The College Solutions Blog

Valuable insights from Lynn O’Shaughnessy
a nationally recognized college expert.

FairTest
Featured image for “Who Is Benefiting From Test-Optional Admissions?”
July 27, 2014

Who Is Benefiting From Test-Optional Admissions?

Students who perform poorly on the SAT or the ACT enjoy the option of applying to test-optional colleges and universities. At schools that have embraced this policy, teenagers can typically apply to schools without having to submit their test scores, which can boost a teenager’s chances of getting into more prestigious schools. This might sound great for students who struggle...
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February 18, 2014

Good News for Poor Test Takers

Research that’s being described as a landmark study was released today that shows that high school students with strong grades and lower standardized ACT and SAT scores do as well in college as those who perform better on the standardized tests. The ambitious study, which was conducted on behalf of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, compared the academic...
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Featured image for “Colleges and Universities That are Test-Optional”
June 17, 2013

Colleges and Universities That are Test-Optional

I don’t have to tell you that one of the biggest stresses of the entire college process is the standardized testing. The prospects of taking the SAT and/or ACT is daunting, particularly since so much can ride on the results. I wasn’t happy about the amount of time and money spent in my house on these tests for my own...
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Featured image for “Superscoring the ACT”
March 5, 2013

Superscoring the ACT

If your child plans to take the ACT test, you should know about ACT superscoring. To understand what superscoring is, here’s some background: Historically, college admission offices used a student’s composite ACT score that’s made up of four underlying categories: English Mathematics Reading Science The test maker averages the four subcores, with each ranging from 1 to 36, to create...
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Featured image for “A New Look is Coming for the SAT”
February 28, 2013

A New Look is Coming for the SAT

Change is coming to the SAT test. A vice president at the College Board emailed its members this week to announce that the College Board will be redesigning the SAT. This will be the first revamping since 2005 when the essay was added and those infuriating analogies (cake is to icing as a unicycle is to __) were banished. The...
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September 26, 2012

Disappointing SAT Test Scores — Again

The College Board released its latest SAT score results this week and the results are once again disappointing. The average score for the reading portion of the SAT is at its lowest level in four decades. The high school seniors in the class of 2012 earned an average reading score of 496 out of a maximum of 800. That represents...
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August 31, 2012

Boosting Your ACT Score Through Superscoring

As another standardized test season kicks off, ACT test takers should know about ACT superscoring. To understand what superscoring is, here’s some background: Historically, college admission offices used a student’s composite ACT score that’s made up of four underlying categories: English Mathematics Reading Science The test maker averages the four subcores, with each ranging from 1 to 36, to create...
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March 2, 2012

What If You Bomb on the SAT or ACT?

I recently got an email from a dad who was depressed because his son had performed poorly on the SAT test. He wondered what his son’s options are. I understand how the father felt. The ACT and SAT loom so large in the life of a college-bound student that it’s easy to assume that doing poorly on either test will...
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March 2, 2012

What If You Bomb on the SAT or ACT?

I recently got an email from a dad who was depressed because his son had performed poorly on the SAT test. He wondered what his son’s options are. I understand how the father felt. The ACT and SAT loom so large in the life of a college-bound student that it’s easy to assume that doing poorly on either test will...
Read More
2
June 29, 2011

Getting Into Great Schools With Poor SAT and ACT Scores

I don’t have to tell you that one of the biggest stresses of the entire college process is the standardized testing. The prospects of taking the SAT and/or ACT is daunting, particularly since so much can ride on the results. I resented the amount of time and money spent in my house on these darn tests for my own two...
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