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Dunbar on the College Board's SAT Score Choice Policy

January 2009

Last spring, the College Board announced a new policy effective this spring, starting with their March test date, to introduce Score Choice - an option that will allow students to select which SAT scores are sent to the colleges to which they are applying. Students will be able to decide which set(s) of SAT Reasoning Test scores they wish to send, and which SAT Subject Test scores by individual test. While the ACT has long had such a policy, the SAT has been sending all test scores since 2002.

Almost immediately, our consultants began hearing of new test-taking strategies developed by some test preparation tutors to best take advantage of the new Score Choice Option. "Score Choice clearly means that students should start taking the SAT early and often!" declared one group. Another went so far as to suggest that students should simply focus on one portion of the Reasoning Test at a time, even leaving the other portions blank as they attempt to create three sets of SATs that represent their best possible scores across the three sections. These schemes have caused us concern. As we approach this spring's testing dates, we wanted to outline our own observations and recommendations on approaching SAT testing in view of the Score Choice option. We have developed these recommendations after consultation with several of the most trusted tutors our students work with as well as discussion with many of our colleagues on both sides of the admissions desk.

First, the greatest advantage to Score Choice is probably exactly as the College Board presented it - if a student has a bad test day, they can choose (in most cases - more on that in a minute) not to send that sitting's scores as part of their application.

Second, standardized testing is only one piece of an applicant's file and not necessarily the most important part. Colleges are increasingly coming to the conclusion that a student's classroom performance is a better predictor of how they will do in college; therefore, focusing extensive time and effort on taking SATs more frequently - which would almost certainly come at the expense of time and effort that could be devoted to class work - might result in higher test scores but not a stronger overall application. (A student who submits less impressive grades with high test scores is frequently regarded as an "under-achiever" -- someone who has strong academic potential but chooses not to work hard in the classroom. This student is less attractive to colleges than the one who commits to working hard in the classroom.)

Third, admissions offices are not impressed by obvious attempts to out-strategize or "game" the system and extremely skewed scores from one test date to another as test-takers focus on one section at a sitting will not be well-received at the colleges who see them. (Some colleges have automated systems or even administrative personnel who compile the top three scores by section - but in many cases, admissions officers will still want to see all scores, even if they ultimately focus on the top three or the highest combined score.) Another very real risk is that extremely skewed scores can trigger an official inquiry by the College Board into potential cheating; even if the student is eventually cleared, the process can hold up their scores during a lengthy investigation and the stress created by such an investigation is not to be under-estimated!

Fourth and possibly most important - several of the most competitive colleges (including Yale, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, USC and Pomona) have already declared that they will require the submission of all SAT scores.

In conclusion, we advise keeping standardized testing in perspective. Do the best you can on every section at each test date in good faith but keep in mind that your transcript will carry even more weight than your test scores so maintain your focus on your classes. (Research has even shown that while students generally improve from their first test sitting to their second and even from their second sitting to their third, the incremental improvements go down; we very rarely recommend that a student take the SATs more than three times as doing so can communicate anxiety to the colleges, if they see all test scores.)

One option that we see Score Choice opening up is making it more possible for more students to take the SAT Reasoning Test in January of their junior year. If you don't do as well as you'd like, you can consider it a learning experience and not submit it (unless one of the colleges you are applying to requires all scores). If, on the other hand, you do quite well, you may have put yourself one step closer to finishing your testing during your junior year, making Early Decision or Early Action applications more feasible.

Another change we see is the possibility of taking Subject Tests more than once to improve scores or taking a Subject Test in a subject area about which you feel slightly less confident.

But the biggest change we see is that you can rest easy in the knowledge that if you have a terrible test date, you can probably avoid submitting those scores!

Caroline Brokaw Tucker
cbrokawtucker@dunbarconsultants.com

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