College Admissions Testing A Roadmap for the SAT, ACT, and Other - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

College Admissions Testing A Roadmap for the SAT, ACT, and Other Tests Summit Educational Group

History of SAT and ACT 1926 • First administration of Scholastic Aptitude Test • Focus on aptitude rather than mastery 1959 • First administration of ACT • Prior SAT • Measures “achievement, not aptitude” • New 3 rd section: Writing (grammar + essay) • Harvey Mudd College accepts ACT. • No Analogies or Quantitative Comparisons • 1.57 MM ACTs and 1.55 MM SATs. First year All colleges now accept both. 2005 2007 • 2400 scale: Critical Reading, Math, & Writing that more students take ACT than SAT. 2010 • ACT overhauls Essay and makes minor • First administration of redesigned SAT: 2015 changes to Reading and Science tests. 2016 March 2016

Create a Testing Plan “You hold the power, not the tests. You control your learning. Demystify the test, know its purpose, what it covers, what it looks like, how it’s actually used (its relative importance) and then plan how best to tackle it .” – Jon Ericson Former president of ACT

Create a Testing Plan • Which tests should I take? • When should I take them? • How and when should I prepare for them?

• PSAT • Subject Tests • SAT • AP Tests • ACT Which Tests Should I Take?

PSAT is Practice for the SAT SAT (200-800) PSAT 10 / NMSQT (160-760) PSAT 8/9 (120-720) 200 500 600 700 120 300 400 800 PSAT scores show what you would have scored on the SAT on that same day. p. 13

Test Scores – 4 th Most Important Percentage of Colleges Reporting “Considerable or Moderate Importance” Grades in college prep courses 92% Grades in all courses 89% Strength of curriculum 89% Admission test scores (SAT & ACT) 88% Essay or writing sample 60% Counselor recommendation 60% Student’s demonstrated interest 54% Class Rank 51% p. 1

Test Optional Schools “ We want outstanding students from all over the world and from all different backgrounds — regardless of their standardized scores.” - Karen Stroud Felton Dean of Admissions George Washington University p. 4

Why the SAT/ACT? – Grade Inflation GPA Reported by College-Bound Seniors A+ A A+ A A – A – p. 2

p. 2 Why the SAT/ACT? – Consistent Curve 200-240 250-290 300-340 350-390 400-440 450-490 500-540 550-590 600-640 650-690 700-740 750-800

Dimensions of Standardized Testing Aptitude Test Old PSAT & Old SAT Speed Test Power Test PSAT & Aspire & SAT ACT Subject and AP Tests Curriculum-Based Test

SAT/ACT – Similar in Structure SAT (3 hours plus essay) Writing & Math Math Essay Reading Language (No Calc) (Calc) (65 min) (50 min) (25 min) (55 min) (35 min) ACT (2 hours 55 minutes plus essay) English Math Reading Science Writing (45 min) (60 min) (35 min) (35 min) (40 min) p. 15

SAT/ACT – Structure and Scoring SAT ACT Combined Score: 400-1600 Composite Score: 1-36 Overall (Reading & Writing + Math) (average of 4 test scores) Scores • Reading & Writing: 200-800 • English: 1-36 Subject • Math: 200-800 • Math: 1-36 Scores • Reading: 1-36 • Science: 1-36 Essay Optional Essay Optional Writing: 1-36 (not included in Combined Score) (not averaged into Composite Score) Scores • Reading 2-8 • Ideas & Analysis 2-12 • Analysis 2-8 • Development and Support 2-12 • Writing 2-8 • Organization 2-12 • Language Use 2-12 Right-only Right-only Scoring (no penalty for wrong answers) (no penalty for wrong answers) p. 16

Mathematics

SAT/ACT – Math SAT ACT Narrow and Deep Broad and Shallow Algebra – about 60% of Math Algebra – about 30% of Math No-Calculator Section Calculator allowed throughout 83 seconds / question 60 seconds / question p. 21, 30

SAT/ACT – Math SAT ACT The graph of the linear function f If two lines in the standard ( x, y ) has intercepts at ( a , 0) and (0, b ) in coordinate plane are the xy -plane. If a + b = 0 and a ≠ b , perpendicular and the slope of which of the following is true about one of the lines is 3, what is the the slope of the graph of f ? slope of the other line? A. – 3 A) It is positive. B. – 1 B) It is negative. C. – 1/3 C) It equals zero. D) It is undefined. D. 1/3 E. 3

