If you’re a high school student planning to apply to college, you’ve probably got college admissions tests on the brain.
Should I take the SAT or the ACT?
How can I prep for the SAT or the ACT?
And, most worrisome of all…
What if I bomb the SAT or ACT?
For students who do well in school and just can’t seem to get those high test scores, this is no small worry. After all, SAT and ACT scores are among the top factors in admissions decisions. Fear not! You can take steps to ensure college success even if your SAT or ACT scores stink.
If your applications are due…
Test prep just isn’t an option if your applications are due now, but all is not lost. First, take a deep breath and remind yourself that while test scores are important, grades and course rigor count for a lot. How you’ve performed in four years’ worth of high-level courses almost always outweighs how you performed during a single test. Even if your test scores aren’t where they really should be in order to be competitive at your dream college, apply anyway! The test scores published by colleges usually represent the middle 50% of admitted students, so 1 in 4 admitted students scored below that range. Take the chance.
At the same time, hedge your bets. Do some research to identify possible safety schools where your low SAT or ACT scores won’t be a problem. Safety schools are important to every student, no matter what their test scores look like!
Don’t forget to consider test flexible or test optional colleges. Hundreds of highly ranked colleges have deemphasized test scores in their admissions processes. Check out these resources to explore more:
- Fair Test: 300+ Top Tier Schools that Deemphasize the ACT/SAT in College Admissions
- Time: 31 Great Colleges that Don’t Care About Your Lousy Test Scores
- US News: 20 Top Colleges That Are Flexible With Test Scores
- Niche: 2018 Best Test Optional Colleges In the US
If you’ve still got time to bring scores up…
Although the SAT and the ACT are intended to test the same knowledge and skills that you learn in high level classes, a lot of high-performing students just don’t see their academic skills reflected in their test scores. Sometimes there’s a gap in knowledge that just doesn’t show up in current course grades. Other times a lack of test-taking skills causes students to freeze up, run out of time, and second guess themselves. Regardless of the root cause, if you’ve still got a few months before you need to have your final test scores, SAT or ACT prep can do wonders.
Even the College Board, purveyor of the SAT, has recognized the value of good test prep: A College Board study found that students increased their SAT scores by an average of 115 points after 20 hours of online test prep. Online resources like Khan Academy can offer a good score boost. If that’s not enough, in-person customized test prep like that offered at C2 Education can help to shore up fundamental skills and build test-taking abilities.
