Sat/Act Survival Guide

Careers and Colleges, Sept, 2000 by Jaclyn Lieber

Your hand quivers as you clutch your No. 2 pencil. Sweat pours down your temple. And then, before you've filled in a single bubble, you hear the two most dreaded words of your high school career: "Time's up."

As the season of standardized testing approaches, you may very well be a victim of this recurring nightmare. The only real cure is to know the enemy inside and out. By getting as informed and practiced as possible, you can face your fears and ace the exam.

Why Must These Tests Torture Me?

Believe it or not, college entrance tests were not created solely to haunt you throughout your junior and senior years. SAT and ACT scores allow college admission officers to judge all prospective students on the same scale and help them determine how prepared applicants are to do college-level work.

"It's the only measure we have across the country, since there is no national standard for grades or for performance levels," says Rae Lee Siporin, director of undergraduate admission at the University of California, Los Angeles. "We know that students with the highest test scores, highest grades, and strongest [high school] programs are the ones who do the best and graduate the fastest, so we give them first preference in terms of our selection process.

After grades, test scores are the most important factor influencing admission decisions, according to a survey conducted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

"With growing concern about grade inflation [in high schools], there is certainly a great continuing interest in the use of the SAT," says Bill Kolb, director of admission at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Plus, some colleges consider SAT/ACT scores when doling out scholarship dollars.

Although test scores are clearly important, remember that they're just one piece of the application pie. "It's one test in one day," says Marc Camille, dean of admission at Xavier University, in Cincinnati, Ohio. "A high school transcript is an accumulation of effort over a four-year period. We certainly look at SAT/ACT scores, but they're not the end all that often times they're made out to be."

Better the Second Time

Another excellent reason not to panic: You can always take the test again if you don't do as well as you had hoped. More than half of SAT test-takers repeat the test, and nearly two-thirds of them see their scores rise, according to the College Board. (The average change between spring of junior year and fall of senior year is 12 to 14 points on verbal and 14 to 16 points on math.) ACT reports that about a third of its test-takers tackle the exam more than once, and typically students' scores rise a little, but increases of more than 2 or 3 points are rare. Take note: Scores rarely go up substantially after the second try.

With the SAT, your designated colleges automatically receive all scores unless you notify the College Board in writing to cancel your scores by the Wednesday following the test. With the ACT, you can opt to see scores before deciding whether to send them on.

ACT or SAT?

Historically, the SAT was taken predominantly by students on the East and West coasts, while the ACT was more popular in the Midwest and South. These days, the vast majority of colleges accept scores from either exam (but check with the colleges to see if they require or prefer either one).

Test experts say students typically perform better on one of the exams, so it's in your best interest to take a practice version of each test under actual timed conditions and compare your scores. Your guidance counselor should have a chart showing how scores on the two tests equate. Then seriously consider preparing for the one exam on which you perform better. If you opt to take both exams, colleges count the higher score.

"I wasn't doing so well on the SAT the first two times, so I thought, why not take the ACT?" says Sarah McMordie, 18, of Westfield, Massachusetts. "I scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT, but only the 80-something percentile on the SAT."

Even if one exam is more popular in your high school, you should have no problem raking the other exam in your area. Check with the ACT, the Educational Testing Service (which develops and administers the SAT for the College Board), or your guidance counselor to find the test site closest to your home.

Ready, Set... Test!

Experts recommend that you start preparing seriously about six to eight weeks before the test. Depending on how disciplined you are, you might set up your own system, join a free school study group, or pay for training.

Resources abound for those who want to set up their own personal study routines. You'll find practice SATs in guidebooks, software programs, high school guidance offices, and on the Internet. Students who register for the SAT I receive a free copy of Taking the SAT I, a booklet containing a real past exam with an answer key and an extensive array of tips. Additional past exams are available online at the College Board Web site and in SAT guidebooks. The only book that has actual past ACT exams is Getting Into the ACT (Harcourt Brace, $16), but your guidance office should have additional copies of past exams. (For a complete list of resources, see page 48.)