SAT Prep for English Language Learners

For many English Language Learners (ELL), the SAT Reading and Writing can be particularly daunting. The good news is that it can be learned, and many ELL catch on to the strategies very quickly once they begin training.

Starting test prep early—but not too early—is key. Middle school is too early! Freshmen and sophomores should focus on academics and shoot for As in English classes (in all classes, really). Excelling in challenging high-school English classes will naturally improve students’ verbal scores before beginning any formal SAT prep. Summer after sophomore year is a great time to take a practice SAT. The data from this test will help an experienced tutor gauge the amount and type of prep needed to master the Reading and Writing portion of the test.

Something ELLs should be doing now, in addition to coursework, is reading short articles about topics that they find interesting. A great exercise is for students to spend 15-20 minutes reading and then write a short paragraph about what they’ve just read. We have seen this short exercise pay off big time for ELL in PSAT/SAT and TOEFL prep. And reading is free! We’ve had students choose articles about cooking, video games, snowboarding, travel, anime, and more. There is no wrong theme, as long as the articles are engaging and, of course, in English. Try introducing this assignment over spring break. It is easy to do even if you are traveling.

After the summer practice test, formal prep might begin with a classroom program, one-on-one tutoring, or a combo of the two. We will be able to better assess a student’s needs when we can compare sophomore PSAT scores with the summer practice test. You can find more information on taking a practice SAT here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/practice-preparation/practice-tests

Parents may also want to inquire with their student’s counselor to see if they are eligible for extended time on the PSAT and SAT. You can read about extended time for ELL here: https://support.satsuite.collegeboard.org/spring-2024-testing/accommodations/supports-english-learners

 

If you have more questions or would like to schedule a free consultation, contact us at [email protected] or 512-453-7272. We look forward to hearing from you!

Learn More About the Digital SAT!

The SAT is changing–a lot! Here’s an overview of the new digital format, followed by an in-depth look at the new math and verbal content.

DATES
The digital SAT will debut in March of 2024. But class-of-2025 juniors will get a preview in October of 2023, when the digital PSAT arrives. Most students graduating in 2024 will not be affected by the changes.

SCORING
The 1600 scale will remain the same, and new digital-test scores will be equivalent to old paper-test scores, so colleges will not need to adjust score requirements. Colleges that superscore will most likely superscore across formats (so students graduating in 2025 might want to take the old paper test in the fall of 2023 before taking the digital test the following spring.)

DIGITAL SAT OVERVIEW
Students will take the new SAT and PSAT with College Board’s Bluebook app, using a personal or school-provided laptop or tablet. (College Board plans to provide approved devices to students who would not otherwise have access to them.)

The new test has four sections (two verbal, then two math) and is section-level adaptive. When students start the test, the app will download three sets of verbal problems. The first set will be “medium” difficulty. Students who perform above a certain threshold score (TBD) on this first section will then advance to a more difficult verbal section. Students performing below the threshold will get an easier second verbal section. (Same for the math.)

The College Board (CB) has not released scoring details, but it’s safe to assume that harder questions (or sections) will be more heavily weighted. Students will not be punished for advancing to a more difficult section.

The digital format comes with some cool features like an on-screen timer (that can be hidden until the last five minutes of a section), on-screen highlighter/annotator tool, and an answer-eliminator tool. Students can also move back and forth within a section and flag problems for review. Students can see an overview of their answers, unanswered questions, and flagged problems.
Best of all, students will have access to an on-screen Desmos-style graphing calculator for every math problem. Students can also bring their own approved calculators. Scratch paper will be provided.
Once time is up for a section, a student’s work is automatically saved, and they no longer have access to that section.

ENHANCED SECURITY
The CB says the new test will be more secure. The Bluebook app will be “locked down,” meaning students will not be able to open other apps while testing. The CB should be able to
detect any efforts to hack the test as they’ll have a complete log of any actions taken on the device during the test.

Cheating will also be more difficult as each student’s test will be unique, generated by an algorithm that pulls from a large set of problems tagged with problem type and difficulty.
Due to the unique problem set of each test, and the fact that the CB plans to reuse problems, the Question-and-Answer Service (QAS) will be discontinued. Students will not be able to review problems or see their answers after the test.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodations will not change. Students whose accommodations require it will be provided a linear (non-adaptive) paper test.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW VERBAL TEST
The Reading and Writing tests will now be combined. Each Reading-and-Writing (RW) section will be 32 minutes and consist of 27 questions, the first half focusing on reading, the second half on writing. Problems will get progressively more difficult within each half.
The new verbal test looks to be somewhat easier than the current one. Both reading and writing passages are now much shorter (25-100 words instead of 600-700), with only one question per passage. Also, the “Great Global Conversation” reading passage type has been eliminated. (Some of the passages on the currently available practice tests are over one-hundred years old, but most are contemporary.) Best of all, the new one-question-per-passage format means no more paired-evidence-based questions, which are some of the most difficult questions on the current test.
Writing questions will no longer test commonly confused words or idiomatic phrases. Also, the somewhat confusing “NO CHANGE” answer choice has been eliminated from the writing questions.
The one content change that I see causing difficulty for many students is the addition of problems involving poetry, including, for example, sonnets by Shakespeare. But these problems appear to be rare, so students don’t necessarily need to start reading the Oxford Book of English Verse (unless they just want to!)

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW MATH TEST
Big changes are coming to the math test as well. Each of the two math sections is now 35 minutes with 22 questions that increase in difficulty within a section. (Remember, the better you perform on the first “medium” difficulty section, the more likely you are to get a slightly more difficult second math section.)
Math content won’t change much, but imaginary and complex numbers will no longer appear on the test. Also, the new format will make certain types of problems easier. As noted above, an on-screen graphing calculator is now available for every math question. Graph equations can be entered in standard form, which makes system-of-equation (SOE) problems a piece of cake! Just enter each equation and graph to see where they overlap.

Grid-in problems are now mixed in with multiple-choice problems, and grid-in answers can now be negative.

UNSCORED QUESTIONS
Each of the four sections will have two unscored questions so that the CB can test out new problems for future tests. Students will not know which questions are unscored.

CONCLUSION
Overall, the new test looks much friendlier. At 2 hours and 14 minutes, the digital SAT will be shorter than the ACT. Many of the hardest question types have been eliminated. The in-app graphing calculator, on-screen timer, and the ability to flag problems for review are welcome features of the new digital format. Students probably won’t have much use for the highlighter since reading passages are so short, but it’s there if you need it!

You can read more about the new digital SAT at collegeboard.org. Currently there are four practice tests (with answer explanations) available in the Bluebook app. More Than A Teacher will debut digital SAT classes in June of 2023. We will continue to provide “classic” SAT courses until the old test is retired in 2024.

Register for a course at morethanateacher.com. Or contact us to book private tutoring: [email protected] or 512-453-7272.

Big Changes Coming to the SAT!

The SAT is finally going digital! Beginning in the fall of 2023 for PSAT, and in the spring of 2024 for SAT, students will take the test on either a personal or school-issued device. (Students without access to either will be provided a device by the college board). The test will also be shorter—about two hours instead of three.

In other good news, a calculator will be permitted on all math problems. Students may use their own or an on-screen digital version.

The Reading section is also getting a makeover: shorter passages with just one question each! Sounds like this will be a lot easier—even if they keep the Abraham Lincoln speeches.

The College Board is also promising quicker score results. So good news all around! Of course, these changes won’t affect students graduating before 2025. Sorry, sophomores and juniors!

More Than A Teacher has been helping students navigate the shifting test-prep landscape since 1989. Book your free consultation today by calling us at 512-453-7272 or sending an email to [email protected].

 

What is the 5th Section that Shows Up at the End of Some SATs?

How many sections are on the SAT?

As everyone knows, there are four sections on the SAT–except when there are five! The so-called “experimental” section shows up occasionally, after the Math-Calculator section, but it’s nothing to worry about. The test makers are simply trying out new questions. That’s how they know if a question is “easy” or “hard”–they see how many people struggle with it on the experimental section, which may be Reading, Writing & Language, or Math.

