Standardized Tests

Why Standardized Tests?

Standardized tests are aimed to...well standardize. As I previously mentioned the difference in GPA between schools and classes can be pretty misleading. Hence, colleges use standardized tests to access the levels of teaching at your school and your ability as well since everyone will take the same test.

For example, a school has mostly A+ students in AP Calculus BC class but its students only score average on the SAT/ACT Math section, and vice versa. Something definitely doesn't add up here

Only a very very few colleges practice standardized-test-free admission (due to the fact that statistically, kids with higher households tend to do superior on these tests)so I would advise taking them at all costs, seriously. Standardized tests requirements change every year, so please check your schools' websites for most up-to-date.

Same thing with SAT Essay and ACT essay. They're optional for some schools but aren't for others.My recommendation is that just take them just in case. It's only an additional $15 and extra 30-45 minutes of testing time.

Personal story, I took the SAT 3 times and the one I got the highest score, I didn't take the essay because I was too fed up with it. Then I realized my top choice schools require the essay. It was definitely a lot of unnecessary stress. So just take them, please.

SAT vs ACT

There are currently two standardized tests that colleges accept: SAT and ACT. SAT is overall more popular but here is the geographical distribution of between SAT and ACT test takers:

• Colleges also claim that they have no preference between SAT and ACT so I would advise taking both to see which one you do better. Score comparison/conversion chart can be found here.
• Personally, I think the SAT is easier, in a sense that we are better prepared at Amat more than the ACT.
• The ACT is much more fast-paced and you need to have really good time management skills.
• The ACT has a science section, while doesn't really require personal scientific knowledge, but still requires lots more reading comprehension on scientific extracts in a very short amount of time in my opinion. You have to be very familiar with graphs, charts, scientific methods, diagrams and the like to do well in this section.
• The SAT's curriculum can be found here. ACT enthusiasts can found the equivalence here.
• Khan Academy offers free and extremely effective practice for the SAT, you have to pay for ACT Test Prep.

Studying and Test Taking Strategies

Before we start, I am much more familiar with the SAT and I am with ACT. In actuality, I only took the ACT once and decided it wasn't really for me so please take my advice on the ACT with a pinch of salt.

• Review the materials for the Math section. Some of you might already be taking higher level math courses and forget the basic materials like basic geometry and statistics. A good old Math textbook can be extremely beneficial.
• Review basic grammar. On the writing section of the test, a large chunk of question is grammar-based. In my opinion, those are points that you can get easily if you got down grammar rules.
• Most people I know increase their score drastically between tests by increasing their Math section score. For the most part, your reading comprehension skills and vocab are unlikely to improve drastically in a short amount of time, so it might be better to focus on Math.
• Don't use the actual tests as your practice tests!! If you haven't put in the effort to study for your standardized tests, don't expect your score to increase. A test costs $60, 4 hours on a Saturday morning and a lot of test anxiety so please don't waste your time and effort if you show up unprepared.
• Take as many practice tests as humanly possible. My first SAT test I got around 1300. While it was a decent SAT score, it wasn't a secure SAT score if I wanted to get to my top choice colleges. I think I knew the materials pretty well, I wasn't familiar enough with the test itself.
  • So I studied religiously for a month (it was late October and my test was early December. I definitely do not recommend this short time frame to study) using the Official SAT Practice Book from College Board itself.
  • It has 8 practice tests so I took two every weekend. So 4 hours on Saturday morning and 4 hours on Sunday morning for 4 weeks straight. The next test I got 1510. I credit my 210-point improvement to lots of hours of practice.
  • My method was extreme because I didn't have enough time. You can study just as hard by utilizing your summer! The last thing you want to do is being overwhelmed by school courses AND SAT/ACT practice tests. Study over the summer. A lot of stellar students I know didn't get the scores they wanted because they were not used to the types of questions being asked or the time pressure.
• Practice how you play. Trying to recreate the testing conditions as much as possible. Wake up early, eat your breakfast, use real booklets and answer sheets,...etc. If you do this often enough, you can be a lot more confident and ready on test day. The last thing you want to do on the actual test is to feel extremely lethargic because you wake up too early on a Saturday morning.
• Eat stomach-friendly food. This one is awkward but extremely crucial. Find out what upsets your stomach and what doesn't. The test is very time-constraint so any minute to the restroom could be detrimental to your scores.
• Get plenty of sleep the night before. SAT/ACT tests are usually a lot longer than your regular tests at school. Consequently, you need to be well-rested to do your best.
• Private tutoring generally isn't very effective and costly. I'm going to get lots of criticisms from this but I truly believe in Khan Academy SAT Practice. If you practice hard enough you will get a decent score. Most tutoring classes do not meet enough to help you improve in my opinion. And if they do, they are going to cost a lot of money. IF you want individual attention from the tutors, you probably will have to pay extra. Unless you're aiming for the perfect score range, I'd say you can self-tutor. If you cannot have the self-discipline to self-study then yes, private tutoring is beneficial.
• Learn how to speed read and other reading techniques. Without time constraint, a lot of my friends do very well on the reading section. However, you have 13 minutes on average to read an 800-word passage and answer 10 or 11 questions. Hence, speed reading is very useful. Other tips can be found right here.
• Get used to different types of text. The historical texts used to throw me off the most because of their archaic terms for example. The more diverse contents you read, the better you are prepared.
• Space out the testing dates. Give yourself some time to review the missed questions and materials, preferably at least 2 months between the testing dates. Usually, it takes 2-3 weeks for your scores to come out so realistically you have just a little more than a month to study.

GPA vs. Standardized Test Scores

• Though standardized test scores can contribute a ton to your college application, I think GPA is still more important. In fact, most colleges understand that some students are not the best test takers so if your standardized test score is a bit lower than you would like, colleges can be lenient on that.
• HOWEVER, if you have a low GPA, don't expect good test scores to make up for it.
• Always look up the test scores statistics of the college to know where you're at. Usually, if you're in the 25th-75th percentiles range, you don't have to worry a lot about test scores.
• If you fall below the 25th percentile, you probably want to have a well above average GPA and outstanding extracurricular activities to compensate.

Other Standardized Tests:

• If you're an international student, your colleges may require you to take English proficiency tests like IELTS or TOEFL
• SAT Subject Tests can be a good way to boost your academic credentials as well as showing interest and initiative in certain subjects. If your SAT I (regular SAT) scores aren't as competitive as you want them to be, relatively higher SAT II (subject test) scores can somewhat balance out your overall standardized test scores. Depending on your majors, some schools recommend or even require you to take certain SAT II tests.
• AP/IB courses are not as important when it comes to college admissions. Most colleges do not even require you to send your AP/IB scores unless you're already admitted. Understanding that these tests are costly and even not offered in some schools, colleges do not consider very important in the application process. Having said that, if you really excel in certain subjects, especially if they are related to your majors, feel free to tell your colleges.