Dec 2 - SAT - Test Results now available

[Marie17]

They released SAT test scores online today for those that took the test on December 2nd.

Son did great on the Math portion (760) but he needs some work on the verbal & writing (580 & 570).

He's going to take it two more times next year to try to improve those scores. I told him he needs to practice the essay this time - writing in the time crunch of 35-45 minutes (?). He didn't do any practice exams before this one so we are hoping he can improve.

 

[LukenDC]

I last took the SAT in 1990 and I know that it has changed since then. Is the maximum score on each section 800? If so, your son's scores are quite good.

 

[Marie17]

Yes - 3 sections now.

Math - 800
Critical Reading/Verbal - 800
Writing - 800 total

The writing is the new portion of the exam - I believe they get a topic and have approximately 35-45 minutes to write an essay on it. He's going to really work on this portion of it since he didn't do so before (even though I told him to practice) since they usually have more time in school to write a paper.


So new maximum score is 2400. His score is 1910.

 

[LukenDC]

I'm an alum and interviewer for Yale. I tell the applicants whom I interview that SAT scores really are not a huge factor in the admissions decision unless they are above 700 or below 500. Now many state universities use a mathematical formula to determine who is admitted and high SAT scores are definitely a plus. The more selective private universities, however, are more concerned with AP classes, grades, extracurriculars, essays, and recommendations.

I encounter too many young people who are obsessed with test scores and retake the SAT multiple times.

 

[smartestnumber5]

I'm an alum and interviewer for Yale. I tell the applicants whom I interview that SAT scores really are not a huge factor in the admissions decision unless they are above 700 or below 500. Now many state universities use a mathematical formula to determine who is admitted and high SAT scores are definitely a plus. The more selective private universities, however, are more concerned with AP classes, grades, extracurriculars, essays, and recommendations.

I encounter too many young people who are obsessed with test scores and retake the SAT multiple times.

Wouldn't SATs way over 700 be almost required to get admitted at Yale?

 

[LukenDC]

Wouldn't SATs way over 700 be almost required to get admitted at Yale?

No, not at all. Yale is extremely competitive, but other factors are more important than test scores. My math SAT score, for example, was 540. Now the competition to get in is brutal (about 10% admitted out of approximately 17,000-19,000 applicants), but there are still people admitted with test scores below 600.

Grades, AP classes, extracurriculars really count.

 

[smartestnumber5]

No, not at all. Yale is extremely competitive, but other factors are more important than test scores. My math SAT score, for example, was 540. Now the competition to get in is brutal (about 10% admitted out of approximately 17,000-19,000 applicants), but there are still people admitted with test scores below 600.

Grades, AP classes, extracurriculars really count.

I guess I knew SATs weren't everything, but I thought they were more important than that. My SATs were at the low end of the average range for places like Yale and my grades, AP classes, etc were all within the average range. I only bothered to apply to one ivy league school, though, because I figured one had to be on the high end of the range in order to have a good shot of getting admitted. Maybe I should have spent an extra couple hundred dollars on application fees and tried more ivy league schools? Oops. Oh well, college worked out fine for me anyway.

 

[Bearvet]

Congrats to your DS! Most (but not all) colleges take the highest combined SAT scores instead of the highest in 1 sitting. So now that your DS has a solid math score, he can focus on the other 2 sections while preparing. That's what my DS did and it made a big difference in his results.

I agree that while some colleges don't weight SAT scores as heavily, we've discovered that once you pass the 2000 mark, many doors are open to you. We visited the engineering dept at Uconn and they said that you must have a certain SAT score to even move your application to the Eng. dept. Then they sort again and if you meet their minimum score you get in. Very interesting!

Many people have recommended reading as much as possible from many sources. This will help improve vocab immensely. Good luck to your DS!

 

[LukenDC]

Many people have recommended reading as much as possible from many sources. This will help improve vocab immensely. Good luck to your DS!

I agree! To prepare for the verbal portion of the SAT, I read Dickens' David Copperfield and looked up every word that I did not know. It was excellent preparation for the exam.

I'm reading the new Disney bio by Neal Gabler and I am impressed with his eloquence and advanced vocabulary. That would be another good book to read in preparation for the SAT.

 

[luvflorida]

I'm an alum and interviewer for Yale. I tell the applicants whom I interview that SAT scores really are not a huge factor in the admissions decision unless they are above 700 or below 500. Now many state universities use a mathematical formula to determine who is admitted and high SAT scores are definitely a plus. The more selective private universities, however, are more concerned with AP classes, grades, extracurriculars, essays, and recommendations.

I encounter too many young people who are obsessed with test scores and retake the SAT multiple times.

Maybe you could answer this question. Let's say you have an applicant that scores very high on two of the three required subtests, but doesn't do nearly as well on the third subtest. I'm talking around 700 on the verbal and writing tests, but around 460 on the math test. Do you look at the combined score, or do you look at each test separately? Would the 460 on math automatically be reason enough to not even consider this applicant?

 

[punkin]

Things are so different than when I applied to college those many decades ago (1985 grad from HS) I only took the SATs once. I could have retaken it, but my score was high enough to get me in anywhere I really wanted to go (my grades were the drag). I did not take a review test or have a private tutor or hire consultants to help with applications. My DD14 is now in 9th grade and I really lean toward doing as little prep as possible. Why put all that pressure on a child who is already pressuring herself into an early ulcer?

 

[LukenDC]

Maybe you could answer this question. Let's say you have an applicant that scores very high on two of the three required subtests, but doesn't do nearly as well on the third subtest. I'm talking around 700 on the verbal and writing tests, but around 460 on the math test. Do you look at the combined score, or do you look at each test separately? Would the 460 on math automatically be reason enough to not even consider this applicant?

First, let me preface my remarks by stating that I am neither an admissions officer nor a decision maker in the admissions process. I am a Yale alum who volunteers to interview applicants to Yale and I write a one page report about my impressions of the candidate. Because the admissions committee will already have the candidate's grades and test scores, I never ask about those and focus the conversation on interpersonal skills, interest in Yale, etc. And of course I always welcome questions.

I do know that the admissions staff looks at each individual score and not just the cumulative score. I don't know whether or not an individual score below 500 would be an automatic cause for rejection, but it would raise a red flag and certainly would not help a candidate. Yale has admitted people in the past with individual test scores below 500, but it is very rare.

 

[Hedy]

Things are so different than when I applied to college those many decades ago (1985 grad from HS) I only took the SATs once. I could have retaken it, but my score was high enough to get me in anywhere I really wanted to go (my grades were the drag). I did not take a review test or have a private tutor or hire consultants to help with applications. My DD14 is now in 9th grade and I really lean toward doing as little prep as possible. Why put all that pressure on a child who is already pressuring herself into an early ulcer?

Seriously. My SAT prep consisted of a couple of practice tests. I did well, decided to only take it once, and got into a top tier school. I really don't think I did overwhelmingly better or worse than those who took the classes, but I did maintain a shred of sanity in my last years of high school.