Does the 5th section count?
It will be a short section, and the questions will not count toward your official score–probably! The College Board doesn’t really say. They likely want to keep their options open. It may turn out that a question on one of the four main sections is unscorable for some reason (it’s happened before), and the test-makers might replace it with a question from the experimental section. Anything’s possible!
What should students do if they get a 5th section?
Don’t just fill in random bubbles because you think the experimental section doesn’t count–that strategy could come back to haunt you. If you get an experimental section, it shouldn’t be more than thirty minutes, and since there’s no essay anymore (yay!), it won’t kill you to stick around a little longer. (And if you just get up and leave during the experimental section, your scores will be canceled, so don’t do that.)
If you have further questions about the experimental section or anything else, give us a call at 512-453-7272 or email [email protected].

Score Optional Updates for Class of ’22!

With the lack of widespread availability for SAT and ACT tests in the last year, many rising Seniors have wondered how a shift in test administrations will affect their college applications. And this has gotten many people excited about the option for schools who won’t require test scores as part of a student’s admissions profile. But what do you need to know about applying to college in 2021?

 

“Score optional,” or “test optional,” means that a university does not require students to submit test scores from the SAT or ACT. But they do allow (and sometimes recommend) students to submit scores if the score reflects academic strength and contributes positively to their overall admissions profile. This is different from “test blind” colleges, which will not review test scores at all, even if they are submitted. The number of test blind colleges is relatively small compared to the increasing number (over 1000) of schools that are currently score optional (or have recently made the decision to be score optional only for the upcoming admissions cycle). It’s important to understand the implications of what score optional means before deciding whether or not to submit scores as part of the admissions profile.

 

Read on for Score Optional FAQ or scroll down for an updated list of Score Optional colleges.

 

SCORE OPTIONAL FAQ

 

IF I APPLY TO A SCORE OPTIONAL SCHOOL, DO MY TEST SCORES MATTER? Yes and no. If you choose not to submit scores, then your test scores will neither support nor condemn your likelihood of acceptance. But if you don’t submit scores, and other students DO, then the students with very high test scores will demonstrate an added strength to their profile than a student who didn’t submit scores at all. That is why when you look at the average scores for students attending a school like the University of Chicago (test optional for several years, before COVID-19), which consistently ranks in the top 20 of national universities and has <10% acceptance rate, you still see very high average scores for admitted students. Those students weren’t required to submit scores, but they did. And their very high scores emphasized the strengths of the academics already recorded on their transcript.

 

RECOMMENDATION: If you have strong test scores, always send to colleges. Scores that place you ranked in the 75th percentile and above are strong scores (1200 on SAT or 24/25 on ACT). And you shouldn’t be afraid to submit those scores even to a score optional school.

 

IF I APPLY TO A SCORE OPTIONAL SCHOOL, WILL MY EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND ESSAYS WILL WEIGH MORE HEAVILY IN MY APPLICATION?

Yes. Not submitting test scores will ultimately mean that a university will take a more holistic approach to reviewing an applicant. For a student with a strong academic record, a broad array of activities and time spent outside of school, and many hours of service or volunteer work, applying to a score optional school is an excellent way to ensure that you get noticed for all of the awesome work you do outside of the classroom. But you should still know that your grades and GPA are the primary factors determining college admissions.

 

WILL I LOSE OUT ON SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IF I DON’T SUBMIT TEST SCORES, EVEN TO SCORE OPTIONAL SCHOOLS?

Potentially, yes. Many schools might not require test scores for admissions, but they do use test scores in combination with grades/GPA to evaluate merit-based scholarships. For some “score optional” schools, in fact, test scores are only optional if a student meets a certain GPA requirement. These same schools will typically base who qualifies for assured merit scholarships on the GPA and/or test scores submitted with the admissions application. For the best information, you should always check the financial aid website for an individual college.

 

IF I DON’T SUBMIT SAT OR ACT SCORES, SHOULD I SUBMIT OTHER SCORES LIKE AP TESTS?

Absolutely, yes! Especially if those tests show exceptional strength in certain academic areas. In fact, if a student struggles with the testing criteria of SAT or ACT tests, but thrives in a specific subject matter, then showcasing your strength in that area is definitely a great idea. It’s important to remember that standardized tests are intended to allow a student to show academic strength in an objective way. Though these tests may not be required, if a student can show off their skills and knowledge, then that will only add strength to their application. AP testing only happens once a year, but there are other standardized tests that students can take such as CLEP tests and foreign language national exams that can highlight student excellence.

 

 

So the general consensus? The option to not submit scores can be very helpful for a student who struggles with standardized tests or for a student who wasn’t able to test and retest due to COVID-19 cancellations, precautions, or lack of availability for testing. However, there are still advantages to submitting scores and working to improve existing scores. If a student can prep and test in summer and maybe even early Fall (September and October), it is advantageous for that student to do so. Especially if they could improve their likelihood of gaining acceptance to more competitive schools OR if their grades/GPA aren’t as strong as they would have hoped. And then if a student applies to score optional or test flexible schools, which will already be approaching the application holistically, their scores will only add to their strengths. At More Than A Teacher, we are fond of saying that schools are looking for reasons to let you in, not reasons to keep you out. Knowing how a college or university will view test scores is the key to making an informed decision.

 

SCORE OPTIONAL, SCORE FLEXIBLE, AND TEST BLIND SCHOOLS BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA (updated March 2021)

http://fairtest.org/university/optional/state

 

TEST BLIND – Schools that will NOT consider test scores even if submitted for Fall 2021 or beyond

 

All California State universities (through Spring 2023)
All University of California (UC)* campuses (through 2021 state mandate, through 2024 by vote of Board of Regents)
CAL Tech (California Institute of Technology)
Cornell* (Agriculture, Architecture, and Business)
CUNY (City University of New York – all campuses)
Hampshire College**
Loyola University of New Orleans
Reed College** (2-year trial)
University of Washington-Seattle UW* (1 year pilot for 2020-2021, scores may be advised for waitlisted students)
Washington State University WSU (1 year pilot for 2020-2021)

 

SCORE OPTIONAL SCHOOLS BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA (schools that have chosen to de-emphasize SAT/ACT testing as a qualifier for admissions)

*indicates a top 100 nationally ranked university

**indicates a nationally ranked small liberal arts college (some of which can be found as part of the Colleges that Change Lives www.ctcl.org)

 

TEXAS

Austin College**
Baylor University*
Hardin-Simmons
Howard Payne
Midwestern State
Rice*
Sam Houston State
SMU*
Southwestern**
St. Edward’s
Stephen F. Austin State
Tarleton State (may be requested if student doesn’t meet GPA requirements)
TCU*
Texas A&M* – most campuses, including College Station (some campuses may request scores if min GPA requirements aren’t met)
Texas Lutheran
Texas State University (may be requested if student doesn’t meet GPA requirements)
Texas Tech University
Trinity**
University of Dallas
University of Houston
University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, UMHB (may be requested if student doesn’t meet GPA requirements or for placement/advising purposes)
UNT (may be requested if student doesn’t meet GPA requirements)
UT Austin* – and most campuses (some campuses may request scores if min GPA requirements aren’t met)

 

SOUTH

Babson College**
Belmont University
Eckerd College**
Emory University*
Florida State College (Must submit COMPASS, CPAT, TABE, WAIS, Stanford Achievement Test, ASSET and/or college entrance exam if not submitting SAT/ACT scores)
Full Sail University
Loyola University New Orleans (test blind)
Mississippi State University
Oklahoma State
Rhodes**
Sewanee University of the South**
State College of Florida
Tulane*
University of Kentucky
University of Mississippi (Ole’ Miss) – must meet min GPA requirements
University of Oklahoma OU
University of the Ozarks
University of Tulsa
Vanderbilt*

 

WEST

All Cal State Universities CSU
All UC schools* (test blind ONLY FOR CAL residents)
Arizona State – min GPA requirements
Boise State
Bushnell University
California Institute of Technology CALTECH*
California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Chapman College
City University of Seattle
Claremont McKenna** (check for other schools in Claremont Consortium)
Colorado College**
Evergreen State**
George Fox University
Golden Gate University
Gonzaga*
Grand Canyon University (must meet min GPA)
Harvey-Mudd** (check other schools in Claremont Consortium)
Hawai’i Pacific University
Idaho State
Lewis and Clark College**
Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston ID
Loyola Marymount*
Multnomah University
Nevada State College
New Mexico State
Oregon State
Otis College of Art and Design
Pepperdine*
Pitzer**
Pomona College** (check other Claremont Consortium)
Portland State University
Reed College**
Santa Clara*
Scripps**
Seattle University
Stanford*
University of Alaska – mult. campuses
University of Arizona
University of Denver*
University of Idaho
University of Nevada
University of New Mexico
University of Oregon
University of Puget Sound**
University of Utah
University of Washington (UW – Udub)*
University of Wyoming
USC*
Washington State – mult. campuses
Western Governors University
Whitman College**

