Crazy times, and a crazy summer!  Is it looking a little different for you than expected? No school, no summer job, no summer camp, no hanging out at the community pool or movie theater or coffee shop? You may find yourself with some extra time these days.  

The college admission process is also looking different than expected for fall, and there are still many uncertainties. Many colleges have announced they will be test optional for the first time, and the ones we haven’t heard from, well, it’s probably just a matter of time. This means that admission officers are faced with the task of distinguishing between highly qualified students without relying on test scores. How will they differentiate between thousands of applicants who have excellent grades and challenging classes on their transcripts? Your essay is one part of the application that can help you stand out.  

Use some free time this summer to work on your essays. The Common App essay prompts are the same as last year. If you haven’t already started on your Common App essay, now is the time. In addition, Common App has added a special “Additional Information” optional essay about how COVID-19 has impacted you. Should you write this extra essay? The short answer is probably yes, but it needs to be unique. You should also check to find out if any of the schools on your list require supplemental essays or short answer questions. If you are applying to colleges that do not use the Common App, check the college websites to get their essay topics. 

Take Action – Write something! Get a first draft of your college essays started now. This will give you plenty of time to get feedback from multiple people (parents, counselor, teachers, even friends). It will also give you a chance to put it aside for now and come back to it later. 

I’ve had many parents and students contact me recently, seeking advice about standardized testing strategies in this uncertain time. My advice for upcoming juniors: prepare for the PSAT, ACT, and SAT over the summer, before the stress of a busy junior year. There is a great deal of overlap in these three tests, so preparing for one translates to all. 

One note about preparing for the PSAT: many college counselors advise students not to prepare for the PSAT. After all, it seems silly to practice for a “practice” test. But students often score poorly when they go into the PSAT cold, which can lead to a generally negative, demoralized attitude towards these exams. Also, the PSAT is the roadmap to National Merit Scholarships, so doing your best can literally result in tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships. So my advice to students is to prepare yourself for the PSAT. You will score higher, have fewer mistakes/areas of weakness to focus on, and have more confidence heading into the SAT and/or ACT. 

The PSAT can qualify you for merit scholarships, but it is also a great opportunity to practice for the SAT and ACT. My advice is to treat these exams like a game, challenge, or brain teaser. Some of the questions are trying to trick you, and you are trying not to fall for their tricks. WIth every mistake on a practice test, ask yourself “How was I tricked?” Learn from that! Keep in mind that often just one additional question answered correctly on the SAT increases a student’s score 10 points, and 1 point on the ACT! Students and parents are often surprised to hear this, and having this knowledge increases a student’s confidence that they can significantly improve their score.

Two to three hours per week is an appropriate amount of time for a student to spend over the summer preparing for these exams. Remember that we tend to learn best in smaller doses over a longer period (so don’t wait to cram during the last two weeks before the exam.) In addition to leading to higher test scores, spending two to three hours per week preparing for the ACT and SAT will limit summer learning loss and help a student have a more successful junior year. Also, two to three hours per week of test prep leaves plenty of time for students to pursue the other goals of a productive, well-balanced summer.

My advice as far as which ACT and SAT exams to take in a student’s Junior year revolves around the College Board’s Question and Answer Service (QAS) and the ACT’s Test Information Release (TIR) Service. It saddens me how few families are aware of these services. For an additional $18 on the SAT and $22 on the ACT, the College Board or ACT will send the student a full breakdown of which questions were answered incorrectly and what the correct answers were. It’s the best way to increase your score on your next attempt. Imagine taking a four hour test, getting a score you are not completely satisfied with, not being told what you did wrong and then being told to take the exam again. That’s absurd! It makes more sense to review/learn from your mistakes before you take an exam for a second time. CAP provides this service with all practice tests, and we encourage you to take advantage of it on the official tests as well. 

The College Board offers QAS on the March, May, and October SATs and the ACT offers their TIR service on the December, April, and June ACTs. Therefore, I recommend that students take the June ACT before their Junior year, as a “practice” and also to get feedback on their weaknesses with the TIR service. Then they can take the PSAT at school, and the December ACT as their first “real” attempt, also with the TIR Service. I also recommend that 11th graders take the March SAT so they can order the QAS Service. Once a student has taken each test, use the official ACT/SAT concordance tables to determine the test on which the student scored higher and focus on that test going forward. Many students score about the same on the two exams, which is not surprising since there is so much overlap in the content of the two tests. In this case, the student should retake whichever test they felt more comfortable with. While the ACT is more common here in the South, colleges will accept either score.

A logical next attempt for the ACT would be April (TIR is offered again) or May for the SAT (QAS is offered again.) The goal is for this test to be the final time they need to take these exams. These are long, grueling exams that nobody wants to take more times than they need to. Of course, a student can always take the SAT or ACT an additional time if need be.

CAP offers test analysis and test prep as part of all packages. Contact us to learn more.

I’ve been thinking about our Juniors, and how the cancellation and postponement of ACT and SAT testing dates will affect them. Obviously, fewer opportunities to test means fewer opportunities to increase their scores. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that, with motivation, this is a great opportunity for students to separate themselves from the pack. While the majority of students will rejoice and relax during this downtime, a motivated student could study, take practice tests, and make improvements during this time.

I’m encouraging my juniors to use Method Test Prep online, which Hoover provides to them for free. They should take the Evaluation Tests, which only take 15-30 minutes each, and then use their results to focus their lessons on their weaknesses. I’ve shown my students how to do that, and I’d be happy to help any of you with that process. 

Juniors also need to be taking practice tests. Method has two practice tests online, and although an online test doesn’t simulate the actual testing environment, it’s still good practice. Once a month, students should also sit down to take a full-length official practice test. I offer those in my office, and I provide feedback on scores and areas of weakness.

Bottom line, if you have your sights set on scholarships, or colleges with low acceptance rates, social distancing is a great opportunity for you. Find your motivation, take advantage of your extra time and the resources available to you, and pursue your dreams!