30 Day Prep

College applications can be quite intimidating. After all, they are the pathway to future success for many students. When you are filling out your applications, you may often be posed with the question of why standardized testing even matters to begin with. Some schools ask for SAT/ACT scores, while others do not, but of those who do, what exactly are they looking for with your score?

The SAT/ACT exam is described as a test to measure the level of preparedness that a student has achieved to study college level materials. This may seem strange to many students; after all, the thirteen years of education preceding college should empower a student with the capability to succeed within collegiate classes. This exam serves exactly that purpose: to ensure that you have attained the level of preparedness needed to be able to perform well in a college environment. When you do submit your scores with your application, you are evaluated holistically as a student, which means that multiple factors are taken into consideration. Of these, scores on standardized testing can often be used as a benchmark to show how well you would adapt to the challenging educational environment set by the school itself.

It is often observed that top tier schools require top tier scores. Does that mean that a top level score ensures admission into those schools? Absolutely not. As aforementioned, schools tend to evaluate students holistically, meaning that apart from scores, the factors that they consider for each student include grades, extracurricular activities, college essays, recommendations, and many such more. Among these factors, the score that a student receives on their SAT/ACT can help be a differential, and can certainly facilitate a benchmark to cross that applicants must meet for basic acceptance criteria.

In essence, the score you receive on your SAT/ACT exam is crucial to succeeding in college applications at the level that you would like to. Although there are several more determining factors in applications, the score that you receive can be a benchmarking basis that determines whether you are eligible for consideration at all for a school. Ensuring that you perform your level best on these exams is the most effective way to be able to pave the path towards admission at the school of your choice. Make sure that you look at the median acceptance ranges of scores at the schools that you consider during the application process. This, in combination with the personal goals that you have established for yourself with the consideration of past exams, can be a good way to establish your goal score.