 

NORTHEAST

Albright College
Allegheny College**
Amherst**
Bard**
Barnard**
Bates**
Berklee College of Music
Boston College*
Boston University*
Bowdoin**
Brandeis*
Brown*
Bryn Mawr**
Bucknell**
Cambridge College
Carnegie Mellon*
Colby**
Colgate**
College of the Holy Cross**
Columbia University*
Connecticut College**
Cornell*
Dartmouth College*
Davis**
Dickinson College**
Drexel*
Eastern University
Emerson College
Fordham*
Franklin and Marshall**
George Washington*
Hamilton**
Hampshire College
Harvard*
Haverford**
Hobart and William Smith
Indiana University of Penn
Ithaca College
Julliard School
Marist
Mass College of Art and Design
Middlebury**
Mount Holyoke**
New School
Northeastern University*
NYU* (score flexible – choose which standardized tests to send including APs)
Pace University
Penn State – mult campuses
Penn State at Penn State*
Princeton University*
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute*
Rhode Island School of Design
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rutgers – Newark and Camden
Sarah Lawrence**
Skidmore**
Smith**
St. John’s University
SUNY – multiple campuses
Swarthmore**
Syracuse*
Temple University
Thomas Jefferson University
Trinity College**
Tufts University*
UMASS* – Amherst*, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell
University of Connecticut*
University of Delaware*
University of Maine (multiple campuses)
University of New Hampshire
University of Pittsburgh – mult. campuses
University of Rhode Island
University of Rochester*
University of Vermont
UPenn*
Vassar**
Villanova*
Washington and Jefferson
Wellesley**
Wesleyan**
Williams College**
Yale*

 

MID-ATLANTIC

American University*
College of William and Mary*
Davidson College**
Elon University**
George Mason
Georgetown*
Goucher**
Hampton University (must meet min GPA)
James Madison University
Johns Hopkins*
Loyola University Maryland
Maryland Institute of Art
Marymount University
Old Dominion
Queens University of Charlotte
Towson
University of Maryland*
University of Richmond**
UVA*
Virginia State
Virginia Tech*
Wake Forest*
Washington and Lee**

 

MIDWEST

Ball State
Beloit College
Bethel University
Carleton College**
Case Western Reserve*
Chicago State University
College of Wooster
Columbia College
Concordia University Chicago
Concordia University, St. Paul
DePaul University
Franklin University
Grinnell College**
Hillsdale College**
Illinois State University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Indiana State University – must meet GPA requirements
Indiana University* – Bloomington* and mult. campuses
Indiana Wesleyan
Knox College**
KState (meet min GPA)
Loyola University Chicago
Macalester College**
Marquette*
Michigan State*
Minnesota State
North Park University
Northwestern*
Oberlin College**
Ohio State University* – mult. campuses
Ohio University – mult. campuses
Ohio Wesleyan University
Purdue University
Ripon College
University of Chicago*
University of Cincinnati
University of Michigan – Flint campus (must meet min GPA)
University of Minnesota – mult. campuses
University of Missouri Mizzou – mult. campuses
University of Nebraska – mult. campuses
University of Notre Dame*
University of Wisconsin – mult. campuses
Valparaiso University
Washington University in St. Louis*

SAT Essay and Subject Tests Are Going Away

This week the College Board announced that it was doing away with the optional essay portion of the SAT test and scrapping the SAT subject tests. I doubt many students will be disappointed. The essay, a rhetorical analysis of an argument, added fifty minutes to the end of what was already a marathon test and $15 to the testing fee. Now students can treat themselves to a nice post-test lunch instead.

SAT subject tests were required by some elite schools, and they were hard. The Literature test included 16th-century poetry, and the Math 2 test had things you don’t even want to know about. They will not be missed. Colleges can still use the AP, IB, and CLEP exams, which basically serve the same purpose of testing students in particular subject areas.

One criticism of the SAT essay was that it was redundant: practically every college requires students to submit application essays on topics of the college’s choosing. Why force students to analyze Jimmy Carter’s use of anaphora on top of that?

The ACT has not yet announced plans to cut its essay (a much friendlier compare-and-contrast exercise, rather than a rhetorical analysis), but I would expect this change sooner rather than later. The ACT has a reputation (well-deserved for the most part) as a more student-friendly test, and I imagine they want to keep it that way. (The ACT has never offered subject tests.)

The SAT essay will be disappearing after the June test. Should students wait to take the test until the essay is gone? Not necessarily. If you’re already signed up for a spring test, go ahead and take it. Writing the essay won’t kill you (I promise!), and considering that colleges won’t be able to compare your essay score to those of other students, they probably won’t pay much attention to it. And, not to be too much of a downer here, but although we have vaccines, we also have new variants of the virus. So it is conceivable that it will be easier to take the test this spring than in the summer or next fall. I really hope that’s not true, but you never know!

A final announcement from the College Board: computer-based, at-home SATs are coming soon. How soon? They didn’t say. But this is obviously good news. Last year, many students arrived at their testing center only to find a note on the door announcing that the test had been cancelled. Some colleges have temporarily waived the SAT requirement during the pandemic, and the College Board is no doubt doing what it can to prevent these changes from becoming permanent. More and more people are working and attending classes from home. It only makes sense that students should be able to test from home as well.

So, good news all around! No essay, no subject tests, and hopefully no more unexpected cancellations. Students and parents can save time, save money, and breathe a little easier.

Posted in SAT

Test Cancellation Updates and Advice for Class of ’21

The SAT and ACT are typically offered a combined number of fourteen times during a given school year. This year, however, COVID cancellations and postponements eliminated at least half of those opportunities for the class of 2021.  Many test sites have announced that they are cancelling or postponing the August SAT. What does this mean for high school seniors? Well, it depends. Seniors who tested as juniors in the fall of 2019 or early spring of 2020 may not even notice the cancellations or changes in admission policies. They are the fortunate ones. Seniors who don’t have an SAT or ACT score yet aren’t so lucky. They have two options: 1) forget about it and apply to score-optional colleges/programs (more on this later) or 2) prepare and test this fall. But when will a test actually take place? No one can guarantee anything right now, especially when it comes to college admissions, but here’s our two cents for seniors who are either done testing, thinking about score-optional admission, or still hoping to take an SAT or ACT this fall.

Done testing:

Good for you! Seriously, good job. Your hard work and advance planning paid off. Finish up your college essays and plan to apply just like this was any other year. We recommend submitting everything by the end of October for this group of students.

Wondering about score-optional admission:

Many schools are going score-optional or test-flexible for class of 2021. This is great news for students who do not have scores yet or who are not satisfied with the pre-pandemic scores they have on record. Our advice to this group of students is to do your research and make sure your application is beautiful! Read what your top-choice schools are doing for your graduation class. If they have waived the score requirements, and you do not have the time or energy to take an SAT or ACT, you can put your energy into your application, resume, and essays. Will they be looking at these items more closely if you do not submit scores? You bet! Double check new deadlines and read every word of the admission requirements for class of 2021. Make sure you understand the new policy on testing before getting too excited! Will you need scores for merit-based aid or admission to a particular program (i.e. engineering or business)? If so, you might need to read the advice below.

Hoping to test this fall:

Don’t test cold! You may only have one shot at the test this year. Prepare by taking practice tests, attending a prep class, and/or working with a friend or private tutor one-on-one. If you are signed up for the August SAT, keep checking your College Board account and confirm with your school to see whether or not the test will be taking place. If you are faced with a cancellation, shift your focus to the September or October SAT instead. The adjusted deadlines might give you time to test this winter or early spring of 2021. Find out whether your high school is offering a school-day SAT for seniors this fall. If it is, sign up ASAP! Many schools are offering a school-day SAT for seniors on the same day that juniors are taking the PSAT.

We are here to help! Attend a free webinar or contact us to book a complimentary, thirty-minute consultation. One of our experts can help you create a custom plan for preparing, testing, and completing your college essays. Good luck, seniors. Take a breath and relax. You’ve got this.

