Presented by The Princeton Review Foundation, Making Waves Academy, and College Possible at the NPEA 2014 conference in Minneapolis, MN on April 23-24, 2014.

1. College Counseling & SAT/ACT
Prep: Exploring Synergies
Jay Rosner, The Princeton Review Foundation
Rachel Fried, Making Waves
Traci Kirtley, College Possible
NPEA Conference, April 25, 2014
Copyright © 2014 Jay Rosner

2. Economic
(Educa,onal)
Inequality:
The
Majority
of
Public
School
Students
in
17
States
are
Low-­‐Income
(2011)
Southern
Educa,on
Founda,on
Study,
2013

3. Some SAT/ACT
Questions to Start
— From students: Which test should I take?
When? How many times? Should I do anything
to prepare?
— From counselors: how do I best answer those
questions? Should my school target one test?
If so, which one?
— For participants: Which is the prevalent test in
your area? What are your initial questions?

4. Princeton Review Foundation,
a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Advocacy: Test critic, ETS & Aff Act cases
Programs:
— High schools (KIPP, etc.) – work w/staff
to change culture
— National & Regional Partnerships –
Hispanic Scholarship Fund, UW Dallas,
Cherokee Nation Foundation, etc.
— ACT & SAT (LSAT, GRE, GMAT & MCAT)

5. Big Picture SAT/ACT Concepts
For students, pro-active (aggressive), prepared
— SAT – guessing; ACT – speeded
For schools, energized environment
— Stamina for 3 - 3.75, role modeling
— Confidence, calm from preparation
Language is important for empowerment
— Discomfort (not anxiety, fear), test skew
Reduce stereotype threat
— High standards/ability, growth mindset

6. Alignment:
What
Should
a
College
Prep
High
School
Provide
for
Students?
ExtraCur
SAT/ACT
GPA
(academics)
ExtraCur
SAT/ACT
GPA
(academics)
4-­‐Yr
Sel.
Col.
Admissions:
Applica,on
Weights
Typical
College
Prep
High
School
Expenditures

7. Average
SAT
(M
+
CR)
Scores
by
Family
Income
and
Race/Ethnicity
(2001
Data)
Source:
2001
California
SAT
Report,
The
College
Board

8. Number
of
SAT
Takers,
American
Indians
10,677
(‘97),
to
7,622
(‘01),
to
9244
(‘11)
Source:
College
Board
web
site
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
2001 2011
Blacks Hispanics Am Ind Whites Asians

9. Number
of
ACT
Takers,
American
Indians:
10,830
(‘99),
11,386
(‘01),
to
14,970
(‘11)
Source:
ACT
Web
Site

10. How
Some
Students
See
the
SAT/ACT
10

11. What
Jay
Tells
Students:
What
Do
the
SAT/ACT
Measure?
11

12. For Students: Jay s Opinion of
What The SAT/ACT Measure
— How intelligent you are?
No.
— How well you’ll do in college?
No. (only helps somewhat in FY GPA)
— How good you are on SAT/ACT?
YES !
If you have a high test score, it means that you’re
good at the test.
— Can you improve your score?
YES! Here s what you need to do …

13. Presentation to Students:
What is Preparing Intensively?
ACT/SAT Prep minimums (course or self-study):
— 1.5 - 2 hours per day, of high-quality practice …
building up to a few 3-3.75 hr/days in the week
before the official test
— 5-6 days per week
— 5-6 weeks, right up to the official test
— 3-4 practice tests, spaced out properly.
Less risks a lower-than-your-best score. (SMUS)
What I say to HS students …

14. How
Many
Official
SATs
or
ACTs
Should
A
Student
Plan
To
Take?
14

15. How Many Times … ?
— How many times should you plan to take the
official SAT or ACT?
Once. Prep well, and get it right the first time.
But, have a fallback date planned, only if needed,
and it’s better if you don’t use it.
— Why not plan for 2, or 3, or more times?
Won’t the odds be better? Feeding the pig …
— More is not always better in this domain.

16. More
is
not
always
beJer
…
16

17. Suggestions for Counselors
— Pick the SAT or ACT, and a target test date
— Do a practice test (for stamina)
— Try to set up some test prep for the target
test, get materials for other students
— One suggested goal: minimize the test prep
you do, maximize its effectiveness
— Your ideas?