Lies, damned lies, and statistics: Present State of SAT & ACT

12/19/2018

Chris Boehm

The college search and selection provides many rewards and growth opportunities. Some more rewarding than others. Testing (SAT, ACT, Subject Tests) is a piece of the application process that students must navigate through. They were initially created to level the playing fields for college admission. However, there are recent controversies and inconsistencies (https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/07/12/surprisingly-low-scores-mathematics-sat-stun-and-anger-students & https://www.applerouth.com/blog/2018/12/11/continued-trouble-with-the-curve/ ), which are proof that the tests are culturally biased and bring up concerns that the ACT and SAT are attempting to serve as predictors to too many suitors. Despite all this, we must accept these flaws and realize their place in the college application process. The benefit in testing is not in the actual score. Growth occurs in educating yourself about test, understanding that preparation takes discipline over-time not cramming, and in building your self-confidence and developing a growth mindset through hard work and determination. The purpose of this entry is to provide you updated information about testing to help you make good decisions for you.

Test scores are up. Not average scores mind you, the scaling of the tests control for this. More specifically, there are more top scorers. The number of students scoring in the 1400-1600 point band on the SAT and 31-36 band on the ACT has doubled over the past ten years. And, those scoring in the even more exclusive (maybe not as much as in the past) 1500-1600 or 34-36 group has doubled in the past five years. Perfection has been more obtainable as well; in 2001 only 89 students scored a 36 on the ACT while last year 3,741 students achieved the score, and last year alone there was a 36% increase in this number. In 2017, 85k students scored between 1400-1600, that number increased to 145k in 2018 and that doesn’t account for super-scoring. When accounting for super-scoring, some groups estimate the actual number of students that scored between 1400 – 1600 in the Class of 2018 to be over 188,000. As a point of reference, there were only approximately 40,000 combined freshman acceptances within the Ivy League and the next eight most selective schools in country last year.

Let’s efficiently list the reasons why there are more students in the top band:

More test takers: last year alone the number of SAT test takers went from 1.72 million to 2.14 million and over the past five year the ACT has 200k more test takers.
Many top test takers have returned to the SATs after staying away because of the uncertainty of the new SAT test administered for the first time in March of 2016.
More students are cross testing (taking both the ACT and SAT in search of a best score).
Students are taking the test more times to achieve the best possible super-score.
Test prep companies have improved and adapted their practices to the new SAT and the dip in SAT dominance two years ago increased the amount and quality of the test prep for the ACT.
Increase in international students taking the tests.
Hyper-arms race: students starting to prepare for tests earlier.

What this means for you is up for interpretation. Our educated conclusions are that perceived high test scores will not have as much clout in admission decisions as they have in the past, especially at universities with highly competitive admission processes where higher scores will be even more common. Colleges will place more emphasis on other factors instead of the incremental differences between applicants inflated test scores – extracurricular accomplishments, essays, student initiative, and high school performance to determine the best fits for their institutions. A larger pool of high scorers will probably also result in fewer admission spots for those outside the top band.

Potential responses to this information:

HEALTHY – Prepare for the test(s). You’re already going to take the Pre-ACT as a sophomore and a PSAT as a junior. Take practice test(s) offered at Archmere and that you can find online (Khan Academy and ACT.org). Do this through free services or if you have the resources, perhaps you may want to hire help. Educate yourself on what a reasonable or expected score improvement can be through practice and preparation and set that as a stretch, but reasonable goal. Take one of the two tests twice, at most three times to maximize your opportunity for improvement and a super-score. Don’t allow test-prep to take away from your school work, exploring your interests and things you enjoy, or your time with family and friends. Attend Archmere’s annual Test Prep Night to better understand how a growth mindset can assist you in this process.

UNHEALTHY – Chase a score that may not be obtainable by over-testing and over-prepping because you believe that reaching a 1400 or 1500 (34-36) is the golden ticket for admission to a perceived top university. Wasted time and money will result in less opportunity for exploring subjects and interests you enjoy. Too much time spent prepping takes away from school work that has a greater impact on your future success in college courses than an SAT or ACT score. You will need to draw from your experience tool box when deciding on college majors, best fit colleges, and telling your story to universities in your applications. A deficiency in experiences will harm you later in life. Don’t let your story be that you showed grit and determination in achieving a 1460 super-score from your seven SAT tests.

I’d obviously recommend the healthy route; however, every student must make a decision that is best for them. It’s important not to get caught up in the hysteria and create a sensible plan for yourself and set aside time to prepare in order to do your individual best. Truth be told, I find testing in college admission somewhere between a necessary evil and a money-grabbing racket. But they are also a fact of life. You’ve tested before and will test again. Good luck!

***A thank you to our friends at Compass Education Group for many of the statistics for this entry and Chris Ryan ’87 from Manhattan Prep for his continued guidance and perspective.***

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