Applying to Score Optional Schools – Updated!

With the unprecedented cancellations of SAT and ACT tests this spring, many rising seniors are wondering how the situation will affect their college applications, particularly for schools that now do not require test scores as part of a student’s admissions profile.

“Score-optional” or “test-optional” schools do not require students to submit test scores from the SAT or ACT. But these schools do allow students to submit those scores if the student feels that their score reflects academic strength and contributes positively to their overall admissions profile. This is different from “test blind” colleges, which will not review test scores at all, even if they are submitted. The number of test-blind colleges is relatively small compared to the increasing number (over 1000) of schools that have gone score-optional (either permanently or just for the class of 2021 admissions cycle). Many news reports unwittingly imply that score-optional schools are test-blind, which can cause confusion. It’s important to understand the implications of score-optional status to successfully navigate the fall 2020 application process.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

IF I APPLY TO A SCORE-OPTIONAL SCHOOL, DOES THAT MEAN THAT MY TEST SCORES DON’T MATTER?

 

If you choose not to submit scores, then your test scores will have no bearing on your acceptance (the school won’t see them). But if you choose not to submit scores, and other students do submit their scores, you may be at a disadvantage. A student who submits high test scores will have a stronger application than a student who doesn’t submit scores at all. That is why when you look at the average scores for students attending a test-optional school like the University of Chicago (consistently ranked among the top twenty national universities, with an acceptance rate under ten percent), you see very high average scores for admitted students. Those students weren’t required to submit scores, but they did, and their high scores complemented the academic strengths indicated by their transcript.

 

If you have strong test scores, you should always send them, even to test-optional schools. Scores in the 75th percentile (1200 on SAT or 24/25 on ACT) and above are strong scores.

 

IF I APPLY TO A SCORE-OPTIONAL SCHOOL, THEN WILL MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND ESSAYS WEIGH MORE HEAVILY IN MY APPLICATION?

 

Yes. Not requiring test scores will ultimately mean that a university will take a more holistic approach to reviewing applicants. For a student with a strong academic record, a broad array of extracurricular activities, and many hours of service or volunteer work, applying to a score-optional school is an excellent way to ensure that you get noticed for all of the awesome work that you do outside of the classroom. However, grades and GPA are the primary factors determining college admissions.

 

WILL I LOSE OUT ON SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IF I DON’T SUBMIT TEST SCORES, EVEN TO SCORE-OPTIONAL SCHOOLS?

 

Potentially, yes. Many schools might not require test scores for admissions, but they do use test scores in combination with grades/GPA to evaluate applications for merit-based scholarships. In fact, for some “score-optional” schools, test scores are only optional if a student meets a certain GPA requirement. These same schools will typically award merit scholarships based on GPA and test scores submitted with the admissions application. Keep in mind that the situation is evolving. Some schools who have recently made the decision to go test-optional may not yet have made a decision on how they will award merit scholarships for fall 2020 applicants. For the best information, you should always check the financial aid information available on individual colleges’ websites.

 

IF I DON’T SUBMIT SAT OR ACT SCORES, SHOULD I SUBMIT OTHER SCORES LIKE SAT SUBJECT TESTS or AP TESTS?

 

Absolutely! Especially if those tests show exceptional strength in certain academic areas. In fact, if you struggle with SAT or ACT tests, but excel at subject-specific tests, it is a good idea to think about taking some of those tests in the fall in order to boost your admissions profile. AP tests are administered only once per year, but SAT Subject tests and CLEP exams happen throughout the year. Both are part of the College Board array of tests. You can view schedules and pricing at collegeboard.org and determine if one or more might help improve your admissions profile.

 

ARE UT AND A&M SCORE-OPTIONAL?

 

Yes, but only for Class of ’21 applicants. UT and A&M have both recently announced that they are not requiring SAT or ACT scores for Class of ’21 admissions.  Both universities are still going to offer assured admissions for students with certain grades/class ranks. High test scores may still be useful for placement in specific programs (for example the School of Engineering or School of Business at either campus). “Students may continue to submit standardized scores from their SAT and/or ACT tests for consideration for admission. Submission of tests scores will not create any unfair advantage or disadvantage for those students who provide them.” Chris Reed, executive director of admissions, TAMU.

 

CONCLUSION

 

The option to not submit scores can be very helpful for a student who struggles with standardized tests or for a student who wasn’t able to test in the spring due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, but there are still advantages to submitting scores and working to improve existing scores. If a student can prep and test in late summer and early fall, it is advantageous to that student to do so. Especially if they are applying to the big public universities in our state, as both UT and A&M are still requiring students to submit test scores for SAT or ACT. If a student applies to score-optional or test-flexible schools, impressive scores will only add to their strengths. At More Than A Teacher, we are fond of saying that schools are looking for reasons to let you in, not reasons to keep you out. Knowing how a college or university will view test scores is the key to making an informed decision.

 

SCORE OPTIONAL SCHOOLS BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA (schools waiving testing requirements for 2020 admissions ONLY) https://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/ACT-SATWaiversfor2020Admissions.pdf

 

TEXAS

Baylor University

St. Mary’s University, San Antonio

Schreiner University (applicants with GPA of 3.25+)

Texas Tech

University of Texas

Texas A&M

 

SCORE OPTIONAL SCHOOLS BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA (schools that have chosen to de-emphasize SAT/ACT testing as a qualifier for admissions)

*indicates a top 50 nationally ranked university

**indicates a nationally ranked small liberal arts college (Colleges that Change Lives)

 

TEXAS

Baylor University

Austin College**

Concordia University

SMU

Southwestern**

St. Edward’s

TCU

Texas Lutheran

Trinity**

UT-Arlington

 

SOUTH

Eckerd College**

Florida State

University of Miami

Loyola University New Orleans (test blind)

Tulane*

Davidson College**

Elon University**

Wake Forest*

Rhodes**

College of William and Mary*

University of Richmond**

Virginia Tech

 

WEST

Arizona State – min GPA requirements

University of Arizona

CAL TECH

All Cal State Universities*

Claremont McKenna (check for other schools in Claremont Consortium)**

Loyola Marymount

All UC schools (test-blind for California residents only)

Colorado College**

University of Denver

Lewis and Clark College**

Oregon State

University of Oregon

Evergreen State**

Gonzaga

University of Puget Sound**

University of Washington (UW – Udub)

Whitman College**

USC*

 

NORTHEAST

University of Connecticut

American University*

George Washington*

Amherst

Boston University*

Northeastern University*

Brandeis*

Cambridge College

Tufts University*

UMASS

Smith**

Goucher**

Bates**

Bowdoin**

Colby**

Bard**

Barnard**

Colgate**

Cornell*

Wesleyan**

Fordham

Davis**

Hamilton**

Marist

NYU (score flexible – choose which standardized tests to send, including APs)*

University of Rochester*

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute*

Sarah Lawrence

Skidmore**

Vassar

Allegheny College

Bryn Mawr**

Bucknell**

Haverford**

Swarthmore**

Temple University

Villanova*

Middlebury**

 

 

MIDWEST

Columbia College

DePaul University

University of Chicago*

Ball State

Indiana University – Purdue

KState (meet min GPA)

Michigan State

Carleton College**

Case Western*

Oberlin College**

Navigating College Admissions Amid COVID-19

College Admission Test Cancellations

It may seem difficult to plan for college when everything keeps changing. While important admission test dates have been cancelled or postponed, we want to encourage students to keep their goals in sight and focus on a strong finish!

Here is a review of some of the recent changes affecting students and the college admissions process, and ways students can stay on track and achieve their goals.

Spring SATs Cancelled

The College Board has cancelled all remaining test dates for the current school year, which means that the next anticipated testing opportunity is not until August 29th. What does this mean for students? Use the time you have now to prepare for the August SAT! With fewer testing opportunities and a smaller window to submit test scores, why wait? Gain essential test-taking strategies now and use this time to refine your skills to ensure your August test score counts! All MTAT prep classes have moved online until we can safely meet in person. You can view all SAT course offerings HERE. Remember,  previous MTAT students have unlimited, FREE return privileges to future SAT classes. Prepare now, and review later. This will alleviate the stress of cramming for a test while preparing to submit college applications, writing college essays, visiting campuses, etc.

