A guest blog from Higher Scores Test Prep

The journey of planning for and taking the ACT & SAT can be overwhelming.

Especially now, when it feels like testing expectations completely change every few months: Tests are optional, then they’re not optional; they’re digital, then they’re not digital, and then they’re digital again.

It can be hard to keep up!

Over the past decade, after so many iterations of test prep changes, the same things are still true:

1. Colleges continue to rely on SAT and ACT scores to make more informed admissions decisions by comparing applicants to national standards.

   
   
   

2. Scholarships and merit aid are still often awarded based on SAT or ACT scores, in combination with other factors.

   
   
   

3. Standardized tests continue to be inadequate representations of students’ intelligence or potential and instead simply measure their abilities to take highly specific tests.

So, why test?

First, tests are continuing to matter more and more for admissions.

The general trend is that schools are slowly requiring tests once again, particularly at high-profile schools such as Brown, UT Austin, Dartmouth, and Yale. While many schools went test-optional in response to the pandemic on a trial basis, some of them are nearing the end of their temporary policy or are actively moving away from it.

Just because the colleges on your student’s list are test-optional right now does not guarantee they will be when application season rolls around! 

Some schools are expressing concerns, especially in STEM, of students admitted based on grades alone who could then not meet the academic rigor of their programs. Admissions officers are eager for a more "objective" standard against which to measure applicants besides GPA.

Often, what universities are looking for is a way to compare students to their high school's average performance, rather than to the national average, so students from lower-performing high schools are particularly incentivized to submit scores to stand out. 

Secondly, even if getting into a college does not require a test score, earning enough merit aid and scholarships to afford to go to that college definitely does.

Test scores are often a qualifying factor for even considering a student for merit aid or scholarships, and competitive scores (alongside a strong application) increase your chances of a generous offering.

Students can significantly increase their scholarship awards and general academic merit aid by up to 5 or 6 figures with SAT or ACT scores!

Especially when applying to large, competitive schools, it is in your best interest to have a score, no matter what it is.

When is the best time to test?

Your ideal testing window opens once your student has completed at least one quarter of Algebra 2 and closes around June of their junior year. The summer after junior year should be when they start building a college list, which is difficult to do without at least one solid score locked in. 

Some schools administer a test for all of their junior class in the spring semester, so you may want to plan around this separate test date to decide when to prepare.

However, if this window has already passed or just doesn't work with your schedule: Give your student 4 to 12 weeks to prepare, depending on the amount of time they have per week and the amount of content they need to cover. 

That's why the summer is a great time to get a head start before the chaos of junior (or senior) year sets in!

For the SAT specifically, since each question can be worth between 20 and 30 points, a few lucky guesses can help a student achieve their goal score. That means students might want to take the SAT a couple of times for the best score possible.

Don't wait until the last minute to lock in a good test score. Having one ready to go will give you lots of flexibility in the college list-building and application process down the line.

Standardized testing is a learnable skill!

The SAT and ACT are rising in importance once again, and it can be frustrating for students and parents who were hoping that particular part of the application process was done for good.

Because it's true, these tests are not good measurements of a student's abilities or intelligence or college readiness; they're just a measure of how well the student can take tests.

This is both a frustrating fact and an opportunity to look at testing in a new light: Test-taking is a skill just like any other, and it can be learned.

At Higher Scores Test Prep, we focus on the overall strategies for each subject and question type, so you can understand not just what is on the test but why it's there. We explain how the test-makers put the questions together, and teach you to recognize their patterns so you always know what to do (even if you don't fully understand the content). 

What do I do next?!

For juniors with plenty of time to dive into the nuts and bolts of their preferred test, our SAT Comprehensive and ACT Comprehensive courses will give you everything you need to hit your score goals.

For seniors hoping to get a last minute score boost, try our SAT Sprint or ACT Sprint which get you ready for the tests in just one week.

Not sure which is the best test for you? Try our SAT vs ACT quiz to get started.

(And ask your counselor how to get a 10% discount on all courses!)

No matter where or how you decide to prepare, remember that standardized testing is a skill that is both possible and important to learn to accomplish your college goals.