Digital SAT: The New SAT…. we are ready and you should get your child ready as well

By SAT ACT Test Prep

I have spent the last few weeks immersed in the digital SAT.

Good news – it’s easier.  Way easier! Way shorter! Way more user-friendly!

I was stunned as I was going through the math.  Is this really an SAT question?

I was also perplexed by the “reading and writing” section in that there are no long passages.  “Reading” consists mostly of reading paragraphs as opposed to a full page or two and then answering a question or two about the paragraph.  Again, super easy!

What does that mean for your child?  Prepare vigorously and use the SAT as a “weapon in your arsenal.”

Here’s what’s happened in college admissions in the last few years: suburban kids from affluent non-diverse places are getting crushed when applying to top colleges.  Some part of not getting in has stemmed from the following flawed thinking:

“I have great grades and test scores are optional.  I did not do great on my PSATs so I think I’ll just use my grades to get in….”

Nope.  Grade inflation has become ridiculous.  Truly ridiculous.  I rarely meet students who have less than a 90 average (if the school grades with 1-100).  I rarely meet students with less than a 3.5 GPA.  And, on the top end, when I hear students say they have 4.4 GPA (because their school weights higher courses) I want to tell them that their grades (wonderful as they are!) illustrate another problem for admissions officials: they have no idea how to compare grades from one school to another.  For example, a student with a 4.2 from Guilford High School might have the same relative GPA as someone with a 3.9 from Daniel Hand High School, assuming the former weighted grades and the latter did not.  (By the way, I don’t know if this is the case with each school).

So… the student then thinks: “I play soccer and I volunteer for my church youth group.”  Great stuff!!! Now look at the numbers for Harvard: 61,200. (3.7 acceptance rate).  Lots of kids play soccer and volunteer!

What can a smart student from Shoreline, CT do to stand out: crush the SAT.