Is the ACT a good option for you? Take this time to find out. Take a practice ACT so you can make an informed decision about which test to target! Download a practice ACT from ACT.org or email [email protected] to get a printable version you can take from home.

 

Spring ACT Options

ACT cancelled the April test date due to COVID-19; however, unlike College Board,  ACT plans to follow through with June and July testing. As we are all aware, plans are continually changing. Like the SAT classes, all of our ACT classes are also moving online until we are able to meet in person. A complete list of ACT class schedules is available HERE. Students currently enrolled in an ACT class should plan to continue their preparation so they can gain a strong foundation in the strategies they’ll need to conquer the test, and plan to take advantage of our free return policy should they need to test again, or should their test date be postponed.

 

What about Test Optional Schools?

Some schools have adopted a Test Optional policy for Class of 2021 applicants. What does this mean for you? Colleges understand the situation that juniors are in right now. They know that at least four major testing opportunities have been cancelled. For this reason, some schools are dropping the SAT/ACT requirement for Class of 2021. Some schools are going test optional permanently! Keep in mind, even though SAT/ACT scores are not required, you may still benefit from submitting your scores. Do your research to make sure that you understand the requirements for the schools you will be applying to. Check to see what their average SAT/ACT scores typically are. If your SAT/ACT is close to the average (or better yet, higher than the average), go ahead and send your scores. SAT/ACT scores might still be necessary for your desired major or ensure your eligibility for certain scholarships.

If you are struggling with your online coursework or if you find yourself overwhelmed because of the test cancellations, a test optional or test blind college might be a great choice. Your mental health is your top priority. Just make sure to do your research.

 

College Research, Applications, and Essays

Students have a unique opportunity to overcome the challenges of this season and to show colleges their grit and tenacity during challenging times. One of the ways you can keep moving forward is to spend time researching colleges and make a plan for completing your applications and essays. Become an admission expert when it comes to the colleges you want to apply to. Our college advisor prepared a great resource you can view for free to help you get started (College Admission Prezi by Kim Lewis).

Want to get started on your essays now? Year after year, our college essay coaches see students struggle with what to write about and how to make their essays unique when everyone is answering the same, broad essay prompt. Taking this time to get a head start on your essays may allow for more time later to focus on summer testing, postponed college visits, and completing applications! We are offering our College Essay Workshop package in a one-on-one, virtual platform so students can get ahead . Click HERE or contact our office for more information.

While essay prompts can vary slightly from year to year, our experts will focus on crafting essays that will be widely applicable. If there happens to be a dramatic shift to the application process, we will adjust accordingly to ensure students needs are met and essays meet the necessary requirements.

 

Need help staying informed when it comes to College Admission Testing? Sign up for our blog or follow us on FaceBook!

Congratulations Class of 2018!

Congratulations to the class of 2018!

In the last two years, More Than A Teacher worked with over 2,000 students from this year’s senior class.

We are so proud of each of them and excited to hear what they are going on to do next. A special congratulations and thank you to the graduates who shared their success stories and let us know about their plans!

Aaron R. – University of Texas Arlington, Scholarship Recipient
Abby S. – Tufts University
Alan J. – Austin College, $100,000 Scholarship
Alex S. – Texas A&M
Cheryl C. – Texas A&M, Visualization
Christopher L. – National Merit Scholar, University of Texas Dallas, Scholarship Recipient
Cole T. – Ole Miss
Cooper B. – University of AK, Honors School of Business
Corinne S. – Evergreen State College, Awarded Five Scholarships
David J. – Texas A&M, Biochemistry
Drew B. – Texas A&M, Computer Science
Ellie N. – National Merit Scholar, University of Texas at Austin
Emhely G. – St. Edward’s University, Biomedical Engineering
Grace D. – University of Texas at Austin
Isabel K. – San Diego State University
Jack M. – Texas Tech, Honors Program
Kai F. – Samford University
Kaylee K. – Texas A&M
Lauren H. – Presidential Scholar, George Washington University, Elliot School of Public Affairs
Libby M. – National Merit Scholar, University of Texas at Austin, Economics
Matthew Z. – Austin College
Nathan H. – Willamette University
Nisha K. – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Electrical Engineering
Rylan D. – University of Texas in Austin, Arts and Entertainment Technology
Sharika M. – University of Texas at Austin, Business and Plan II

Meredith S. – Texas A&M, Mays Business School

Corbin S.  – National Merit Scholar, Stanford

Tara W. – Commended Scholar, Trinity University

Joseph S. – University of Texas Dallas, Scholarship Recipient

Trenton N. – University of Texas Dallas, Computer Science

Alyssa R. – Chapman University, Honors Program, Provost Scholarship Recipient

Spencer S. – University of Chicago, Economics and Cancer Biology

 

Want to share your admission or scholarship story with us? Email [email protected].

 

20 Hours of Practice

photo credit: 57_365 by Alba Estevez G via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The College Board is singing the praises of their partner, the Khan Academy. According to a recent article, 20 hours of practice on the Khan Academy website “is associated with an average score gain of 115 points, nearly double the average score gain compared to students who don’t use Khan Academy.”

 

The article notes that Khan Academy practice is personalized. This is true: students can link their Khan Academy account with their College Board account to get personalized practice questions based on their performance on previous tests. You can also practice specific content areas, “leveling up” as you improve. For example, if you choose to practice linear equations, you will start at Level 2, and if you get five questions in a row correct, you will advance to Level 3, and on up to Level 5.

 

The problem is that some of the questions are much too difficult—even on Level 3. While it’s true that any student who could master Level 5 will probably get a near-perfect score on the SAT, some students could end up wasting a lot of time agonizing over questions that would never show up on the real test. Another problem is that the SAT has more than five problems per section—and it’s timed! While Khan Academy is a good resource, if you want a more accurate picture of what to expect on test day, it makes more sense to take official SAT tests.

 

Each SAT is 3 hours (not counting the essay), so you’d need to do 7 of them to get in 20 hours of actual test taking—BUT there’s more to studying than just taking practice tests. In fact, far more important than taking tests is reviewing them—looking at every missed question and figuring out why you missed it. Every official practice test comes with answer explanations, so if you can’t figure it out, you can look it up. The more questions you miss, the more time it will take to review, so the number of test sections needed to fill up 20 hours will vary from student to student. There are eight official tests available for free on the College Board and Khan Academy websites, so regardless of how much time you spend reviewing, you can definitely get in your 20 hours.

 

While you should take at least one full practice test in one sitting, replicating actual test conditions as closely as possible, you don’t have to take a complete test every time you sit down to study. If you take one section a day for four days a week and review every question you miss, you could get in your 20 hours (or close) in about six weeks.

 

Again, you can do this all on your own for free. But if you would like a little guidance, we’re here to help! And even if you don’t live in Austin, we do Skype tutoring, so we’ve got you covered. Give us a call at 512-453-7272 to schedule a free consultation.

 

New SAT Accommodations Policy

no more tests 05.30.09 [150] by timlewisnm via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).jpg

no more tests 05.30.09 [150] by timlewisnm via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).jpg

Exciting news! The College Board has announced a new streamlined process for students to get accommodations for the SAT.

For years, when my students have asked about accommodations, I’ve told them, “You’d better apply now because it takes forever to get approval—if you do.” But, according to the Washington Post, starting in January 2017, most students who have accommodations in school (e.g. extra time, private testing rooms, readers for students with language processing disorders) will automatically be approved for accommodations on SAT and AP tests.

You can read the College Board’s announcement here.

Even more surprising is the fact that the College Board will now allow English Language Learners access to instructions in their native language as well as bilingual glossaries. For now, however, these accommodations will be available only during state-funded school-day tests that are given once or twice a year at participating campuses.

The Washington Post article notes that the College Board used the announcement to brag about the fact that students have 43% more time per question than on the ACT. True, but the ACT doesn’t have those “evidence-based” reading questions that everyone struggles with. I still think the answer to the question “which test is better?” depends on the student, but extending access to accommodations is a step in the right direction for the SAT. The two tests have been locked in a cat-and-mouse game for a while now, so I expect the ACT to follow suit shortly.

If you have questions about accommodations on standardized tests, talk to your guidance counselor or 504 coordinator. If you are wondering which test you should target (SAT or ACT), take practice tests for both. We offer free practice tests regularly. You can also schedule a free consultation by calling our office at 512-453-7272. We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted in SAT

New SAT Practice Tests Available

Scantron-Optical-Scan-Exam-and-Pencil-by-Natalie-Freitas-via-Flickr-CC-BY-SA-2.0

Scantron-Optical-Scan-Exam-and-Pencil-by-Natalie-Freitas-via-Flickr-CC-BY-SA-2.0

Since the release of the Official SAT Study Guide for the revised SAT, there have been only four official practice tests available. That changed last week when Khan Academy published Tests #5 and #6 on their website. Update: The new tests are now available on the College Board website as well.

So if you’ve already exhausted the book and want some new material to work on before your fall SAT or PSAT, download these tests today!

College Board Releases Concordance Tables for New SAT

Project 365 #147- 270509 Testing Times Ahead by Pete via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Project 365 #147- 270509 Testing Times Ahead by Pete via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Scores for the first new SAT, which students took in March, have finally come back, and, just in time, the College Board has released concordance tables (i.e. comparison charts) that neatly line up new SAT scores with their pre-March 2016 test equivalents. They’ve also got tables comparing scores from the new SAT to those on the ACT. It’s all very simple and intuitive. Ha ha, just kidding; this is the College Board we’re talking about! They’ve got 16 different concordance tables! But here’s what you need to know . . .

The big picture: new scores are higher than the old scores. Overall, new SAT scores seem to be inflated by about 30-40 points per section. On the old test, an average section score (e.g. Math or Reading) was around 500. On the new test, it’s 530-540.

Similarly, the ACT average of 21 would have been roughly equivalent to a 1,000 on the old SAT but is now in the range of 1060-1090. (This information is on Table 7.) It remains to be seen what effect this change will have on automatic admissions scores. For example, Texas A&M has traditionally guaranteed admission for students with a score of 1300 on the SAT or 30 on the ACT. But now a 1300 on the SAT is comparable to a 27 on the ACT. Presumably, they’ll update their requirements, but how soon? When the SAT added the Writing Skills section in 2005 (increasing the maximum score from 1600 to 2400), many colleges were slow to adapt and continued to base their admissions requirements on the 1600 scale (ignoring the Writing Skills section altogether). This is one reason there are so many concordance tables: there are 2400- and 1600-scale conversions (Tables 1 and 2, respectively).

There are, of course, tables comparing individual sections on the old and new tests as well. The Math table (Table 3) is fairly straightforward: a 500 on the old test is equivalent to a 530 on the new. But both the Reading and Writing & Language sections on the new test are scored on a scale of 10-40, so a 500 on the old SAT Critical Reading section translates to a 27 on the new SAT Reading test. That makes Tables 4 and 5 pretty confusing.

Here’s a better way to look at them. Since the new test combines the Reading and Writing & Language scores (on a 10-40) scale for a total of 800 points on the so-called Evidence-Based Reading & Writing Section (let’s just call it the EBRW Section), you can just take one of these two-digit scores and multiply by 20. The results are similar to the math-score conversions. Take new SAT Reading test score of 27:

27 x 20 = 540

According to Table 5, a 27 on the new Reading test translates to a 500 on the old test, so again, the new scores are about 30-40 points higher per section.

Table 6 compares the new EBRW Section (200-800) score to the old Critical Reading + Writing Skills (400-1600) score. If you double the new score, it’ll be about 90 points higher than the old score, so about 45-points higher per section.

Table 7 compares the new SAT to the ACT (see above). Table 8 compares the new SAT W&L score, which does not factor in the Essay score, to the ACT English/Writing score, which does, so this table makes little sense. Feel free to ignore it.

Tables 9 through 16 (old–>new) are just Tables 1 through 8 (new–>old) reversed. Basically, they tried to make things simple by duplicating everything. Typical!

The College Board also has a score-converter app. I’m sure it’s very user friendly . . .

Posted in SAT

PSAT scores vs. SAT scores

Complementary Creative Commons Casio Calculator by Boaz Arad via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The new SAT debut is around the corner! On March 5th, the official test will be given for the first time. But it’ll seem awfully familiar to juniors who took the new PSAT/NMSQT in October. The SAT and PSAT/NMSQT are the two main tests in the “SAT Suite of Assessments”:

PSAT 8/9
PSAT 10
PSAT/NMSQT
SAT

Since the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT are practically the same test, and since PSAT/NMSQT is a rather unwieldy acronym, the rest of this article will just use “PSAT” to refer to both the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT.

The SAT and PSAT tests are very similar in content and structure. The main differences are:

1. The SAT is slightly longer: 3 hours compared to 2 hours and 45 minutes for the PSAT.
2. The SAT has an optional essay, which will bring the total test time to 3 hours and 50 minutes.
3. The SAT is supposed to be slightly more difficult than the PSAT.
4. The SAT is on a 400-1600 scale, whereas the PSAT is on a 320-1520 scale.

That last one is pretty confusing, especially considering statements like this from the College Board website:

The redesigned SAT Suite uses a common score scale, providing consistent feedback across assessments to help educators and students monitor growth across grades and to identify areas in need of improvement.

How can the SAT and PSAT use a common score scale when the highest score on the SAT is a 1600 but on the PSAT it’s only 1520?

The answer, according to a College Board packet is that the tests are “vertically equated.”

If that’s a good enough explanation for you, maybe you should work for the College Board!

Here’s a better explanation. According to that same packet, the score you get on the PSAT is the score you would likely have gotten had you taken the SAT on the same day. For example, if you got a perfect score of 1520 on the PSAT, you would probably have gotten a (less than perfect) score of 1520 had you instead taken the SAT because the SAT is a little bit harder.

The reason the College Board does it this way is a little easier to understand when you consider the first test in the “Suite of Assessments,” the PSAT 8/9. This test will be given to 8th graders. Even the smartest kid in 8th grade probably hasn’t learned much about radians, for example. That kid might get a perfect score on his PSAT 8/9, but if he took the SAT, he’d probably miss that one question about radians and get a lower score. If the PSAT 8/9 was on the same 1600 point scale as the SAT, that kid might get his score report and say, “Only 1440 out of 1600? But I’m the smartest kid in 8th grade!” (As it happens, 1440 is a perfect score on the PSAT 8/9.)

Presumably the verbal questions also get progressively more difficult as we move from PSAT 8/9 to PSAT to SAT. However, the College Board hasn’t released a PSAT 8/9 to the public. Comparing the one PSAT they have released to the four SATs in the Official SAT Study Guide, I can’t tell a whole lot of difference, but presumably the College Board has assigned difficulty levels to questions based on focus groups (test students). Those extra 80 points on the SAT come from the extra questions that were too difficult for the PSAT.

If you really want to, you can read all about the SAT Suite of Assessments vertical score scale here.

The New SAT Study Guide

sat study guide

 

The new SAT Study Guide comes out tomorrow. We got an advance copy. Here’s the scoop.

The four tests in the guide are the same four tests available on the College Board website. It’s disappointing that they didn’t release more tests, but it’s nice that everything is basically free (minus the cost of ink and paper). The answer explanations are online too, so if you’re on a budget, there’s really no reason to pay for the book.

If you do pay for it (the cover price is $24.99 but Amazon has it for $17.00), you’ll get 326 pages of instructional material and practice problems, which are almost all taken from the SAT sample questions released back in March, and which are still available, with answer explanations, online.

What you will not find either in the book or online is a one-page answer key for each test. To grade a test, you have to flip through about 45 pages of answer explanations. Not very convenient! So we made up some answer keys to make things easier. You’re welcome!

New SAT Test 1 answer key

New SAT Test 2 answer key

New SAT Test 3 answer key

New SAT Test 4 answer key

Posted in SAT

New SAT Practice Tests Now Available

no more tests 05.30.09 [150] by timlewisnm via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

no more tests 05.30.09 [150] by timlewisnm via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).jpg

Today the College Board released four new practice SATs—presumably the same four that will appear in the new official guide scheduled for release June 30th.

This is the format:

Section 1: Reading: 65 minutes, 52 questions
Section 2: Writing & Language: 35 minutes, 44 questions
Section 3: Math (No Calculator): 25 minutes, 20 questions
Section 4: Math (Calculator): 55 minutes, 38 questions

Total: 180 min, 154 questions

That’s about 70 seconds per question—a little more (8 seconds) than on the old test. As noted before, they’ve also removed the 1/4 point guessing penalty and the obscure vocabulary questions, so overall this should be a less-stressful test.

