Were I a betting man, I'd wager that more colleges will scrap their test optional policies in the coming year. 

Last week, Yale (joining Dartmouth, Georgetown, MIT, Georgia Tech, Purdue and others) announced they would now require standardized testing, because

     a. they're accurate predictors of how well a student will perform in college and

     b. SAT and ACT scores actually improve diversity, not reduce it.  

The SAT and ACT are more accurate predictors of college performance because grade inflation is rampant at most high schools.  This makes it harder for admissions officers to gauge how prepared a child is for college, academically speaking.

On the diversity front, the dean of admissions at Yale explained that underrepresented minorities and under-resourced students frequently chose not to submit their standardized test scores, which were commonly lower than the median of Yale's published range, but could have...

[BREAKING] - proponents for test-optional college admissions policies were dealt another blow yesterday.  Here's the latest news and what it could mean for you:

Here's where to watch this short report.

-Andy Lockwood

P.S.  I pretty much called this, last night on our SAT and ACT Town Hall presentation.  You can watch the recording here.

P.P.S.  Spoiler alert:  we thing the whole test-optional thing is overblown and misleading.  We're still offering 1:1 tutoring and small group tutoring classes.  Our ACT prep class starts next week, March 5.  Learn more here  - use the coupon code CRUSH2024 for 100 bucks off.

The latest ACT scores have started coming out, and the Internet is abuzz with questions and comments like:

*Why was her score so low?  She's got a 94 average in school!

*Should we take the SAT instead?

*Which one do colleges want?

*Is there any point in taking the SAT or ACT?  Aren't colleges test optional these days?

*How many times does he need to take the SAT or ACT?

*Do colleges see how many times he took it (SAT or ACT)?

*Is it OK to sing a sad song with an upbeat tempo?

*Do colleges care how many times she took the SAT (or ACT)?

Just kidding about that second to last one, I wanted to check if you were reading all the way down there.

Tomorrow night, we will answer these and any of your "Burning Questions" about the SAT or ACT, or college admissions, scholarships, financial aid if you insist.  I'm hauling in our head tutor, Marissa U, for our first ever SAT and ACT Town Hall meeting.

You can pre-submit your questions ahead of time (as opposed to...

Free SAT/ACT Webinar

I'll be faster than and almost as powerful as a speeding locomotive with this message:

Tonight, our head tutor, Marissa U, will host a live walkthrough of each of the sections of the SAT and ACT, in order to help you figure out Which Test is Best...

...to help your kiddo multiply his odds of admission to his Dream School...

...and get his mitts on the scholarships you deserve to help combat the ridiculous cost of college!

The whole thing will be over in order an hour, but there will be plenty of time for Q&A.

Sign up here, and you will discover

• Which test is best for kids good at math
• Which test is the "faster one"
• The hidden "science section" on the SAT
• More

SAT/ACT PREVIEW

See you in class.

- Andy Lockwood

P.S.  There's no charge to attend, but the information you learn could save you dozens of stressful hours, not to mention thousands of donuts in wasted tutoring fees for the Wrong Test.

P.P.S.  Here's the sign up page one...

If you've been on my email list for a little bit, you won't be shocked to learn that I was a big Mad Magazine fan back in the day.   

One of my favorite features was the Spy vs. Spy cartoon, which depicted outlandish battles between one faceless spy, dressed all in black, the other, identical but in white attire.

To the best of my recollection, there was hardly ever a clear winner, which was satisfying to some people, I guess.  But not to me. I always wanted to know which spy was better.

A lot of parents, and kids, feel the same way about the SAT or ACT.  There's an assumption that one is "better," meaning one that colleges prefer, or is better in some other, undefined way.  Possibly because those of us who grew up in the 80s on the East or West coast may never have heard of the ACT, which was largely a midwestern thang until it grew, and eclipsed the SAT 7-8 years ago.

Here's the deal...

Colleges are agnostic.  They accept either test.  So the...

