For the March Tutor Round table, Kate Fisher led the discussion about Homework Expectations vs. Reality: What should we assign and expect to have completed? There was a Showcase Spotlight with Dr. Ben Bernstein.

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And for us, more information is always better. If students choose [to submit either a SAT or ACT score], that’s fine, because both tests have value. But if they submit both, that generally gives us a little more information.^[1]

And yet, 10 years later, most colleges no longer even require either a SAT or ACT score for admission consideration. The exams still test students on the same fundamental knowledge and skills, so what changed?

The Shift Towards Test-Optional Policies

Consider a recent statement from Sam Prouty, the Executive Director of Admissions at Middlebury College, which emphasizes the contextual nature of standardized test scores:

If the average [ACT score] at your school is a 17, then a 31 is still kickin it in your context… The [student’s test score] is never just a raw number. It exists in these very important contexts.

According to Middlebury College’s Common Data Set, the middle 50% of students in their freshman cohort achieved ACT scores ranging from 33 to 35.^[2] Conventional guidance provided by college experts advises that applicants should only share their SAT/ACT scores if these scores fall within or surpass the middle 50% range of scores for a particular institution.^[3]

Applying this principle to Middlebury implies that submitting a score of 32 or lower would not be recommended. Consequently, this policy could result in the omission of a 31 ACT score from an outstanding student. Those with scores lower than Middlebury’s average yet unique qualities that could make them stand out in their respective contexts might be advised not to submit their scores. This approach could potentially put them at a disadvantage during the admissions evaluation.

The Hidden Impact of Test-Optional Admissions

And therein lies the lie in university admissions. According to Middlebury’s admissions website, we read the following:

Your decision to submit scores, or not, will in no way impact your candidacy for admission.^[4]

This is demonstrably false.

The vast majority of students attending four-year colleges and universities had A+, A, or A- averages in high school.^[5] So, the student with perfect grades from a disadvantaged high school will not automatically shine brightly with perfect grades alone. That student’s admission chances could absolutely be impacted by their decision to submit or not submit their 31.

However, my intention isn’t to single out Middlebury. (I hold Mr. Prouty in high regard, recognizing him as a genuinely kind, well-meaning, and forthright individual I genuinely respect.) The reality is that all institutions with test-optional policies seem to stretch the truth when they assure that the decision to submit or withhold test scores won’t influence an applicant’s admission prospects.

Clearly, it has the potential to do so. The contradiction is evident—if this weren’t the case, institutions would adopt a test-blind approach, disregarding test scores entirely. Given that submitting a strong score can indeed enhance an applicant’s chances of acceptance, it logically follows that abstaining from sharing a strong score disadvantages students relative to those who do present impressive scores.

This is common sense.

The Benefits of Standardized Testing In Admissions

MIT, to its credit, is one of the few colleges that has stopped gaslighting students and parents. It has stood by its holistic admissions of comprehensively evaluating each applicant with their contexts by a return to requiring test scores stating the following:

Our research shows standardized tests help us better assess the academic preparedness of all applicants, and also help us identify socioeconomically disadvantaged students who lack access to advanced coursework or other enrichment opportunities that would otherwise demonstrate their readiness for MIT.^[6]

Admissions need to walk the talk and assess the complete student. Doing so is more critical now than ever before. This is especially true given that, as a recent study definitively showed, subjective admissions criteria (application essays, teacher recommendations, extracurricular activities) favor the wealthy far more than standardized test scores do.^[7]

Why Standardized Testing is Good for Students

Standardized tests, which require students to demonstrate knowledge of foundational grammar, math, reading, and data analysis, are a barrier that all students, rich and poor, must overcome. Colleges that rely on these measures give less preference to the wealthy, who must demonstrate that knowledge to colleges.

Economically disadvantaged students can take the tests for free,^[8] and free test prep^[9] is available online. Even though not perfect, SAT/ACT scores are a crucial part of holistic admissions and are the only admissions criteria that are authenticated, standardized, and available to all students.

MIT put it well:

We believe [an SAT/ACT] requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.^[10]

My hope is that other colleges will follow suit and return to genuine holistic admissions.

About the Authors: David Blobaum

BIO: David Blobaum is a nationally recognized expert in the entrance exam and college admissions industry and is the Director of Outreach for the National Test Prep Association, which works to support the appropriate use of testing in admissions. He has devoted himself to helping students reach their potential through education and, more broadly, to help empower them to succeed in life. To do so, he co-founded the education company Summit Prep in 2013 with a classmate from college, Eva Addae.

