Understanding Your Scores Applerouth Tutoring Services Presented - PDF document

5/24/2017 Understanding Your Scores Applerouth Tutoring Services Presented By: Hannah Schwendeman Business Development Manager, Seattle 1

5/24/2017 How do I read the Score Report? The score report tells you: - The score you would get if you took the test now - Where your overall strengths and weaknesses are - How your time-management looks - Where to focus your study applerouth 2 2

5/24/2017 ACT Score Report applerouth 3 3

5/24/2017 Understanding the Report applerouth 4 4

5/24/2017 Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses applerouth 5 5

5/24/2017 Looking For Patterns in English/Writing - Grammar questions may be accurate more often than Expression of Ideas Questions: Didn’t read for context. - Omits: time management. - Look for one grammar rule that is weaker (e.g. Subject/Verb Agreement might be strong but Parallelism might be weak) applerouth 6 6

5/24/2017 Looking For Patterns in Math - Missing problems early on: Carelessness or not writing out work. - Affinity for a certain subject over another (e.g. more Geometry problems right than Algebra problems). - Forgetting to use a calculator. - Missing grid-in problems (SAT only) applerouth 7 7

5/24/2017 Looking For Patterns in Reading - String of mistakes or omits later on: Time Management - One passage is weaker: loss of interest in subject matter or did not anticipate Comparison Passage. applerouth 8 8

5/24/2017 Looking For Patterns in Science - String of Omits at the end: Time Management. - Tried to read all the supporting information instead of just looking at the data. - Did not anticipate the “Dueling Scientists” section applerouth 9 9

5/24/2017 Students don’t need to take both tests! Only 30% of Princeton applicants submitted both tests and less than 25% did so for Harvard, UCLA, and UVA. There is NO school that values one over the other. It’s more efficient and cost-effective to select one test and focus all your energy in that direction. Baseline test scores help determine the optimal test. applerouth 10 10

5/24/2017 “The University of Washington accepts the SAT and ACT equally. There is absolutely no advantage in submitting one test over the other. We recommend that students submit all test scores from SAT and ACT. If an applicant submits scores from both tests, national concordance tables determine which scores are relatively higher .” - UW admissions page applerouth 11 11

5/24/2017 How important are the tests? Over the last decade, standardized tests have become a more significant part of the admissions process. applerouth 12 12

5/24/2017 3 4 US still puts a premium on testing: 2012 NACAC Survey: Factors influencing admissions decisions Importance Considerable Moderate Limited None Grades in college prep 86.5% 11.5% 1.6% 0.3% Strength of curriculum 70.7 22.0 5.9 1.3 Admission test scores 57.8 32.0 9.2 1.0 Grades in all courses 45.6 43.9 9.8 0.7 Essay or writing sample 26.4 37.5 19.9 16.3 Demonstrated interest 20.7 27.0 27.6 24.7 Teacher recommendation 17.4 47.7 23.7 11.2 Counselor rec. 17.1 50.0 22.0 10.9 Class rank 16.3 42.2 31.7 9.8 Extracurricular activities 8.9 43.9 34.3 12.9 Subject test scores (AP, IB) 7.0 27.2 33.6 32.2 SAT II scores 5.0 11.0 28.0 56.0 Interview 6.6 26.3 31.9 35.2 applerouth 13 13

Slide 13 3 Or is that too simplistic? -Jenna Berk , 9/23/2015 4 Alternative title: National Association for College Admission Counseling 2012 Survey: What's Important? -Jenna Berk , 9/23/2015

5/24/2017 The Growing Movement of Test Optional Schools • Not all schools require the SAT or the ACT! • Visit www.fairtest.org to learn more about test optional colleges. • Smith College, Byrn Mawr, George Washington University, Willamette University, Whitman College Put your best foot forward for prep, then decide how to use your scores. applerouth 14 14

5/24/2017 Sample merit scholarship: Alabama Alabama Tuition 2016 ‐ 2017 In ‐ State: $11,270 Out of State: $27,750 Name of HS New SAT ACT Annual Total Scholarship GPA Score Score Award Savings Capstone 3.5 1280-1300 27 $3,500 $14,000 Collegiate 3.5 1310-1340 28 $4,000 $16,000 Foundation in 3.5 1350-1380 29 $13,000 $52,000 Excellence UA Scholar 3.5 1390-1440 30-31 $17,976 $71,904 Presidential 3.5 1450-1600 32-36 $26,950 $107,800 http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out ‐ of ‐ state.php 15 applerouth 15

