When to test? (for the class of 2024)

Several months ago the College Board announced changes coming to the SAT. We'll get much more into the weeds later on the specifics when more information is revealed. Our friends at Compass do a decent summary of the "known knowns" here.

The big question is always when to test and this has gotten more complicated with the new digital test being rolled out from March 2023 in international markets. College Board is using international markets as a beta test a new "product' with the digital version not coming out in the States till 2024. College Board did not cover itself with glory with the at-home APs the last few cycles and indeed, it was largely an unreported fiasco. We really can't see it being bug-free by next March. It is just way too compressed a time line for something that hasn't really be done before on anywhere near the same scale. Using a kids' own device is much more challenging technically than taking a TOEFL/ACT/GRE/GMAT at a test center with a bank of dedicated PCs. How many test centers could handle 1500 students accessing the WiFi at the same time?

Hence, we anticipate the March 2023 test to be a bit of a mess with the scoring really "iffy". If it was rolled out in the States at the same time, CB would have many more results to effectively smooth out the scoring to effectively match past versions. As it is, it will just be international so exact scoring will be best guess. In the past the first iterations of new versions of the SAT have skewed hard or easy until CB had enough data to lock things in with equivalency/concordance tables and the like. Smart universities know this and the March 2023 results will likely have a bit of a virtual asterisk next to them as a result.

So, our general advice for current 10th graders (Class of 2024) is to do absolutely nothing SAT-related this academic year. Then, if kids are looking to test - December 3rd. 2022 for most students, and the October 1st, 2022 for the kids in math club who also read Jane Austin for fun. You can use some of the summer for prep and we have summer programs that pause, then resume in the weeks leading to the Oct/Dec test dates.

Better the devil you know.

Then, students can wait until the dust clears with the new test format and test again in August 2023, or even October 2023 (or even December 2023 in most cases) if necessary. But always best to get a good mark the first time around and be done with it. Important that the changes (such that we know now) are more in format/delivery rather than content, so test skills for the old test will translate largely to the new one.

News came out the night before our most recent Webinar and the first 10 minutes or so of the video is our initial "hot take/rant" on things. Those in this silly world have expected this move for some time and we at Testtakers will be ready for the new test when it comes.

Test Optional?

Due to the Covid crisis, the SAT and ACT were not available for many students in America over the last 18 months. Universities can't require a test that students can't take, so nearly all over them switched to a "test optional" policy to get bums in seats. University of California dropped the requirement entirely and joins a small number of schools in being "test blind" in that they don't even see scores. More on that politically-motivated folly can be found here. Test blind works fine if your are small, rich, liberal arts college like Bowdoin. It is an entirely different proposition for a school with over 100,000 applications per year. We'll leave this debate aside, for now...

Changes happen slowly in this world and most schools have opted to continue this policy into the next admissions cycle (high school class of 2023). People love to vilify the SAT/ACT but the sad truth is that grade inflation has become so rife that universities honestly like having another impartial metric to look at. In 2019, nearly 31% of American high schoolgraduates had an A or A+ average. Many A level and IB scores around the world were based on predicted grades rather than exams and that resulted in some inflated grades as well. The SAT provides a standard yardstick of academic potential.

Not requiring test scores has resulted in a surge in applications to more competitive universities as thousands of students think the A+ average they have will help them get in, even if their SAT scores aren't in the right range. Universities seldom tell students not to apply, more applicants means higher rankings and at $90USD or so per applicant, thousands more applications leads to real money. This said, we don't want to get pulled into broader debate on the "fairness" of the system. (It isn't fair, sorry).

The consensus that has emerged is that if a school is test optional then students should look at the school's pre-Covid average SAT 25th to 75th percentile band for admitted students. If your score is towards the high end or above this level then submit, if not, don't. So, if a school's band is 1200 to 1300 and you score a 1280 then submit, but don't if you score 1230 or so or below. Every situation is a bit different and more than ever the decision is more of an art than a science - talk to your university advisor at your school.

Numbers have been trickling out and the empirical truth is that students submitting scores are having better results. Of course, there are major selection bias issues to consider as stronger students will score better on the tests, and also of course will have a better chance of gaining acceptance. If a kid is brilliant and has any chance of getting into MIT, then the SAT won't present much of a challenge. Here are some numbers:

School - Admit rate without submitting scores / Admit rate submitting scores
Boston College - 15% / 23 %
Chapman - 45% / 74 %
Colgate - 5% / 11 %
Emory - 8% / 18%
Georgia Tech - 10% / 22%
Penn ED - 9% / 18%
Tufts - 9% / 13%
U. Virginia - 13% / 26%
Wellesley - 13% / 20%

Universities are reticent in sharing such data but is it slowly trickling out. The key trend is that if you score well on the SAT/ACT and submit your scores, then it is to your advantage.

August 2021 Update on Testing in Singapore

Test availability in Singapore is still a major issue for many students. If you go to a school that is a "closed" SAT test center, then lucky you. These schools administer the test only to present or past students. If you don't go to these schools then seats are absurdly limited and at present the earliest reliably available date is March 12, 2022. Large local Singaporean system schools used to take up the lion's share of the demand for the SAT, but these schools are currently not acting as test centers due to Covid-related restrictions. Until these schools open up again, this situation will not improve. If you are stuck not being able to take the test, don't despair! Universities can't require that you take a test that you can't access and nearly every one of them is formally test optional for those applying to start in August 2022. Take a few deep breaths and talk with your university counseling team at your school or contact us if your school doesn't have one.

