If you attended our Demystifying Standardized Testing evening last month, one thing I think you probably learned is that the current 10th grade is going to be faced with more testing options than any previous class has ever had. The reason for this is that the current SAT is retiring after the January 2016 administration, leaving current 10th grade students with the option to either:
A) Take the current SAT earlier than normal
B) Wait to see their performance on the redesigned PSAT and be the guinea pig for the redesigned SAT being offered for the first time in March of 2016
C) Choose the ACT right off the bat, since it is a known entity, circumventing any of this SAT mishegas
So, what should you do? Unfortunately none of us can see the future, so while I can help give you some general advice, I don't have a way to predict what is the definite right choice. The nature of any of these paths is it leaves the other roads untaken. But here is what I would recommend:
With testing, things are usually distributed in a normal curve -- with some people on each end (the extremes) and most the people in the middle.
I predict one extreme will be option A. These are current sophomores who can see from their 10th grade PSAT score that they are naturally gifted on the existing SAT. (I would probably say this is the type of student who scored a minimum of a 200 or a 205 on the PSAT this year). That kind of percentile suggests that you will have a good chance of doing well on the real thing and why pass up the chance to be in the 90th or 95th percentile of a college admissions test. If this is you, consider registering for two SATs - probably something like October and December of your Junior year.
It is hard to know if options B or C will be the other "extreme" for our school, but my money is on B. I suspect that a smaller cohort of students will give the new SAT a completely fair shake and be willing to opt for the path we know the least about.
That leaves option C as the one I'm predicting will probably be the most common path for ElRo students. Why do I think people will jump ship and just stick with the ACT? Considering that many students do equally well on the current SAT and ACT, I think all this transition on the SAT side will be enough to convince ElRo students to just opt for the ACT with a traditional testing pattern of taking the April ACT along with a second ACT in either June or September.
Again, I do think there will be some students who see a high percentile score on their redesigned PSAT this fall and who know that will be the path that will lead them to success -aka option B. (Success being defined as maximizing their standardized test score). If this is you, more power to you.
It is technically possible for students to take all 3 exams (the current SAT, the redesigned SAT, and the ACT) but I would STRONGLY discourage that. The reason I discourage it is that I never encourage Testing Robot Syndrome. If you have enough time in your life to prepare for three totally different tests, you are missing out on being a real person. (Plus, from a less philosophical place, you are totally ruining your chances of having a meaningful resume. You can't put 'SAT tutoring' on your Common App list of activities). You are also increased the chance that you will experience testing fatigue - another sure fire way to sabotage your ultimate goal of maximizing your test scores.
As far as we know, all three testing paths will be viable options for college admission. The choice is up to the individual student. Keep in mind that while all these changes might feel unfair, they are a universal challenge for every other person you are competing with in the pool. Instead of dwelling on 'fairness' instead think of it as a unique opportunity to really be able to craft a path that is best for you with more options than in other years.
As always - don't forget that if this entire entry is making your head spin, you can always just go for option D: out of testing completely and apply to testing optional schools. You can see the full list of testing optional schools at www.fairtest.org.
Image
Posts