Editor: Marc Gray

Marc Gray, owner of Odyssey College Prep and CEO of Powerful Prep, streamlines college admissions with advanced aptitude testing. An active blogger, he writes on college admissions, test prep, and aptitude testing. As Chair of the NTPA’s Blog Committee, he updates members on the latest in college admissions and community news.

References

^[1] Lewin, T. (2013, August 2). More Students Are Taking Both the ACT and SAT. The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/education/edlife/more-students-are-taking-both-the-act-and-sat.html

^[2] Common Data Set Initiative. (n.d.). A. General Information. Middlebury College. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://www.middlebury.edu/sites/www.middlebury.edu/files/2023-03/CDS_2022-2023_3.pdf

^[3] Epps, T. (2023, March 23). Sending SAT/ACT Scores to Test-Optional Schools. BestColleges.com. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/send-scores-test-optional-colleges/

^[4] Middlebury College. (n.d.). Standardized Tests. Middlebury College. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://www.middlebury.edu/college/admissions/apply/standardized-tests

^[5]

^[6] Schmill, S. (2022, March 28). We are reinstating our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles. MIT Admissions. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/we-are-reinstating-our-sat-act-requirement-for-future-admissions-cycles/

^[7] Opportunity Insights. (n.d.). Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges. Opportunity Insights. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://opportunityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CollegeAdmissions_Paper.pdf

^[8] ACT. (n.d.). What is Included in the ACT Fee Waiver Program? ACT. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/fees/fee-waivers.html

^[9] Sandoval, W. (2023, March 21). Top 10 Resources for Free ACT Prep. BestColleges.com. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/free-act-prep-resources/

^[10] Esaki-Smith, Anna. “How The Digital SAT Could Change Standardized Testing In College Admissions.” Forbes, 18 January 2024, https://www.forbes.com/sites/annaesakismith/2024/01/18/how-the-digital-sat-could-change-standardized-testing-in-college-admissions/. Accessed 6 November 2024.

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I’m asked this question several times a week by parents, and reasonably so. It’s an honest question. Performing well on standardized tests can influence the trajectory of many opportunities for high school students. In my tutoring practice, we measure a cluster of variables to help determine which test is a better fit for students.

• Processing Speed
• Practice Scores
• Verbal Memory
• Abstract Reasoning

When the choice is left to students, I’ve noticed many now gravitate towards the Digital SAT. This makes an odd sense. After all, the Digital SAT is new, digitally intuitive, and, most notably to students, a shorter test (2 hours and 14 minutes)^[1] compared to its ACT counterpart (2 hours and 55 minutes).^[2]

TIR and Other Benefits of the ACT

One of the ACT’s greatest advantages is its Test Information Release (TIR) feature. This feature boasts a unique and industry-defining accomplishment. Aside from the LSAT, the ACT is the only test that gives students the exact copy of the test they took, with its accompanying questions and answers. In the 2024 -2025 test cycle, the ACT offers TIR tests roughly five times (see table below).

TIR Test Dates	Availability
April 2024	Saturday and non-Saturday testing
June 2024*	Saturday testing only *A special study is being conducted in June 2024. TIR service will not be available for the online test mode.
September 2024	Saturday testing only
December 2024	Saturday testing only
February 2025	Saturday and non-Saturday testing

Adapted from the ACT website

Due to the importance of this ACT advantage, we’ll cover this feature extensively in a subsequent post. Additionally, we’ll briefly touch on other advantages the ACT possesses.

How the ACT Helps Students

We’ve written on the societal benefits of standardized testing previously. However, in addition to capitalizing on scholarship opportunities, scoring well on the ACT opens doors in higher education for students that would otherwise be closed.

Finally, many of the students we test prep tutors teach are fantastic literaries. They comprehend the nuts and bolts of grammar mechanics, can wax poetic or rein in their prose to be more laconic, and read and analyze text critically. The ACT provides these high school students a unique opportunity with the ACT Writing Section.^[9] Yes, the ACT Writing Section is optional. But what if students wield their pen fluently or with more mastery than their calculator? A high ACT Writing score on their college applications may speak to their writing prowess.

Conclusion

In the coming articles, we’ll cover these topics on the ACT:

• ACT TIR
• Education Benefits
• Scholarship Opportunities
• ACT Writing Section

If that sounds relevant to you, please follow along. The NTPA blog also covers the state of test prep, best practices in education, and the success of NTPA members. If you’re a student, you’ll learn how to best leverage the benefits of the ACT in your test prep and college applications. As an educator, you’ll discover insights you can use in advising your students. Stay tuned, and let us know in the comments what other test prep topics you’d like the NTPA blog to cover.

-Happy Testing

About the Author

Marc Gray, owner of Odyssey College Prep and CEO of Powerful Prep, streamlines college admissions with advanced aptitude testing. He guides students in creating unique passion projects for their applications. An active blogger, he writes on college admissions, test prep, and aptitude testing. As Chair of the NTPA’s Blog Committee, he updates members on the latest in test prep and community news.

Editor

Ben Sexton, owner of Sexton Test Prep & Tutoring, founded the company in 2005 in MetroWest Boston. His company offers SAT/ACT, SSAT/ISEE test prep, and academic tutoring for grades 5-12. Ben began tutoring in 2003 and expanded his business in 2012, now managing a team of 20 tutors and two managers. He holds degrees from Skidmore College and Boston College. Ben also serves on the NTPA Blog Committee. He enjoys boxing, strength training, and following Boston sports in his free time.

References

^[1] The College Board. “How Long Does the SAT Take?” College Board Blog, 8 February 2024, https://blog.collegeboard.org/how-long-does-the-sat-take. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[2] ACT. “What You Need to Know for Test Day.” ACT, https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-day.html. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[3] McGibbon, Mike. Mathchops, https://www.mathchops.com/. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[4] MentoMind. MentoMind, https://mentomind.ai/. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[5] Terracciano, Kyle. No B.S. Prep: Increase your SAT® / PSAT® Score, https://nobsprep.com/. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[6] Seltzer, Neill. “ScoreSmart | Digital SAT.” Score Smart, https://score-smart.com/digital-sat/. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[7] Hanson, Brooke. “SAT® Courses.” SupertutorTV, Supertutor TV, https://supertutortv.com/the-best-sat-prep-course-ever/. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[8] Test Innovators. Test Innovators | Prep for Success – Test Innovators, 4 June 2024, https://testinnovators.com/. Accessed 5 July 2024.

^[9] ACT. “Writing Test Prep.” ACT, https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/writing-test-prep.html. Accessed 5 July 2024.

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Today’s member spotlight celebrates Remy Zaken of Andersen Education!

Remy Zaken Andersen is the founder and head tutor of Andersen Education, a New York City-based and online tutoring company that focuses on standardized test prep, academic tutoring, and executive functioning coaching. She’s tutored since 2013 and finds that students connect with her warm, engaging, and sometimes silly personality. She and her associates aim to make tutoring anything but boring. She joined NTPA in February of 2024 and is figuring out which organizational role would fit her best.

Member: Remy Zaken

Business: Andersen Education

Website: www.and-ed.com

Started: 2013

Tell us how your background influenced your approach to test prep.

As a former professional child actress who made a deal with her parents to maintain her grades, I had to learn to balance academic rigor with extracurricular and career interests from a young age. I had to become highly efficient with my time, squeezing in studying on the train in and out of the city from Connecticut, the subway to and from Grand Central Station, and in the few allotted hours during rehearsal. Because I missed school to be at the rehearsal, I was tutored, so I saw firsthand how transformative excellent tutoring could be and how boring and frustrating bad tutoring could be. I loved working with adaptable, flexible, positive, and engaging tutors, and I thrived under their guidance, so much so that I successfully tested out of seventh-grade Spanish (I wasn’t allowed to test out of any other class!).

When I was a junior in high school, I had SAT and ACT tutoring and worked with a college admissions consultant to apply early decision to Columbia University. At the same time as my test prep process, I was performing in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening. I received my acceptance to Columbia the same weekend we opened the show. While at Columbia, I majored in psychology, concentrating on social cognition and emotion because I wanted to understand how people think better. Now, I use neuroscience and sports psychology in my approach to test prep to ensure that students not only learn the material I teach but also retain it. We also work to lessen test anxiety by using (sometimes quirky) tricks that I learned in my acting career!

What strategies do you employ to build confidence and reduce anxiety in your students facing high-stakes tests?

First of all, being as prepared is KEY! Students differ in how much time and effort they need to be prepared. Those leveraging memory science can retain the information quicker and longer than students who prepare independently. But you can’t just be ready to see the exact questions you saw in your practice – you need to be adaptable and flexible, prepared for more complicated numbers or equations.

Remy Zaken Andersen, owner and head tutor of Andersen Education, studies a play with her costar

Our work together provides the strong foundation needed to have that flexibility. Another strategy is building endurance by simulating the testing experience – that’s why we regularly schedule practice tests and daily homework drills. Students must take their mock exams in an environment that mimics the testing environment, so light background noise is encouraged. Practice tests also give us data (we’re big fans of data!), which can turn learning, a concept that can be so abstract, into hard numbers. They become more confident when students see their scores moving upward through their graded homework and practice tests.

We also have other techniques in our toolbox, like breathing exercises and visualization. One of our tutors, Monica, is a therapist, so she works on mindfulness with her students.

How do you recommend students and parents prepare for your initial consultation?

Since we are a boutique tutoring company, you’re speaking with me when you call Andersen Education. Please ask me any questions—I love discussing tests, timelines, schedules, the best materials, and accommodations! Our tutors can work with any student in any situation, so there’s no need to prepare anything formal for our initial consultation, but the best way to hit the ground running with your prep journey is to have a goal score and goal schools in mind.

It would also be great for the student to have completed a diagnostic test from the test makers (not a third-party company like Barron’s), but that can be hard to find for parents, so we will always provide one at the end of our discovery call. Suppose you seek academic tutoring (especially in math, chemistry, or physics). In that case, we need to know the difficulty level of the material and which chapter the student is on, though we can always confirm that after the initial call. We will ask to access Google Classroom, Canvas, or wherever teachers’ notes are posted so that we know exactly what to teach in our sessions.

How do you stay updated with the latest educational trends to enhance your tutoring approach?

A growth mindset is vital when you’re working in the education sphere! I am a National Test Prep Association member, an organization committed to collaboration among tutors and advocacy for appropriate testing. The NTPA provides multiple monthly opportunities for tutors to meet and discuss the latest in test prep and learning science. I am also a member of Gretchen Wegner’s Anti-Boring Learning Lab, a collective of coaches committed to sharing science-proven methods to improve students’ executive functioning skills.

The science, and even standardized tests themselves, are constantly evolving, so it’s crucial to stay on the front lines if you want to be the most effective tutor possible. It’s also very important to model good learning habits for my students! To maintain my integrity, I need to practice what I preach.

Could you share an example of a student who exceeded their expectations under your guidance?

Yes, of course, I have many of them! Here’s a recent example: in February ’23, one of my ISEE students started with a 5 in Verbal, 5 in Reading, 3 in Quantitative Reasoning, and a 5 in Math Achievement. She aimed to get 7s in every section to be a competitive candidate for Avenues. She showed up every week ready to work and learn a new concept. She kept a positive attitude despite feeling overwhelmed with test anxiety. In addition to teaching the content and specific test strategies, we took some session time to work through her anxiety using the methods discussed above.

In November 2023, on her first official test, she scored a 9 in Verbal, 7 in Reading, 7 in Quantitative Reasoning, and 7 in Math Achievement. This was fantastic news because she had already surpassed her initial goal. But she knew that she could score higher. We worked together for another month, focusing on the concepts she found difficult on her test. In December 2023, the second time she took the ISEE, she scored a 9 in Verbal, 9 in Reading, 7 in Quantitative Reasoning, and 8 in Math Achievement. She was very proud of these scores, and they solidified for her that with the proper effort and study skills, she could exceed her expectations. She was accepted to every high school she applied to, including Avenues!

Conclusion: What would the story be if your tutoring experience were a mystery book?

The student is hunting for buried treasure, but the map comprises esoteric symbols and runes. The student then meets me, a New York City Sherlock Holmes-type hipster who can help them decode the map, making the treasure path clearer. Together, we work through the puzzles and obstacles required to advance closer and closer to where the treasure is buried. At first, I led the way through the puzzles with my Socratic method, but eventually, my student took over, leading me through the puzzles. They open the buried treasure to find a score high enough to get them a merit scholarship or admission into their top-choice college! Hey, I’d read it!

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The 2024 April NTPA Summit was led by Amy Seeley. Amy discussed the topic of finding and funding school partnerships. Amy’s presentation was about creating relationships with schools and organizations.

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