30 ACT Score
August 17, 2022Get Smarter Prep

The Infamous 30 ACT Composite Score

Everyone wants the infamous 30 ACT composite score. Why does every student desire a 30 on their ACT?  Just to say they have a 30? What does a 30 composite score actually get you?  More scholarships? Entry into a highly selective school? The ability to say you scored a 30?  Maybe.  Maybe a 30 composite score will get you all of those things, but let’s take a closer look to see if that score is the right score for you.

Did you know that the National average ACT score for college bound students is a 19.8? The average for the state of Kansas is 19.9 and the average score for the state of Alabama is a 18. Meanwhile, The District of Columbia averaged 26.9, keeping in mind the estimated percent of graduates tested was only 18%. We want state and national averages to be transparent because it’s important to understand how other high school students are scoring on their ACT test.

Average ACT Scores

Scholarships

So why does a 30 ACT score haunt high school students?  For most students, scholarship money is what drives a student to achieve the very best score they can. For example, The University of Alabama gives a break down of scholarships related to ACT/SAT scores, plus their GPA score. Students will be awarded $1,000 more if they score anywhere between 30-36 + a certain GPA. If you’ve taken the ACT 3x and can’t get past a 28 or 29, don’t worry about it. You’ll still get a great scholarship.

Make sure you at least have an outline of the types of colleges you would like to attend and then take those schools’ scholarship requirements into consideration. Most students would be shocked to realize the break usual isn’t at 30, but closer to 31, if not a 32 or higher.

College Entry

The same principal applies to college entry.  Highly selective schools typically don’t look for a standard of a 30 ACT (or it’s SAT equivalent). They look for higher scores starting at a 31 or 32, plus a fantastic GPA of around 3.75 or higher. For example, Vanderbilt University in Nashville typical accepts students scoring in the 33-35 range. The middle 50% of scorers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois is 33-35, similar to that of Duke University in Durham, NC. The bottom line is, do your research on the schools with which you’re truly interested and figure out if a 30 is sufficient or if you need to score even higher.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

Extracurricular Activities

Another factor to consider is all of your extracurricular activities. Studying for and taking the October ACT while you are in football or volleyball will be totally overwhelming. How full is your schedule this semester? Do you even have the time and energy to spend on achieving a 30? The ACT has several test dates from which to choose throughout the year; choose one that makes sense for you and your schedule.

Get Smarter Prep has different prep options for any type of student: from a small group course to semi-private and private tutoring. Select an option and test date that will set you up for success, not overwhelm you.  Setting a tangible goal score will the best way to assure success, whether it’s the infamous 30, a solid 26, or a Kansas average of 19.8. 

 

 

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SAT Test Dates '22-'23
August 10, 2022Get Smarter Prep

SAT Releases Test Dates ’22-’23

If you have your mind set on taking the SAT, CollegeBoard has released all the 2022-2023 test dates available to students. Registration is open for all students for the 2022 SAT dates and will be open for spring 2023 dates in the fall. Take a look at the test dates below and in particular the registration dates attached to those specific dates.

SAT Test Dates '22-'23

Deciding Factors

There are several items to think about when deciding which test date is right for you including, your academic load, sports schedule, extra-curriculars, job schedule, etc. Only you can determine if you are able to handle adding test prep for eight+ weeks on top of your schedule.

Keep in mind, you and your tutor will meet once a week for an hour and a half, plus you will have about 2-3 hours of SAT homework to finish each week before your next tutoring session.

No matter which test date a student chooses, it’s important to prioritize those 8-10 weeks of test prep in order to put your best foot forward for the SAT. If you need help figuring out which test date is best for you and how best to prepare for the test, please reach out to us. Our SAT experts are here to help!

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College Entrance Exam
May 3, 2022Get Smarter Prep

College Entrance Exams: How colleges know what you scored

If I were to ask 10 different families about the submission process of their student’s ACT or SAT results, I would almost certainly get an equal number of different answers.  How do you know what will be seen by admission professionals and what won’t!?  My philosophy, always assume the college(s) will receive your official scores!  Here are a few key points in which all other assumptions can be effectively null:

  1. Transcripts – For the 89% of students that attend Public schools, expect your high school to submit your scores to colleges on your official transcripts.  There are even a few Private schools that include this info on your transcripts.  In fact, some colleges even accept these as official test scores – as they’re coming from an official source, ie.  not the student, nor the family.
  2. Application – You’ll quickly find out that when submitting College Applications – whether the Common App or to a particular school – it will ask about the student’s academic background and college entrance exams test scores.  At the end of almost every application, the student signs it, declaring the information provided was complete and accurate.  I have known students to have their acceptances remitted because a school found out the information from the application painted a different picture than what truly exists.
  3. Collected – Often times, when students attempt to only send the highest scores, all of their scores are disclosed to a college – again because the college expects a complete and accurate portrayal of the student’s achievements and scores.
  4. Purchased Lists – It seems to be a little known fact, but one of the primary ways in which colleges get a student’s information is from the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and EXPLORE.  Colleges often times purchase student’s information based upon a score range – so even if they don’t know your actual score – they will most likely know a narrow score range in which you fall within.