I’ll be back soon with more info. Right now I’ve got some work to do!

Posted in SAT

New PSAT Practice Test

Exciting news! The College Board has just released a new practice PSAT with answer explanations.

Just to be clear this is a PSAT, not an SAT. Juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) in October. But the content and difficulty level should be very similar to the new SAT. The Official Guide for these tests won’t be available until June, but there are plenty of resources for students who want to start studying now (see below).

There are four sections:

1. Reading: 60 minutes, 47 questions
2. Writing and Language: 35 minutes, 44 questions
3. Math (no calculator): 25 minutes, 17 questions
4. Math (calculator): 45 minutes, 31 questions

Here are my thoughts.

Reading:
Since they’ve scrapped the fill-in-the-blank vocabulary questions, this is really just a reading comprehension test. A couple of the passages have charts, but the questions about them are very easy—similar to the easiest questions on the ACT science section. Two of the passages are old: excerpts from Jane Austin’s Emma and a political piece by Andrew Carnegie. The rest are new: an article about social networking, a science passage about hibernating bears, and a paired passage about bringing back extinct species. My advice: read National Geographic.

Writing and Language:
If you want more study materials for this section, there’s already a book with 375 practice problems. It’s called the Official ACT Guide! That’s right: the new SAT Writing and Language section is almost exactly like the ACT English section. The only real difference is the inclusion of a single graph on one of the passages. Other than that, it’s the same old stuff: relevance, tone, subject-verb agreement, idioms, pronouns, possessives, comma splices, putting sentences in logical order. The questions are even worded similarly to those on the ACT. My advice: take every English section in the Official ACT Guide.

Math (no calculator):
Like I said about the sample questions released a few weeks ago, the math is significantly more challenging than what we’re used to seeing on the SAT and PSAT. These questions look like they came from a Math 1 Subject test—except on this section, you can’t use a calculator! I found myself reaching for my vintage TI-82 so frequently I had to put it in a drawer. I know a lot of students who use their calculators for even the most basic addition; for them, this section will pose a challenge.

Interestingly, the questions are not in order of difficulty. There are four grid-in questions, and both the grid and the instructions are exactly the same as on the current test. Frequent topics on this section are: setting up equations, systems of equations, functions, and quadratic equations—in other words, all the hardest stuff from the current SAT. My advice: take AP math classes.

Math (calculator):
While it was comforting to have the calculator at my fingertips, it was no help on questions like this:

If the equation 110x + y = 1,210 represents the number of free samples, y, that remain to be given away x days after a coffee shop’s promotion begins, what does it mean that (11, 0) is a solution to this equation?

Your calculator isn’t going to tell you that! Many of the problems include graphs, tables, scatterplots, and histograms. (Again, the Official ACT Guide would be helpful; the science section has similar charts and graphs.) There are also several challenging physics problems (e.g. finding the maximum height of an arrow shot into the sky). My advice: take AP physics.

Summary
Compared to the current SAT (and the PSAT that was retired in 2014), the math is more difficult. The reading and writing are, in my opinion, a little easier (mainly due to the lack of obscure vocabulary questions). But don’t panic about the math. Even though it’s harder, students will be scored relative to their peers. (In other words, if it’s harder for you, it’s harder for everyone.) Students who take challenging courses in high school and make good grades should be fairly well prepared. If you’re taking the PSAT in October and want to start studying now, my advice would be to get the Official ACT Guide and the SAT Math 1 and 2 Subject Test Guide (just do the Math 1 tests; Math 2 is very difficult and mainly geared toward students who plan to major in computer science, engineering, or similar fields.)

Note: The answers to the new practice PSAT are all on the last page of the Answer Explanations. (Really annoying!) So just scroll to the end when you’re ready to check your answers. There’s no way to score it yet (scaled scores are based on student performance, and no one has taken it), but you can find your percent correct for each section by dividing the number correct by the total number of questions. Basically, it works just like grades in high school: 90% and above is great; 80-90% is good, and so on.

More Than A Teacher is currently accepting students for one-on-one tutoring for the new PSAT and SAT. If you live outside the Austin area (or just want to avoid traffic), we offer remote tutoring via Skype. Just send us an email to set up an appointment!

The Most Common SAT Vocabulary Words

definition-390785_1280

Note: This article is about the current SAT. For info on the redesigned SAT coming in 2016, click here.

There are many books and websites out there that claim to have all the “hot words” for the SAT. One website boasts 5,000 words! Think you can memorize them all? Good luck with that.

As someone who’s spent almost eight years with these tests, I can tell you that these books and websites are not very accurate. To me it looks like the authors did no research at all, but rather just listed as many “difficult” words as possible regardless of whether those words had ever appeared on an SAT.

In any case, the test makers do not tend to use the same obscure words over and over. They don’t want the test to be predictable. Basically, their word bank is the dictionary, and with over 100,000 words in the English language, they’ve got a lot of options!

But there are some words that appear on almost every SAT simply because they are common words. And yet, most high school students don’t really know them. The following words (or close variations) appear on most of the tests in the Official SAT Guide. (I know because I checked; all it takes is a highlighter and a lot of patience.) Consider making flash cards for every word you don’t know.

1. aesthetic (adj.) – related to beauty or art: Taking an art appreciation class can enhance your understanding of aesthetic principles.

2. equitable (adj.) – equal, fair, judicious: The U.S. Constitution guarantees equitable treatment under the law for all citizens.

3. equivocal (adj.) – capable of several different interpretations, especially with the intent to deceive: The congressman’s equivocal answer didn’t really answer the journalist’s question.

4. sentimental (adj.) – expressing or appealing to emotions: The sentimental song brought tears to Mary’s eyes.

5. phenomenon (n.) – a fact, occurrence, or circumstance, especially an impressive one: A complete solar eclipse is a rare phenomenon.

6. nostalgia (n.) – fondness for the past: At the sight of his old uniform, Billy felt a keen nostalgia for his school days.

7. advocate (v.) – to support or recommend: The FDA advocates regular vaccinations for children.

8. rhetoric (n.) – the art of using written or spoken language: The professional speaker was a master of rhetoric.

9. ambivalence (n.) – uncertainty or inability to choose, especially caused by conflicting desires for two incompatible things: The candidate’s conflicting answers reflected his ambivalence on the issue.

10. temperance (n.) – moderation, especially in consumption of alcohol: Rather than accept a second glass of wine, Suzanne opted for temperance.

11. romantic (adj.) – idealistic, impractical, unrealistic: After a week sweating on the farm, Billy began to reconsider his romantic view of agricultural life.

12. elitist (n.) – a snob; a person who considers himself a member of a special class: Chet was too much of an elitist to consider attending the rodeo.

13. deliberate – 1. (adj.) on purpose: He shouldn’t be punished because his actions were not deliberate. 2. (adj.) slow, unhurried, careful: Marvin grew increasingly frustrated at the deliberate pace of life in the small town. 3. (v.) (pronounced with a long “a”) to consider: You should deliberate awhile before you answer.

14. conventional (adj.) – pertaining or conforming to general agreement, ordinary: Placing your right hand over your heart during the Pledge of Allegiance is a conventional demonstration of respect.

15. contempt (n.) – disdain, scorn, hatred, ridicule: The judge handed down the maximum sentence, explaining that he had nothing but contempt for jaywalkers.

16. cynical (adj.) – distrusting the motives of others; assuming that people act from selfish motives: Jerry was cynical about the “free hugs” campaign.

17. anxious (adj.) – worried, distressed, uneasy: Many people are anxious about public speaking.

18. commercial (adj.) – pertaining to business: The preacher complained that commercial interests have tarnished religious holidays.

19. reverence (n.) – a feeling of deep respect or veneration: The architecture student expressed a reverence for Frank Lloyd Wright.

20. integrity (n.) – adherence to moral or ethical principles, honesty: The ethics committee criticized the lawyer for his lack of integrity.

21. subtle (adj.) – not immediately obvious, difficult to grasp: Chef Louis patiently explained that there is a subtle difference between flan and crème brûlée.

22. skeptical (adj.) – doubtful, slow to accept as true: Most scientists are skeptical about the existence of UFOs.

