Sunday, September 21, 2008

101 Secrets of the SAT #1

Ok, I've been wanting to do this for a while, write and publish a book (booklet) unleashing my accumulated knowledge on SAT to help folks out

#1. The Writing Section is still useless for admissions.

In 2005, the SAT was revamped to some things were dropped, others added. Of the biggest changes was the addition of the Writing section. It is two multiple choice sections and an essay. Colleges and universities have not been using it for admissions. Though some are looking at it for placement tests.

Much has been written on the changes, so I need not comment much. Every student should strive to do well on all tests. Since this test does not count for much, if anything at all, your efforts are best spent on improving your Math and Critical Reading scores.

I'll write more on the Essay section later.

1 comment:

The Ivy League Tutor said...

Hi! As someone who's written a book about standardized testing, I definitely encourage you to write a book about your SAT knowledge. Just watch out for the Collegeboards and Pearsons and Princeton Reviews of the world.

I don't know 'bout you, but I'm GLAD the essay section hasn't been tested enough for admissions officials to use - it still needs lots of research. But as soon as ETS has the evidence it needs, a LOT of students who aren't strong writers will be in trouble because the essay section might be something that could keep them out of the college of their choice. That's why I've done the work that I have on writing strong standardized test essays.

Looking forward to your reply. Good luck in the New Year!