 

So, how should a student go about sending their scores?  First off – I would recommend taking a FREE Practice Test for both the ACT and SAT – so you can determine a baseline and develop a strategy that is right for the student.  These scores are not recorded in the student record, but provide an accurate measure of the student’s ability with these particular college entrance exams. 

Secondly, I would never recommend that a student take an official test unless they felt prepared and confident in their ability.  While an abnormally low score won’t necessarily affect admission at most universities – why provide any university with a reason to doubt their admission decision?

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ACT Myths
May 3, 2022Get Smarter Prep

ACT and SAT Myths

Periodically we hear ACT and SAT myths circulating around the Kansas City area, some related to us by parents, others related to us by our students. We’ve collected a few of them here – some to roast, some to verify as truth, but mostly to inform about disinformation. We hope it is helpful!

1. Isn’t the SAT for East and West Coast schools only?

Ah, one of the most popular and longest-lasting myths. Absolutely not.

One of the first items of research for us was actual verification of the fact that not one of the schools in the top 100 of US News and World Report had a preference for a particular test. My staff has personally called every single one of their admissions offices and the answer remains the same: We have no preference.

2. Don’t they take my best scores from various tests and create a “best score” for me?

Depends on the test and depends on the school. For example:

The ACT offers a Superscore – the average of the four best subject scores from each ACT test attempt—and counts it as your official score. However, not all colleges Superscore, so students still have to do their own research when it comes to their college lists.

University of Southern California – takes your best per section on the SAT. So, for example, if I got a 730 Reading, and 770 Math on one test, and a 710 Reading, and 700 Math on another, USC would pick your 730 Reading, and 770 Math to give you a score of 1500. A mythical score based on two different tests, but hey, we’ll take it!

University of California, Los Angeles – only takes your best composite. So, here score choice works well because you can send them your best score after you’re done testing for the last time.

3. Shouldn’t I just take the test over and over and keep trying to do better? I’ve got nothing to lose.

I can’t begin to imagine the stress of taking the ACT or SAT 2-3-4-5 times in the hopes of getting higher scores. Our philosophy is and remains, prep using us or some other prep program, take it once, maybe one more if you want AND need a higher score. Maybe a third time if we are one point away from a scholarship or an athletic spot or if you are trying to Superscore and need a higher score in one particular subject.

It’s not like students have a bunch of time to study for these tests over and over, or a surfeit of Saturday mornings to spend in a classroom for 3.5 hours testing. Three or fewer. That’s our general rule.

Sign up for a free practice test to find out where you stand!

4. Shouldn’t I just take this at the end of my junior year so I don’t stress about it? Junior year is supposed to be the most important year academically, right?

Right motivation, wrong strategy. Absolutely junior year is the year. It’s the toughest, most grueling, most relevant for college admissions.

The answer to this question is not cookie cutter. I can rephrase it to read: “When should we take the test for the first time?”

I would answer that by asking: “When are you most available to prep?”

Some people play sports year round and so summer is a great time for them to prep leading into a September or October test date.

Others prefer to prep in Fall or Spring. The answer depends on your student’s time resources to dedicate to prep. And, if you’re like some of my students, there is never any extra time, so the sooner we start, the better.

As far as prep goes, my only recommendation is to prep towards a given test date. It makes sense to go to summer clinics for sports because you might be competing in tournaments throughout the summer or because you want to keep your skills up for when the season restarts. But to do a test prep class and then not take the real test for months? What can be retained for all those months without constant practice? That’s why we never have classes at Get Smarter Prep without a test date that we are working towards.

Remember, if you ever have any questions about anything regarding standardized testing, feel free to contact our team.

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Demonstrated Financial Need
April 19, 2022Get Smarter Prep

Demonstrated Financial Need

There are hundreds of phrases surrounding college applications and financial aid, but one in particular has been circulating recently which is, Demonstrated Financial Need.

Cost of Attendance (COA) minus (-) Expected Family Contribution (EFC) equals (=) Demonstrated Financial Need.

The term, “demonstrated financial need” is basically the difference between the Cost of Attendance (COA) and your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The Cost of Attendance is rather easy to figure out since it’s the college sticker price and is stated on the website or brochure. However, how do you calculate you Expected Family Contribution?

EFC is the amount that is used to determine your eligibility for need-based federal financial aid. This amount (your EFC) is based on the data you provided in FAFSA such as the family’s earnings, assets, household size, and other factors. Your EFC will generally be lower for lower-income families and higher for higher-income families.  See example below.

Cost of Attendance at University of Arkansas                                  $26,978
Subtract EFC (which you provided in FAFSA)                                  –$10,000
Demonstrated Need                                                                             $16,978

There are numerous US colleges that meet 100% of Demonstrated Need. Yes, that is correct. Financial aid packages can include different types of assistance including grants and scholarships (money you do not need to repay), student loans (money you do need to repay), and student employment funding (also known as work-study).

For more information about Demonstrated Financial Need or to discuss colleges that meet Demonstrated Financial Need, contact us. Our college experts are happy to help students prepare for college.