In the past, there was an option available for letting "College Board find you a place" for the SAT. This allowed College Board to vet testers and prioritize those that are bone fide Singapore residents for places. Otherwise all the spots were historically taken by students from China who are unable to take the test there. The registration platform has been "upgraded" in the last 4 months and this option seems to be no longer available. College Board as an organization is focused on the domestic American market (where the real money is) and phone calls to the customer service lines or pleading emails will sadly probably be a waste of time. So, get your spot for March or May 2022 now! If you are applying this year to start in 2022, not having a test score shouldn't hurt you, so concentrate on other areas of your application.

What about the ACT? The test is listed as available on the registration website with a number of options through Spring of 2022. This test is now taken exclusively on a computer in an authorised test center but we have profound concerns that what is listed on the website doesn't match up with reality. There are some test centers in the region listed on the website as available that we know aren't going to be open for months to come. So, have a try if you feel lucky but don't worry or stress if the test doesn't actually happen. We are operating in a world of modest hopes and low expectations. Your grades in school have always been the most important part of your application and is where you should be focused.

Fools Rush In

The single biggest mistake that we see every year is students taking the SAT too early. Now with summer options curtailed, more rising 11th graders think that they can just use the entire summer to prepare for the SAT and then "get it out of the way" in August. No. Just no.

There are two main arguments against:

A) The SAT tests content that is learned in school.  The longer a student spends in school reading, writing, and doing math then broadly, the better the SAT score.  In math in particular many students haven't covered all the content that is tested on the SAT until well into 11th grade.

B) The start of 11th grade is vital for university applications and if possible students should throttle back on other activities as much as possible to ensure that they hit the ground running and keep that GPA up.  Clearing the decks and not doing SAT-related activities during the school year until November and then targeting the December test is a decent compromise as that allows a few more later bites of the apple in March/May/August if need be.

We can't dictate when kids actually take the test, and despite some 30 years experience in test prep, students regularly blithely think they know best and test in August or October of their 11th grade. This often leads to kids getting stuck in a Sisyphean cycle of test/prep/test/prep/test that consumes way too much of their 11th grade, and results in the same score they would have gotten from just holding off a bit.

The only (sort of) rational argument for testing earlier than December of 11th grade was for potential student athletes who need to fulfil NCAA testing requirements. The NCAA has dropped this requirement for now, so this argument no longer stands.

If the student is a high achiever who will score a 1450 plus in August with loads of prep, the same student will likely score over 1500 with next to no prep in December and maybe 1550 come the following March. Older students score higher, it is just that simple.

We have our modular test prep programs that use the summer effectively and have a break before resuming leading to the December test. These are specifically planned for rising 11th graders. Doing any SAT-specific prep earlier than the summer before 11th grade is not something that we would condone for any reason, and indeed we will not take such students into our test prep programs - though we'd welcome them into our other 101 and Head Start enrichment programs, as appropriate. We only work with students who are preparing for the right test at the right time. We turn business away regularly from students looking to start too early, and also those students who really don't need any formal preparation.

March 2021 FAQs

With the recent changes afoot in testing and admissions it is hard to keep track of things and there is much bad information floating around on WhatsApp groups and other social media. Here are just a few common testing misperceptions debunked. Check the webinars for more details....

- The SAT is no longer required.
Nearly every American school has been forced to go "test optional". The main driver for this is the fact that the SAT is not openly available due to Covid and schools can't require tests students can't take. Some schools such as the University of California system have gone full "test blind" and have committed to not even considering test scores for a few cycles. However, most schools have adopted some form of "test optional" policy where kids can submit scores if they want to but those who do not should face no negative consequences. Read the exact policies on the university websites. The tests are still required for many scholarship/ROTC programs at public universities and also for public schools in Florida.

- So I shouldn't submit scores at all.
If you have a poor score relative to the average level at that university then submitting scores is not a good idea. However, if the median score of past admitted students at university A is, say, a 1250 and a student scored a 1400, then that score should absolutely be submitted. If it makes you look good, then show it. More on this can be found in an article by our friend Jed Applerouth here.

- I should take the Subject Tests while I still can.
No. These tests are dead though they will still be administered internationally through June 2021 for some strange reason. American universities will hence stop looking at results on these exams and the only schools asking would be schools in other locations that maybe didn't get the memo yet. IB results, A Levels, and AP tests are much better gauges of subject-specific mastery, and is a core reason why these exams got cancelled.

- The SAT will not come back.
The great Andrew Sullivan really stirred the pot last week with this impassioned defense of the test. It is really too soon to say for sure what will happen come 2022, 2023, 2024, etc. but most universities like the idea of a common metric. Universities know full well that kids from very wealthy families will have access to test preparation and that a 1400 from such a student isn't nearly as impressive as a 1350 from a student with more modest economic circumstances. Grade inflation has made GPAs less useful over the years and larger universities in particular will really struggle without the SAT score to consider. If all American high schools ran the IB then it would be a different story, but that will never happen. Each state closely controls the specific curricula used at public schools; ceding this control to a Swiss-based NGO is not in the cards.

In a perfect world of rainbows and unicorns each student would be personally interviewed, letters of recommendations would be fully considered, and a full personal examination would be conducted. Small, well-funded liberal arts colleges can do this. Large universities getting upwards of 100,000 applicants can't.

Stay tuned on how this dynamic situation develops in the future.