The recent SAT cheating scandal involving Long Island high school and college students has sounded alarm bells in higher education. How could students from the best Long Island schools pay college students to take their SATs for them? How widespread is this practice and how long has it been working?
For those of us in the field of education, and particularly in exam preparation, the New York incident comes as no surprise: it is the natural evolution of a system that has placed an extremely high value on the results of a single proof. It has created an arms race among students who are driven to exploit any means (both legal and illegal) to increase their chances of admission to the university of their choice. For better or worse, this is the current environment that students (and their parents) have to deal with, and the reality is that standardized tests are one of the most important factors in college admissions.
While the importance of standardized tests may change in the long run, for now, the idealistic idea promoted by Harvard University to liberalize the admissions process is the most serious hurdle that high school seniors will face.
Given these conditions, what should students do? What priorities should students set and how should parents help them get there with their integrity intact? There are three simple rules for navigating the college admissions process and the SAT / ACT, and this also applies to the GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, and GRE. These rules are designed to take the stress out of the college admissions process and make it possible for anyone to score higher on the SAT / ACT.
1) think long term
2) Maximize reps
3) Adapt your learning
Think long-term: start your formal exam preparation activities one year before your exam date. Every good test preparation process begins with learning the ins and outs of the SAT or ACT. This requires a thorough review of each of the question types, scoring method, and exam format BEFORE asking a practice question. This is a way to prepare and feel comfortable with the test and with relatively low pressure.
Maximize Repetitions – Ask as many test prep questions as you can to familiarize yourself with the patterns and habits of question writers. This doesn’t require you to buy a ton of books or download massive databases of questions. As long as you get coverage in all common question types, asking the same questions will build the confidence and pattern recognition you need to be successful.
Adapt Your Learning – You should avoid the cookie cutter approach at all costs. If you are testing at a high level in math, but struggle with the verbal, attack the ripe fruit! For you, an hour of verbal preparation will produce a greater score improvement than an hour of math preparation, so focus on the right things. Don’t waste your time (and money!) Learning skills that won’t help you improve your score. Take time to practice the types of questions you are not so comfortable with, and always find new ways to relate to the material.
Above all, stay focused, don’t waste time practicing concepts you already know or won’t be on the exam. Once you’ve finished studying, relax and trust that you’ve done your best and that’s all you can ask for.