23. lament (v.) – to express sorrow or regret over: The professor lamented the decline of voluntary reading among American high school students.

24. domestic (adj.) – devoted to the home or household: The new father declined the invitation to the poker game, citing domestic responsibilities.

25. anecdote (n.) – a short account of an event, especially an amusing one: Tommy shared a hilarious anecdote about the time he fell into an aquarium.

26. rigorous (adj.) – severe, stern, inflexible, demanding: After studying the syllabus, Henry opted for the less rigorous calculus course.

27. pragmatic (adj.) – practical: Sam wanted to take a hot-air balloon across the Atlantic, but his wife suggested the more pragmatic option of an airplane.

28. inherent (adj.) – existing within someone or something more or less permanently, essential: Many people have an inherent dislike of broccoli.

29. exclusive (adj.) – limiting to only a select few, excluding: It’s an exclusive club; they don’t admit just anyone.

30. evoke (v.) – to call up, produce, elicit, or draw forth: According to the advertisement, this laundry detergent evokes the countryside and spring rain.

31. substantiate (v.) – to establish by proof or evidence: The prosecutor was aggressive in his accusations but was unable to substantiate the allegations with physical evidence.

32. intricate (adj.) – complicated or complex: Wilbur was mesmerized by the intricate pattern in the spider’s web.

33. digress (v.) – to deviate (wander away) from the main topic, to “go off on a tangent”: After rambling for ten minutes about his preference for non-dairy creamer, Dr. Franklin realized he had digressed from the lecture topic.

Of course, the best way to build a vocabulary is to read a lot of books, looking up unfamiliar words as you encounter them. So, if you don’t already, read for at least 30 minutes every day!

Posted in SAT

The New SAT: A Look at the Sample Questions

This is our second post about the upcoming changes to the SAT. To read the first post, click here.

Last week the College Board released sample questions for the new SAT. (If you didn’t get the memo, you might want to start checking our Facebook page.)

Here’s what we’ve learned:

The math is tough! There are trig functions, radians, imaginary numbers, and other high-level math concepts not found on the current SAT. Some of the problems require more steps than we’re used to as well. Consider this geometry problem, for example, which is considerably more complex than any geometry problem in the Official SAT Guide. And take a look at this multi-paragraph word problem. These problems look like what you’d see on an SAT Math Subject test.

As for the Critical Reading, it doesn’t seem drastically more difficult than the current test, but with only 24 questions over five passages, it’s hard to say. We already knew there would be no fill-in-the-blank vocabulary questions, and the three vocabulary-in-context questions are easy. There are also three questions of the form “which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?” They’re all easy—as long as you got the previous question right.

As expected, some of the reading passages come with graphs and illustrations, but the questions about them are pretty easy. There are no “founding documents,” as the College Board’s earlier press releases had led us to expect, but there is a speech by Barbara Jordan (1974) and an excerpt from an Edith Wharton novel (1911). The other passages are from science and social science contexts and are all from 2010 or later.

The Writing portion looks very much like an ACT English section, with questions going beyond mere grammar, asking things like “should this sentence be kept or deleted?” I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily harder than the current Writing Skills section, just different.

The essay asks you to analyze how an author builds a persuasive argument. This task is more difficult than answering a general question like “can knowledge be a burden?” or “is money a more powerful motivator than conscience?” The responses are graded on three different criteria: reading, analysis, and writing. So, to get a good score in each area, you have to understand what the author is saying, recognize the author’s use of persuasive rhetorical devices, and demonstrate this knowledge in coherent, eloquent prose. Piece of cake, right?

If you’re ready to start preparing for the 2016 SAT (or the 2015 PSAT), these sample questions are a great place to start. The College Board is planning to release more material in March, and when they do, we’ll let you know.

Posted in SAT

The New SAT: What to Expect

In the spring of 2016, the College Board will launch the redesigned SAT. What will change? The short answer is that the new SAT will look more like the ACT—no guessing penalty, less vocabulary, more charts and graphs. There’s more to it than that, but with the reboot still in progress, the College Board isn’t saying much. The details are hazy, but according to the College Board website, there will be eight key changes. Of course, these summaries are like a lot of SAT problems—convoluted and confusing. Here they are in plain English.

vocabulary
1. Vocabulary: The new SAT will scrap questions about obscure vocabulary words like obsequious and magnanimity and instead ask students to identify the meanings of more ordinary words in context. For example, the word “acute” can mean “sharp,” “intense,” or “clever,” depending on the context. In fact, the current SAT already has these “vocabulary in context” questions on the passage-based portion of the Critical Reading section.
evidence

2. Evidence-Based Sections: The new SAT will combine the Reading and Writing portions into a single “evidence based” test. Here’s what that means:

Reading: Some questions will require students to select a sentence from the passage that best supports their answer to the previous question. For example, question #7 might ask, “How does Daisy feel about Tom?” And #8 might ask, “Which of the following sentences from the passage best supports your answer to question #7?” Some passages will also be paired with infographics.

Writing: Much like on the ACT English test, students will analyze multi-paragraph passages rather than focusing stand-alone sentences (like on the current SAT). This section will also require students to edit passages so that they accurately convey information from infographics.

analyzing

3. Essay Analyzing a Source: This new essay will also be evidence-based. Students will read a source document and write an essay explaining how the author constructs his or her argument. This sounds much more difficult than the current essay format. The idea is to make the SAT essay more like college essays.

The essay will be optional (like on the ACT), but some colleges will require it. In other words, it’s only optional if the colleges you are applying to don’t require it. Read your prospective colleges’ admissions requirements carefully. If you’re applying to Yale, and Yale requires the essay, then for you the essay is required.

math

4. Math that Matters: The new math section will focus on three areas: Problem Solving and Data Analysis (using ratios, percents, and proportions to solve problems in science, social science, and career contexts), The Heart of Algebra (linear equations and systems, abstract thinking), and Passport to Advanced Math (manipulation of complex equations—the College Board is pretty vague on this one).

In addition to these areas, some problems will test geometry and trigonometry skills “relevant to colleges and careers.” (Note: the current SAT does not have any trig function—sine, cosine, tangent—questions.)

real world
5. Problems Grounded in Real World Contexts: The primary focus of the redesign is to make the SAT less abstract and more practical—in other words, more like the ACT. The Reading/Writing section may have fiction passages, but it seems the focus will be on non-fiction passages from the humanities, hard sciences, social sciences, and “career contexts.” On the Math section, students will be presented with several charts and graphs relating to some real-world scenario (e.g. television-viewing statistics or fluctuations in the price of soybeans) and asked several questions requiring them to integrate information from these various sources.
science
6. Analysis in Science and History/Social Studies: The new SAT will require students to “apply their reading, writing, language, and math skills to answer questions in science, history, and social studies contexts.” Basically, it sounds like the Reading/Writing and Math sections will be more integrated than on the current SAT (more reading on the Math section, and more charts and graphs on the Reading/Writing section). Students will also be asked to revise texts to make them consistent with infographics related to “recent discoveries, political developments, global events, and health and environmental issues.” These kinds of infographics are common in National Geographic Magazine.
7. Founding Documents and the Great Global Conversation: Every new SAT will contain excerpts from U.S. founding documents (e.g. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers) and documents from “the great global conversation,” that is, politically-themed documents by authors like Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King Jr. The College Board website specifically mentions Mary Wollstonecraft, Edmund Burke, and Mohandas Gandhi. The founding documents as well as texts by all these authors are available for free online. If you want to start studying for the new SAT now, start reading these texts—along with notes.
no penalty

8. No Penalty for Wrong Answers: On the current SAT, you lose one-quarter point for every wrong answer. Taking away the guessing penalty makes the test easier because students won’t ever have to decide when to guess. If a wrong answer gets you the same result as leaving the question blank, then guessing is a no-brainer. You might as well guess and move on to the next question; there’s nothing to lose. Decision making is mentally and emotionally taxing. Taking a little stress off students should actually make it easier to get a more accurate assessment of their performance on the test material.

The College Board will release a full-length practice test in March of 2015. Until then, students should make sure their basic math and reading skills are up to par. Since the new SAT will be more like the current ACT, and since practically every university will accept either test, now is a great time to study for the ACT. If your ACT score is good enough, you probably won’t even need to take the new SAT, but if you do, the skills you develop studying for the ACT should transfer.

Posted in SAT