Earlier in the week, a client said "Danger, Will Robinson!" to me, evoking a popular show people our age grew up with, Lost in Space.

That was a black and white adventure series about a family of space travelers, who bounced around from planet to planet, adventure to adventure, always trying to find their way home, but never quite getting there.

Reminds me a lot of how college planning works, including standardized testing. 

Parents (and kids) bounce around all over the place, getting conflicting, "adventurous" thoughts and advice form other parents, kids, guidance counselors, maybe even (artificial intelligence) robots about standardized testing, like:

• Don't take either the SAT or ACT, colleges don't need them
• Don't submit your scores
• You have to submit your scores if you're not a minority applicant
• You have to submit your scores if you want to get scholarships
• The SAT is better for kids good at math
• If you're bad at science, don't take the ACT
• Study for both the SAT and...

ACT and SAT Group Tutoring

Coupon Code: PREVIEW23

BREAKING -- the Common Application is out today!  

I haven't been this excited since the new phone books arrived (bonus points if you got the movie reference).

Putting my giddiness aside, today's the day when Class of 2024 college-bound kiddos can get a clickin' and a clackin' on their little computers and officially start the college application process.  Some thoughts:

• There's no race.  Even for rolling admissions colleges.   
• However, there's no need to wait until hours before deadline to start your applications.  These easily avoidable faux emergencies occur in November and December.  Today's August 1, but those deadlines will sneak up on thousands. Maybe even some of my readers (not you of course :)
• Generally, the Common App is straight forward. The parts that require some thought and strategy are 1. the personal statement, 2. supplemental essays and 3. the Activities Section.  Work...

Registrants for tonight's live Q&A sesh on the SAT and ACT have already pre-submitted some good questions, among them:

How do I figure out which test my daughter should take?

Is the SAT or ACT better for a kid who Is stronger in math?

My son is not good at science.  Should he avoid the ACT?

Why can't she get a good score on the SAT, her grades in school are much higher!

There's more, much more.  If you have these or other questions about the SAT or ACT, consider this an official invitation from moi to you to attend tonight's live webinar.  

You don't have to bring anything. But if you're stressed out, feel free to mix yourself a nice summer cocktail.  We don't judge.

Here's where to sign up, please spread the word if you have friends who need this info.

WEBIBNAR REGISTRATION

Carpe College!

- Andy Lockwood

P.S.  Our classes and tutoring options are listed on our site, LockwoodTestPrep.com. 

But don't sign up for anything now,...

I get this question almost every time I send an email about our SAT and ACT tutoring options, and yesterday was no exception.  The question:

"Do you even need to submit your SAT or ACT anymore?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' herein...

There is a difference between APPLYING test-optional, and GETTING IN test-optional.

Colleges are a little cute about this. They don't readily release their stats on the number of admitted students who submitted their scores.

They do, however, brag about how many students with great or perfect scores they rejected, like Stanford did last year.

How do you decide whether to submit your scores?  Here are my thoughts and hunches:

• Test-optional policies were designed to increase minority enrollment at selective colleges.  The increase, so far:  a big fat 1%
• Admissions offices used test-optional policies to recruit other classes of students, in addition to underrepresented minorities:  legacies, athletes, international...

It's anyone's guess just "how" diverse colleges will be in 2024-25. My gut feeling is that admissions officers will come up with creative ways to continue to recruit underrepresented minorities and ethnicities, and things won't look that much different.

How will they do this, without getting sued?

My best guess is by using test-optional policies to admit under-resourced students who don't have the ability to hire tutoring. This way, a student with superior scores but who isn't economically challenged can't claim that students with lower scores took his spot and that violates rules, regulations, the Constitution and scripture.

My next guess is that, if a student is not low income or under-resourced, they will not benefit from test-optional the way things worked last year and in previous admissions cycles. Again, this is a guess but it stands to reason.

This doesn't change any of the advice I have given my 1:1 clients for years: get your SAT or ACT as high as humanly possible, then...