Admissions Presentation Slides

Admissions Presentation Slides

UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS AND STANDARDIZED TESTING

Arun Alagappan President,Advantage Testing and The Advantage Testing Foundation

www.advantagetesting.com

Testing and University Admissions Policies

The SAT or the ACT?

OVERVIEW

SAT Subject Tests

How to Prepare

TESTING AND UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS POLICIES

Uneven grading systems

WHY USE STANDARDIZED TESTS?

Grade inflation

Diamonds in the rough

• “One hundred years’ evidence suggests that testing increases achievement.”

• “Testing with feedback produces the strongest positive effect on achievement.”

WHAT MATTERS TO UNIVERSITIES?

Academics

Secondary School

Standardized test scores

WHAT MATTERS TO UNIVERSITIES?

GPA

SAT or ACT

Class rank

SAT Subject Tests

Rigor of curriculum

Extracurricular activities Special talent/ability

WHAT MATTERS TO UNIVERSITIES?

Athletics

Social service

Professional experience

Personal statement School recommendation Teacher recommendations

WHAT MATTERS TO UNIVERSITIES?

Personal interview

• Character/personal qualities • Leadership • Ethics • Sensitivity • Diversity • Ethnic • Socioeconomic • Geographic • Other • Alumni relation/legacy • Level of applicant interest

WHAT MATTERS TO UNIVERSITIES?

Ø Early Decision (commitment) Ø Early Action (no commitment) Ø Single-Choice Early Action (no commitment)

ADMISSIONS NOTIFICATIONS POLICIES

SAT OR ACT?

SAT

ACT

SAT VS . ACT

Required sections

Reading Writing and Language Math–No Calculator Math–Calculator

Reading English Math Science

Length

3 hours + 50-minute optional essay

2 hours and 55 minutes + 40-minute optional essay

Answer choices

4; some grid-in Math

4; 5 in Math

Scoring

400–1600 composite, two scores combined

1–36 composite, average of each section

ACT SCIENCE TEST

• 40 questions on 6 passages • 35 minutes • Tests interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving • Some scientific knowledge required

GROWING POPULARITY OF ACT

• Fewer distractors • Curricular relevance • Less vocabulary • Easier reading • Introduced score choice

• College preparedness • Greater rigor • Recover market share

CHANGES TO THE SAT

ACT Composite SAT Composite Percentile 34 1520–1550 99 28 1310–1340 88 22 1100–1140 58 15 810–840 10

ACT/SAT CONCORDANCE TABLES

• Score choice • Single-sitting highest scores • Superscore • Full disclosure • Cancellation • Special requirements

REPORTING SCORES: WHAT TO KNOW

SAT SUBJECT TESTS

Science: Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics

Standard: French, German, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Spanish With listening: French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean

Languages

SUBJECTS TESTED

History: US,World

Literature

Math: Level 1, Level 2

Math 1

Math 2

Number of questions

50

50

Calculator

Permitted

Permitted (and more frequently needed)

Topics

Math concepts similar to SAT

More complex math

3 years of secondary-level math: 2 algebra, 1 geometry

Recommended curricular background

4 years of secondary-level math: trigonometry or pre-calculus

Curve

Difficult

Generous

WHICH SUBJECT TEST IN MATH?

UNDERSTANDING CURVES

• Key >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48

Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker