Education Process Help

The Unigo Expert Network is a group of top education experts from across the US answering questions submitted by students and parents about college admissions and succeeding after high school.

SAT. ACT. Six letters that every high school student dreads. But in the ever-changing landscape of college admissions, are standardized test scores still important? The short answer: yes. This week, our experts weigh in on just how important those scores are in comparison to the rest of your application.

“How important are standardized test scores compared to other pieces of the application?” — Chris Kim, Portland, OR

A: Test Scores Are Just One Piece of the Application

Standardized test scores are one important piece of the application. As I tell my students, I wont lie to you, test scores are important but they are only one piece of the puzzle. At many state universities a GPA and/or a test score are the only admission requirements but many are realizing that other factors are just as important.  At privates colleges all factors are taken into consideration. Test scores need to be taken in context.  How well you do on a test taken early on a Saturday morning should not be the only factor in your college admission.

Maureen Lawler — College Counselor Bishop Kelley High

A: Scores Get You Into Dance, But Getting Asked to Dance…

Your concern about the significance of SAT/ACT scores is well placed. College views vary on their importance, however, test scores are typically ranked third behind grades and strength of curriculum. Not all colleges view scores in the same light. Some are test optional, others allow single score choice, and still others will super score (pull the highest sub scores from different tests). Most will accept either SAT or ACT. Check college websites and consult with your school counselor. Dont lose site of the fact that while colleges value quantitative data, it is often the qualitative information that tips their decisions.

John Frahlich Counseling Department Chair Hudson High School

A: Standardized Testing: One Feature of a More Complex Portrait

Standardized test scores are one of several pieces that comprise an application, yet they generally fall behind the transcript and grades in importance. In fact, high test results may be a liability if the grades do not match. The reverse is rarely true. Assuming everything else is strong (curriculum, GPA, extracurricular, essay, recommendations), colleges may even choose to de-emphasize scores that appear to be the exception to an otherwise stellar application. Students should not evaluate their admission chances on test scores alone. Colleges today assess the total picture; test scores add color, but do not define the entire portrait.

Jane Klemmer Founder Klemmer Educational Consulting

A: Standardized Tests—It Is Really All About the School

Nothing induces greater fear in the heart of a college applicant than standardized tests and yet increasingly they are less about the applicant than they are about the school and its interests.  Does a 20 point SAT difference mean one student is more ready for college than another? Of course not, but the higher average will make for better marketing. Ultimately, if a school requires standardized tests then the higher your scores are the better. However, in the end they are simply one of the many factors that schools consider while making decisions that best serve their institutional interests.

Bill Pruden Head of Upper School, College Counselor Ravenscroft School

A: The Truth Is Bigger Than We Admit (College Admission Folks)

There is much talk about high school performance being the heavy lifter for admission decisions. Well, that is true, but the test score counts more than we tend to admit. Many large institutions use a formula to make a first pass for admission decisions and test score is often one of the measures used. The good news is that these formulaic first “slices” for who gets in rarely cause automatic denials. Admission Deans worth their salt always have files “kicked out” for possible denial reviewed personally. OK, let’s not create an onslaught of, “Oh no, we ready every folder and the essay always counts a lot” responses to this. Most schools with smaller applicant pools really do read every folder at least once. So, students, work hard to make yourself stand out from the pack. They can be the difference in your admission decision especially if your score or GPA is on the low side and you’ve got to “talk your way in.” Go for it!

Ruth Vedvik Principal Hardwick Day Inc.

A: Important… But Not the Be All and End All!

Admission committees that use a holistic review process will review your scores IN CONTEXT—vis a vis your day-to-day work in the classroom, your family background and your access to educational resources. Be sure to meet test requirements and deadlines; familiarize yourself with test questions and format; and know that the best predictor of your success at the next level is your achievement in the most rigorous and demanding  academic program appropriate to your ability.

Nancy Meislahn Dean of Admission & Financial Aid Wesleyan University

Find Unigo on Twitter at @Unigo & Facebook at Facebook.com/MyUnigo

Similar Posts:

• The Best of The Best: My College Guide’s 6 Most Popular Posts of 2010
• City Schools’ Test Score Rise is Slow but Sure
• Report finds 2 of 4 tests in ACT poor predictors of college success
• When Should I Visit a College?
• ‘I was not allowed to take AP English’