SAT Test Results How to Get and Interpret Your Results

SAT Test Results How to Get and Interpret Your Results SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips So you just took the SAT, and you’re eager (or terrified) to see your scores. Especially if this is your first time taking the test, the score report can be confusing. But reading it correctly will help you to identify weak spots and do better on the test next time and get real SAT results. I’ll go over how to get your SAT score report and read it so you’re getting the most out of the information the College Board gives you. How Do I Get My SAT Score Report? Your scores will be available to you online about three weeks after you take the SAT.To see your scores,log into your College Board account.If the scores for your test date are available, they should show up right away on the dashboard, like this: Just click "View Details" and you'll be able to see your full score report. You can easily download a PDF of the report by clicking "Download Report" in the top right corner of the screen. If your scores haven't come out yet, there is no way to speed up the scoring process. You can, however, get your scores sent to colleges faster than normal after they are released. This is called rush reporting, and it will get your scores sent to schools within two business days. Rush reporting comes with a fee of $31 for the first report and $11.25 for each additional report. What Will Be on My Score Report? Your score report will give you a lot of information about the types of questions you answered correctly and incorrectly and their difficulty levels.You’ll notice that the score report has four tabs: Report Details, Essay Details (if you took the test with the essay), Skills Insight, and Score Sends.Here’s some information about what’s included in each section and how to interpret it. Report Details This tab listsall of your scores in one place. First, it includesthe score you got for each section along with a score range of around 40-60 points. This is shows you the range of scores you might end up with for that section if you took the test again assuming the same level of preparation. You'll also see where you fall in the national percentile range: The Report Details tab also shows you your subscores for Reading, Writing, and Math, each out of 40 points. These are accompanied by statistics on thetotal number of questions for each section and the number that you got correct, incorrect, or omitted. These are followed by your two cross-test scores, which are also out of forty points: Finally, you'll see your seven subscores, each out of fifteen points. These help to identify more specific areas of strength and weakness: If you took the essay, your essay scores will also be at the bottom of this page: Notice that there are little "i" icons in the corner of the boxes for each of these scores. If you click on them, you'll get an explanation of which skills are incorporated into that score. At the top right of all the score boxes (except for the essay scores) you'll also be able to click "show details" to see your national percentile ranking for each subscore. Essay Details In the next tab, Essay Details, you'll see the prompt you answered on the test reproduced along with a scanned copy of your essay. You can print your essay using the button in the top right corner of the box with the prompt. The Skills Insight tab will give you more information on what you essay scores actually mean. Skills Insight The Skills Insight tab includes pages for each of the three main testing categories (reading, writing and language, and math) plus the essay if you took it. This part of your report is intended to help you see which academic skills you need to work on and which you've mastered already. You can also link your report to Khan Academy from within this tab - more on that option later. Score Sends This last tab provides information on how to send your scores to colleges. If you chose to send any of the four free score reports when you registered for the test, the information for the schools or scholarship programs you indicated should be listed in this tab. If you haven't sent any scores yet, you won't see any schools listed. Just click on the "Send Additional Score Reports" button to send score reports to more colleges and scholarship programs for a fee. What Do I Do With All This Information? You may feel like just ignoring the details in your score report and obsessing over the final numbers, but if you do that you’re abandoning an opportunity to see where your weaknesses lie and how you can prepare better for the next test date.Take a look at each section individually and find out where you had the most trouble so you can decide where to focus your studying efforts. The easiest way to use these scores to study for your next test is to link your report to the Khan Academy site, which will then give you individually tailored practice materials. You'll see an option to do this at the top of the Skills Insight tab. Khan Academy is not a cure-all, however, and you may need to strike out on your own to address some deeper issues. Here are some examples how you could respond to different scenarios: Your Weaknesses Were Command of Evidence and Expression of Ideas Practice your passage reading skills, and find out what works for you. Usually, on the Reading section, it saves time to skim the passage and then go through the questions before you do any closer reading. If you omitted lots of Reading and Writing questions, you might be running out of time, which is probably because you are spending