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2022-2023 ACT Test Dates
March 23, 2022Get Smarter Prep

ACT Releases Test Dates for 2022-2023

If you like planning ahead as much as we do, then you are in luck since ACT just released test dates for the 2022-2023 calendar year. See below. There are a couple of test dates left for this calendar year including April 2nd, June 11th and July 16th. Next up for the fall include September 10th, October 22nd and December 10th. Take a look at the dates below and start thinking about which dates would work best for you and your schedule.

2022-2023 ACT Test Dates

Choose the Right Test Date

Look at your academic load and see if you are able to handle adding test prep for eight weeks on top of your classes. Keep in mind, you and your tutor will meet once a week for an hour and a half plus you will have about 2-3 hours of ACT homework to finish each week before your next tutoring session.

Another item to think about is how active you are in sports. If you’re right in the middle of your season, then preparing for the ACT on top of practices and games isn’t going to work out the best. Wait until you are finished with your season to start preparing for the ACT.

The June and July test dates are also good options for students with a heavy academic load. Students will have a few weeks to prepare for the June test after school ends, and prep for the July test typically begins in June.

No matter which test date a student chooses, it’s important to prioritize those 8-10 weeks of test prep in order to put your best foot forward for the ACT. If you need help figuring out which test date is best for you and how best to prepare for the test, please reach out to us. Our ACT experts are here to help!

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Setting a Goal
March 8, 2022Get Smarter Prep

Setting A Goal

It’s one of the main questions we ask every single one of our students before we start any kind of ACT prep. What’s your goal? Why do you want that goal? Is it because you’re trying to get into a certain college or are you trying to obtain a scholarship? Either way, having a goal in mind makes it a lot easier to distinguish what to do and what not to do when students start preparing for the ACT.

When do I choose a goal?

As soon as possible. Keep in mind, that may look different for every student. However, for the majority of students the best time to start preparing is the end of sophomore year or beginning of Junior year. It also depends on your academics and which classes you’ve already taken in high school. The math portion of the ACT is heavy in Algebra, so if a student is taking Algebra II as a sophomore, then end of your sophomore year is a perfect time to start. If you are a Junior and taking Algebra II, then the end of your Junior year is more appropriate.

If you already have a college or university in mind and know what type of ACT score you need for admittance, then you might be a step ahead of everyone else. Or, if you need a certain ACT score for a scholarship, that is a fantastic reason to reach your goal!

The best way to start preparing early is to take a Free Practice Test to establish a baseline score. We offer those every Saturday morning at Get Smarter Prep. Once you have a baseline, we can determine how best to prepare for the ACT. Some students may need a full 15-hour Private Tutorial to reach the highest score possible. Other students are a good fit for one of our Standard or Advanced Courses. We won’t know how best to prepare until a baseline is established, so take advantage of our practice tests.

Why set a goal?

Setting a goal is one of the most assured ways of meeting a goal. A Harvard Business study revealed amazing statistics relating to goal setting and success. The study found that 14% who have goals are 10 times more successful than those without goals. Go ahead and write down your goals and then share them with your tutor, parents, and those who are supportive of your goals.

Is my goal realistic?

That depends. Are you willing to shift activities around to accommodate sessions, complete homework, and put in the effort? Our tutors have seen increases up to 12+ points for students who are dedicated to their goals. If a student only wants a 2-3 point increase, the same dedication applies to the student who wants a larger increase, it may just look a little different. It depends on the level of tutor, the length of test prep, and if students are willing to put in the work to meet or exceed their goals.

If you’re having a difficult time setting a goal or don’t know what a good goal should be, then contact us. We are happy to help students figure out what an appropriate goal is for them and work towards reaching that goal!

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ACT Accommodations
February 22, 2022Get Smarter Prep

ACT Testing Accommodations

At Get Smarter Prep, we understand some students may have testing accommodations to be used on the ACT. Our tutors are happy to allow those accommodations with proof of official ACT accommodations, IEP documentation or 504 plan.  We will honor those accommodations on the ACT Practice Test, Midterm, and Final as well as how our tutors instruct their students with official documentation.

We want what’s best for our students, which is why ask for documentation (official email from ACT) prior to testing or tutoring. If you don’t have an official email from ACT yet, we will make exceptions for current accommodations in high school such as an IEP or 504 plan. However, it is the students’ and/or parents’ responsibility to set up testing accommodations from ACT.

You can see the ACT Policy for Requesting Accommodations Here as well as the ACT Accommodations Eligibility Requirements Here.

Common Accommodations:

  • Extended time.
  • Computer use for essays.
  • Extra and extended breaks.
  • Reading accommodations (like an audio test format)
  • Use of a four-function calculator for math sections.
  • Multiple-day testing.
  • Small group setting.

ACT Private Tutoring is the best option for students with testing accommodations. Private Tutoring is designed for students who need more time to grasp ACT strategies, manage time within their allotted time frame and/or better understand how to maximize their accommodations. Students will take three proctored Practice Tests with Private Tutoring all with ACT accommodations.

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