5/24/2017 Putting the SAT/ACT in Context Greatest return on investment of time and resources Teacher Recommendations H.S. Grades in the Context of SAT Subject Tests SAT Schedule Strength and Academic ACT Strength of School Admissions Essay Activities You walk through these doors one at a time. A super (Leadership, Depth) high SAT score cannot make up for a 1.5 GPA. A beautifully written essay will rarely trump an SAT score below a school’s minimum range. applerouth 16 16

5/24/2017 The ACT Has Eclipsed the SAT SAT ACT Gap 2005 1,475,623 1,186,251 289,372 2006 1,465,744 1,206,455 259,289 2007 1,494,531 1,300,599 193,932 2008 1,518,859 1,421,941 96,918 2009 1,530,128 1,480,469 49,659 2010 1,597,329 1,568,835 28,494 2011 1,647,123 1,623,112 24,011 2012 1,664,479 1,666,209 ‐ 1,730 1,800,000 ‐ 100,000 2013 1,700,000 Aligning with the Common Core has been a big winner for the ACT. 2014 revealed huge gains for the ACT. Any college will take either the SAT or ACT without prejudice applerouth 17 17

5/24/2017 The recipe behind the Redesigned SAT The Redesigned SAT is more like the ACT, more aligned with the Common Core, and more rigorous than ever. 18

5/24/2017 Structurally the two tests appear nearly identical SAT ACT Reading English Writing Math 3:00 2:55 No Calculator Math Reading Math Science :40 :50 Optional Essay Optional Essay Testing Time 3:50 3:35 The ACT’s stand ‐ alone science section is one of the key differences 19 applerouth 19

5/24/2017 SAT vs. ACT applerouth 20 20

5/24/2017 SAT vs. ACT cont. applerouth 21 21

5/24/2017 SAT vs. ACT cont. applerouth 22 22

5/24/2017 SAT vs. ACT cont. applerouth 23 23

5/24/2017 Comparing SAT and ACT content* Test Algebra Geometry Arithmetic/ Trigonometry Data Analysis ACT 46% 23% 24% 7% SAT 30% 2% 62% 6% SAT has more algebra and much less geometry. Trigonometry is mostly an afterthought. Algebra dominates the SAT. * Using SAT categories, slightly different from how the ACT categorizes math items 24 applerouth 24

5/24/2017 ACT Science •Data analysis •Very fast paced! “It’s like playing a •Not about biology or game when no physics principles one has told you •Unlike any other the rules.” standardized test section •SAT: charts, tables, graphs in every section 25 applerouth 25

5/24/2017 The “Optional” Essays SAT ESSAY ACT ESSAY •Scored 2-8 on • Scored 2-12 on Reading, Writing, Ideas, Development, Analysis Organization, Language Use •Rhetorical analysis of an author’s • Argumentative essay argument – not your based on 3 own opinion perspectives •50 minutes • 40 minutes 26 applerouth 26

5/24/2017 So when should I take these tests? We recommend taking your test of choice 2 or 3 times. - More than that will likely see diminishing returns. - You can do all three 3 times your Junior year. - You can do 2 times your Junior year and once your Senior year! - There no wrong way to do it as long as you watch Early Action and Early Decision Deadlines. applerouth 27 27

5/24/2017 SAT Test Dates applerouth 28 28

5/24/2017 Momentum: Going in Strong • Don’t spread this out evenly over the year; students can, and do, burn out on testing • Go hard about 10 weeks before the actual test • Take a mock test within a month of every real test • Give students breaks and time away from prep applerouth 29 29

5/24/2017 Allow Enough Time to Prep • This is a process, not a one ‐ shot deal • Cram jobs almost never work • Plan on taking the test 3 times • It’s smart to start early ! applerouth 30 30

5/24/2017 This is not a test of your smarts, nor does it measure you as a person. It is simply a test of how well you do on the test on that day. applerouth 31 31

5/24/2017 Our Services • SAT & ACT prep (online, private, group) • Master Classes • SAT Subject and AP prep • HS subject assistance • Study skills applerouth 32 32