too much time reading closely before you get to the questions.Practice timing yourself with real SAT passages and questions. You should also make sure you’re not making assumptions about the passages and confusing yourself.Sometimes students make the mistake of inferring too much information from SAT passages. Stick to answering questions based on the specific evidence given in the passage. You Struggled with Advanced Math Topics You don’t have trouble with dumb mistakes on easy questions, so that’s good news.Your problem is most likely content-based, which is more fixable.Look for any patterns in the categories of questions that might point to specific gaps in knowledge.Study up on the formulas you’ll need for the SAT, and make sure you know how to use them. This could also be an issue related totime management. If you notice that you omitted a lot of questions, this might apply to you.Remember that you shouldn't linger for more than a minute on each question in the math sections. Move on when you find yourself stumped so that you don’t waste too much time on any one question. You can also employ some of the general strategies outlined in our articles on raising low math SAT scores and getting an 800 on the math section. You Did Well on the Multiple Choice Writing Questions, but You Got a Low Essay Score If you did well on the multiple choice writing questions, then your problem is probably not grammar and sentence structure. You might just need to work on the holistic organization of your essay and use of examples from the passage. Take a look at these tips for improving your score and this step-by-step guide to writing a great essay.Remember to make your essay long enough so that your ideas are fully developed. Include at least two or three body paragraphs that address specific examples of how the author develops his or her argument. A Final Word on Score Reports The information on your score report gives you an opportunity to be honest with yourself about the areas where you struggle on the SAT.After reviewing your score report, you can infer the reasons for your mistakes and tailor your study strategy to those areas so you won’t have the same problems in the future! You can also consider ordering one of the services the SAT offers for you to review your scores in more detail, the Question and Answer Service or Student Answer Service (read more about these services here). You can order them up to five months after your original test date. What's Next? Are you looking to take the SAT again now that you've reviewed your scores? Take a look at this guide to choosing the right date for you and this list of upcoming test dates. If you're trying to formulate a study plan for the next time you take the test, take a look at these plans for Sophomore and Junior year and the summer before Senior year, as well as our Complete Plan for the SAT. Frustrated with your score? Learn from our perfect SAT scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

How to Save Money When Applying to College

How to Save Money When Applying to College We all know that college is expensive. Unfortunately, simply applying to college can cost over $1,000. Those application fees, standardized test expenses, and travel costs can add up quickly. Fortunately, there are ways to make the application process far more affordable. Many Colleges Can Waive Their Application Fees Most colleges charge an application fee of $30 to $80. By itself that may not seem like a lot, but it can certainly add up when you are applying to ten or twelve schools. Colleges charge this fee for two reasons: to help defray the expenses of recruiting students, and to discourage students who arent really interested in the school from applying. This latter issue is really the most significant one for colleges. The Common Application makes it extremely easy to apply to multiple colleges with little effort. Without an application fee, schools could end up with tens of thousands of applications from students who are applying on a whim. This would pose a real challenge for a college both as it struggles to process the sheer number of applications, and as it tries to predict the yield from the applicant pool.   Because paying the fee helps assure that an applicant is at least partly serious about attending the college (even if the school isnt the students first choice), colleges will often waive the fee if students demonstrate their sincere interest some other way. Here are some of the possibilities for getting an application fee waived: Visit the campus. Colleges want students to be making an informed decision when they apply, and a campus visit is one of the best ways for you to get a feel for a school. For this reason, many colleges will waive your application fee if you visit campus for an interview, open house, and/or campus tour.Apply early. Colleges love getting Early Decision applicants (and to a lesser extent Early Action applicants), because these tend to be their most interested applicants who are sure to attend if admitted. For this reason, youll find that some colleges offer application fee waivers for students who apply before a certain date.Demonstrate financial need. If the application fees represent a true financial hardship for you, nearly all colleges are willing to waive the fees. Some schools may want proof of your family income for a fee waiver, while at other colleges receiving a waiver may be as simple as asking.Apply late. This wont be an option for highly selective schools and it seems count er to the bullet point above about applying early, but some colleges