Standardized Tests

The hype over standardized testing

If you are studying in an American high school, you  probably already know what standardized tests are. In your junior year you would've taken the PSAT, which is a shorter version of the SAT. Then there’s the ACT. But before we go into the details, let’s analyze the hype over standardized testing in America.

Some people put it very bluntly; your test scores are the be-all and end-all of the college admissions process. Your scores will determine whether you get in a particular school or not, and in some cases they measure your worth as an individual.

But…are scores really that important? My answer will probably frustrate a lot of you; yes and no. At some schools, they serve nothing more than as another piece of the bigger puzzle. Usually this means highly selective ones. On the other hand, SATs are pretty important at several other colleges.

The purpose of standardized tests

If you consider it carefully, it’s easy to see why standardized tests are a popular factor for admission. They provide a standard way of testing students’ intellectual capabilities. No matter which high school you come from, you will be taking the same test as other students around the country, in four hours.

*From here on I shall use the SAT and SAT II as my main reference to standardized tests. I took the tests five times, so I have first hand *insider's* knowledge of how the testing works.

SAT and SAT II

The SAT, called the SAT Reasoning Test, has undergone a format change beginning March 2005. Partly because of criticism that the old SAT failed as a indicator of college success, the College Board (the makers of the test) have recast the assessment instead as a measure of achievement and college preparation. Its new name, the SAT Reasoning Test, reflects its new emphasis on critical thinking skills needed for college. The changes go far beyond the name.

Previously the test was three hours long, and certain sections from the old format have been removed. A new essay section has been added to the new format, which I think is a good move. Since the old format is not offered anymore, we shall focus on the new format instead.

Most colleges require you take the SAT, or the ACT as a condition for admission, although several schools have made it optional. The highly selective schools will also require you to take three SAT II: Subject Tests. The difference in SAT and the ACT is that while the SAT tests ‘reasoning’ skills, the ACT is geared more towards materials learnt in school.

Which one should you take? It depends on what you're more comfortable with. If you are the type who does well by memorizing facts, you should probably take the ACT.

The myth surrounding the SAT

“I got a 760 for the Math section, should I retake?”  SAT scores are not very accurate. ETS (that’s the Educational Testing Service, the organization who creates the SAT) has conceded before that the SAT scores are not entirely accurate. Take my score for example. There’s a 1/3 chance that the 760 should read 790 or 730.

Why is this so? If you've learnt statistics, you may have read about sample size. We use sample size because we cannot possibly measure the whole group or population. In the same way the SAT cannot measure everything (like your vocabulary or your geometry knowledge) in one Saturday morning. What the test measures is essentially a sample size of what you know.

Therein lies the statistical error. Studies shown that the statistical error is about 30 points, so about 33% of scores are off by about 30 points. Which means that a 720 has a 33% chance of being a 690 or a 750. College admissions officers know about this, so they usually don't pay attention to a difference of 30 or 40 points. NEITHER SHOULD YOU.

“But I  W-A-N-T  a 2400!” 

 
The chase for the perfect score has been around for awhile. Can perfect score guarantee admission? Again, it depends on the school. Although I cannot tell with complete accuracy which policy a particular school adopts, generally,  perfect scores will give you a huge boost at state universities.

At most schools, however, as long as your score falls within the percentile range, you should start worrying about other parts of your application.