Dedicated Science section. Mostly deductive reasoning and logic, as well as understanding charts, tables, and experimental design.

  • p. 33

Rarely require knowledge of specific science concepts

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SLIDE 26

Essay / Writing

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SAT/ACT – Essay/Writing

SAT Essay Prompt

“Write an essay in which you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry.”

  • p. 23

explain how

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SAT/ACT – Essay/Writing

ACT Writing Prompt

Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives

  • n the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to:
  • analyze and evaluate the perspectives given
  • state and develop your own perspective on the issue
  • explain the relationship between your perspective and those given
  • p. 34

evaluate the perspectives develop your own

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SAT/ACT – Essay/Writing

  • p. 34

The ACT essay assignment asks you to WRITE an argumentative essay, whereas the SAT essay assignment asks you to ANALYZE an argumentative essay.

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ACT SAT % More Time Reading 53 seconds 75 seconds 42% Math 60 seconds 84 seconds 40% English/Writing 36 seconds 48 seconds 33% Science 53 seconds N/A N/A

SAT and ACT Timing

Average Time per Question

  • p. 28
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Choosing SAT or ACT

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Choosing SAT or ACT

SAT ACT Clever, puzzle-solver Concrete thinker Strong reader with good vocabulary Fast reader who has trouble with inference and nuance Anxious, doesn’t handle time pressure well Has the mental endurance to maintain a quick pace throughout a long test Doesn’t need to study much, can achieve good grades by relying on intuition Studies hard, good grades, history of not doing well on standardized tests Skilled with algebra Gets extended time on both tests

Best way to make this decision is by taking each one (real or practice) and comparing scores using a Concordance Table.

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When Should I Take Them?

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Test Dates – 2016/2017

PSAT SAT and Subject Tests ACT

October 19 or 22, 2016 October 1, 2016 September 10, 2016 November 5, 2016 October 22, 2016 December 3, 2016 December 10, 2016 January 28, 2017 February 11, 2017 March 11, 2017 (SAT only) April 8, 2017 May 6, 2017 June 10, 2017 June 3, 2017

  • p. 43
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Score Choice

All Scores Required* Score Choice Allowed* Barnard Amherst Carnegie Mellon Brown Colgate Dartmouth Columbia Duke Cornell Harvard Georgetown MIT Johns Hopkins Northwestern Penn Princeton Pomona Swarthmore Stanford

  • Univ. of Chicago

Tufts Wellesley College USC and the UC’s Wesleyan Yale Williams

* These lists provide just a sampling of schools and their score use policies.

  • p. 45
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Superscoring

January Reading & Writing Math

580 570 1150

May Reading & Writing Math

580 650 1230

October Reading & Writing Math

640 620 1260

Superscore

Reading & Writing Math

  • p. 45
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How Should I Prepare for Them?

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Foundations of Test Preparation

Content Mastery Strategy Practice Tests

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Guiding Principles

A good testing plan prioritizes school work

  • ver test prep. Testing

early and often is generally not sensible. Prepping for one test helps prepare for the

  • ther.

Most students will score the same, no matter what tests they take, but it’s worth looking for a student’s best test. Students score their best at end of junior year and fall of senior year. It is the RARE student who is finished by January of junior year, even high scorers.

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Preparing: Best Practices

  • Work hard in school to develop underlying skills.
  • Have a SENSIBLE testing plan (tests/test dates/prep).
  • Schedule prep so it leads up to the test date.
  • Take a diagnostic to identify areas for development.

Assessment is key.

  • Learn test-taking strategies. Bolster skills.
  • Take real practice tests.
  • Don’t prep for both the SAT and ACT at the same time.
  • Preparing for one test doesn’t fully prepare you for the
  • ther, but it will give you a good head start.
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Last, But Not Least…

Maintain perspective. It’s just a test.

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S U M M I T

EDUCATIONA L

G R O U P

Focusing on the Individual Student (800) MY MY TUTOR MY MYTUTOR.COM