Why A Good SAT/ACT Score is more important than ever

NEW BRITAIN, CT (04/16/2007)(readMedia)-- "A good school puts you in the way of more opportunity", said Nicholas Lemann in a PBS Frontline interview. Since getting to a good school now involves standardized tests, the modern motto might just as well be "a good SAT score puts you in the way of more opportunity."

Competitive colleges value standardized tests more than ever. Over the last 15 years, more and more competitive colleges have EMPHASIZED high test scores because it gives them a way to evaluate students with disparate school records. A small number of competitive colleges did drop SAT as a requirement over the last 15 years, but this pales in comparison to those that have affirmed merit scholarships based on SAT scores over the same period. (Students and parents should distinguish competitive from non-competitive, where decent academic standing and an ability to pay are sufficient for acceptance. This list of schools that do not require the SAT or ACT is heavily weighted with non-competitive colleges.) At competitive colleges, admissions officers blatantly admit that the SAT now carries more weight as an admission criterion compared to 15 years ago.

College admissions offices compete with one another for applicants. The most prominent survey, US NEWS, makes SAT score a huge category and ranking the schools. Incoming GPA is not ranked in the US News survey. This means that students with high GPAs often lose in the admissions game to students with lower GPAs but higher SAT or ACT scores.

Admissions offices also compete by offering the strongest candidates money, and the last 15 years have seen the flowering of MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS. Prior to 1990, scholarship money was awarded only to athletic recruits and to students with high financial need. Today, almost every competitive 4-year college awards scholarships to entice academic talent, and their assessment of "talent" is the SAT/ACT score.

Top colleges weigh the merits of foreign applicants largely by standardized test scores. Foreign applications to U.S. colleges are at a record level (foreign wealth, the perceived desirability of U.S. colleges, and admissions officers' desire for "diversity" have fueled this rise). This means fewer available slots for American-born applicants.

Minority recruitment is present at virtually every college. Strong SAT scores achieved by underrepresented minority candidates are a beacon to those admissions offices. At some schools, that score is an automatic in. Even a mid-level score can be a boost to a candidate for whom the recruiter needs "score justification."

Athletic recruiters use the SAT more than ever. NCAA requirements propel coaches to leave promising recruits off their lists if they do not have strong scores.

Finally, the brave new world of employment screening has infiltrated high schools. Some employers are requesting SAT scores from job applicants. Even seasoned professionals who took their SATs in the 1980s are being asked for their SAT scores.

Most independent college counselors implore their students to burnish their SAT scores. "The best thing you can do to propel yourself to a higher echelon of college is add 100 points to your SAT score", says one independent college consultant. Another prominent college counselor, Michele Hernandez of Hernandez College Consulting states "at the top colleges, it's not enough for students to have a top GPA/class rank. Top colleges report their average SAT I scores for US News and to their own trustees and donors, so they pay very close attention to SAT I scores. If you're not at or above that average, you severely limit your odds at top colleges."

Several public and private schools have recognized the importance and are embedding direct SAT classes into the curriculum. Others have offered summer or weekend SAT enrichment classes.

Conclusion: students with high aspirations should not overlook the importance of a good SAT/ACT score. More schools should provide direct SAT coaching, because a good course can help students to 200+ point improvements, which can significantly open opportunities. Since 92% of all competitive colleges take the best math score and combine it with the best reading score, it makes sense to plan on taking the SAT three times. If you know you can excel on a third SAT, not trying is leaving opportunities on the shelf.

Ivy Bound/Rising Scores offers tutoring and ACT/SAT Prep classes in 18 states. Ivy Bound instructors are primarily college and grad students who have all scored among the top 1% on the SAT or ACT. Ivy Bound's flexibility appeals to many busy students and parents. The group is able to hold classes in any community and is often invited to hold classes in schools that have been underserved by some of the larger test prep organizations. Most Ivy Bound SAT prep classes are held on weekends at schools, churches, synagogues, & community centers. Ivy Bound also holds small classes in parents' homes where a parent or teen garners students with similar schedules and similar abilities. Ivy Bound offers private and semi-private tutoring for the SAT, ACT, SAT II and most AP tests. www.ivybound.net and www.risingscores.net.

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