Reading

SAT/ACT – Reading SAT ACT Complex passages, high- Quick, efficient reading level reading for comprehension 3 13 minutes per passage 8 minutes per passage 4 Data Graphics p. 18, 32

SAT/ACT – Reading SAT ACT What can reasonably be inferred about The passage points to which of the gliding animals from the passage? following as a characteristic of trap-jaw ants’ mandibles that prevents the ants A) Their young tend to hop along from harming themselves with their beside their parents instead of flying powerful bite? beside them. B) Their method of locomotion is similar F. A hinge prevents the mandibles to that of ground birds. from snapping together forcefully. C) They use the ground for feeding more often than for perching. G. Mandibles with cushioned under edges provide a buffer when the D) They do not use a flapping stroke to aid in climbing slopes. mandibles snap shut. H. A latch mechanism prevents the Which choice provides the best evidence mandibles from closing completely. for the answer to the previous question? A) Lines 4- 6 (“They jumped. . . air”) J. The mandibles begin to decelerate B) Lines 28- 29 (“They. . . traveling”) before they meet. C) Lines 57- 59 (“The birds. . . slopes”) D) Lines 72- 74 (“something. . . theory”)

Writing & Language / English

SAT/ACT – Writing & Language / English SAT ACT Emphasis on correcting Emphasis on understanding main idea and author’s intent sentence structure and punctuation Inclusion of charts and tables 75 seconds / question 36 seconds / question Very similar tests. Both require strong grammar and editing skills. p. 19, 29

SAT/ACT – Writing & Language / English SAT ACT The article goes on to suggest Although I had never met that the most valuable resources more of the people who walked 3 provided by coworking spaces are with me, I felt a kinship with them. actually the people whom use 30 them. A. NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE B. more of the people whom B) whom uses C. most of the people who C) who uses D. most of the people whom D) who use

SAT Data Graphics Questions … As of 2010, there were approximately 40,300 Which choice completes the urban and regional planners employed in the sentence with accurate data United States. The United States Bureau of based on the above graph? Labor Statistics forecasts steady job growth in A)NO CHANGE this field, projecting that 16 percent of new 6 jobs in all occupations will be related to urban B) warning, however, that job and regional planning. Population growth and growth in urban and concerns about environmental sustainability regional planning will slow are expected to spur the need for to 14 percent by 2020. transportation planning professionals. C) predicting that employment of urban and regional planners will increase 16 percent between 2010 and 2020. D)indicating that 14 to 18 percent of urban and regional planning positions will remain unfilled.

Science

SAT/ACT – Science SAT ACT Dedicated Science section. No Science section, but 21 Mostly deductive reasoning science-related questions and logic, as well as appear throughout the test. understanding charts, tables, and experimental design. Rarely require knowledge of specific science concepts p. 33

Essay / Writing

SAT/ACT – Essay/Writing SAT Essay Prompt “Write an essay in which explain how you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry.” p. 23

SAT/ACT – Essay/Writing ACT Writing Prompt Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to: • evaluate the perspectives analyze and evaluate the perspectives given • develop your own state and develop your own perspective on the issue • explain the relationship between your perspective and those given p. 34

SAT/ACT – Essay/Writing The ACT essay assignment asks you to WRITE an argumentative essay, whereas the SAT essay assignment asks you to ANALYZE an argumentative essay. p. 34

SAT and ACT Timing Average Time per Question ACT SAT % More Time Reading 53 seconds 75 seconds 42% Math 60 seconds 84 seconds 40% English/Writing 36 seconds 48 seconds 33% Science 53 seconds N/A N/A p. 28

Choosing SAT or ACT

Choosing SAT or ACT SAT ACT Clever, puzzle-solver Concrete thinker Strong reader with good vocabulary Fast reader who has trouble with inference and nuance Anxious, doesn’t handle time pressure well Has the mental endurance to maintain a quick pace throughout a long test Doesn’t need to study much, can achieve Studies hard, good grades, history of not good grades by relying on intuition doing well on standardized tests Skilled with algebra Gets extended time on both tests Best way to make this decision is by taking each one (real or practice) and comparing scores using a Concordance Table.

When Should I Take Them?