find themselves falling short of their application goals late in the admissions cycle, so they create incentives to get more students to apply. Thus, it is not unusual for colleges in this situation to offer application fee waivers in an effort to increase the applicant pool. Keep in mind that application fee waivers are handled differently at every college, and some or all of the above options wont be available at every school. That said, if you read a schools application information carefully or talk to an admissions counselor, you may find that you dont actually need to pay that application fee. Dont Apply to Colleges You Wouldnt Actually Attend I see many students who apply to several safety schools when the reality is that they would never consider attending these schools. Yes, you want to make sure you will receive at least one acceptance letter from the schools to which you apply, but you should still be selective and apply only to those colleges and universities that excite you and align with your personal and academic goals. If you consider an average application fee of $50, youre looking at $300 if you apply to six colleges and $600 if you apply to a dozen. You will clearly reduce both your costs and your effort if you do your research and cross off your list those schools that youre not eager to attend. Ive also seen a lot of ambitious applicants who apply to every single Ivy League School along with Stanford, MIT, and one or two other elite universities. The thinking here tends to be that these schools are so selective, that youre most likely to win the admissions lottery if you have lots of applications out there. In general, however, this isnt a great idea. For one, its expensive (these top schools tend to have application fees around $70 or $80 dollars). Also, its time-consuming- each of the Ivies has multiple supplemental essays, and youll be wasting your time applying if you dont craft those essays thoughtfully and carefully. Finally, if youd be happy in the rural town of Hanover, New Hampshire (home of Dartmouth), would you really be happy in the middle of New York City (home of Columbia)? In short, being thoughtful and selective about the schools to which you apply will save you both time and money. Have a Good Strategy for the SAT and ACT Ive seen plenty of college applicants who take both the SAT and the ACT three or four times in a desperate-seeming effort to get a good score. The reality, however, is that taking the exam multiple times rarely has a significant impact on the score unless youve actually put in significant effort to increase your knowledge and improve your test-taking skills. I typically recommend applicants take an exam just twiceonce junior year, and once early in senior year. The senior year test may not even be necessary if you are happy with your junior year scores. For more information, see my articles on when to take the SAT and when to take the ACT. Also, there is nothing wrong with taking both the SAT and the ACT, but colleges require scores from just one of the exams. You can save yourself money by figuring out which exam is best suited to your skill set, and then focusing on that exam. Free online SAT and ACT resources or a $15 book could save you hundreds of dollars in exam registration fees and score reporting fees. Finally, as with application fees, SAT and ACT fee waivers are available for students with demonstrated financial need. See these articles on the cost of the SAT and cost of the ACT for more additional information. Be Strategic When Visiting Campuses Depending on which schools youre applying to, travel can be a major expense during the application process. One option, of course, is to not visit colleges until after youve been admitted. This way youre not spending money visiting a school only to find that youve been rejected. Through virtual tours and online research, you can learn quite a bit about a college without ever setting foot on campus. That said, I dont recommend this approach for most students. Demonstrated interest plays a role in the admissions process, and visiting campus is a good way to demonstrate your interest and potentially even improve your chances of being admitted. Also, a campus visit is going to give you a much better feel for a school than a flashy online tour that can easily hide a schools warts. Also, as I mentioned above, when you visit campus you might get an application fee waiver, or you might save money by discovering that you dont actually want to apply to the school. So when it comes to travel during the college selection process, my best advice is to do it, but be strategic: Find schools that are within striking distance of each other and visit them during the same trip.Go with a classmate interested in similar types of schools and share driving and lodging costs.Dont visit schools until youve done some meaningful research and are sure the school is a good match for you.For schools that require air travel, you may indeed want to put off a campus visit until after youve been admitted (there are ways to demonstrate interest other than campus visits). A Final Word about Application Costs Chances are, the college application process is going to cost several hundred dollars even when approached thoughtfully and frugally. That said, it doesnt need to cost thousands of dollars, and there are lots of ways to bring down the cost. If you are from a family facing financial hardship, be sure to look into fee waivers for both application fees and standardized tests- the cost of applying to college doesnt need to be a barrier to your college dreams.