​With all the information about SAT or ACT scores being optional when applying to college, some may get the idea that it’s less important now to have strong test scores to support one’s application. However, there’s good evidence that strong test scores can still be very important either for getting admitted to college or for getting substantial scholarship money from a college.
 
I’ll cite here two examples to illustrate this point.
 
With regard to getting admitted to a strong college, the information released by University of Georgia for the just-admitted class of 2029, is interesting.  

​Three-fourths of admitted students had SAT scores of 1350 or greater or ACT scores of 31 or greater (the graphic only reports about students who were George residents; typically, out-of-state students admitted at UGA have SAT scores 30 points greater or ACT scores one or two points greater than in-state students).

​Now, looking at scholarship awards, typically schools that offer generous scholarships consider test scores heavily in their calculations. The University of Alabama is an example:
 
Scholarships awarded were based on high school GPA and either SAT or ACT scores. The test scores made the difference.

​One of my tutoring students last year improved their ACT scores by five points and was awarded the presidential scholarship at Alabama: $28,000 per year. Note that the awards above are for out-of-state students – Bama is very interested in attracting strong students from out of state and uses scholarships for this purpose.
 
For information on how to improve SAT or ACT scores, contact Perry at 910-528-5595 or [email protected].

Attention Juniors–A New ACT Is Coming.

Many high school juniors who have not started their preparation for the SAT or ACT will want to get started right after the holidays. The first decision they need to make is which of the two tests they will work on. That question is a little more complicated this year since 2025 will bring a new ACT, and we only have partial information about the new test at this point.
What we know – in brief
•    The new test will be digital, i.e., will be taken on the computer.
•    For the Saturday, April 5, 2025 test, students will have the option of the new digital test or the paper test.
•    Tests given on school days will use the paper test until 2026.
•    The Science section will become optional. The Composite will become the average of English, Reading, and Math.
•    The digital test duration will be two hours, 5 minutes (without Science), as compared to the 3 hours, 5 minutes of the current test.
•    The amount of time allowed per question will increase from 0.84 minutes to 0.95 minutes. So, Digital SAT in comparison will still have 44% more time per question.
•    Preparation materials are expected to be available about the first of the year.

What we don’t know
•    Will the digital test be available at all of the April 2025 test centers?
•    Will test takers use their own or a provided computer/tablet
•    Will there be an integrated calculator for math?

Advice to Students– 
While we’ve not seen all the details about the new ACT, the test maker has said that the new test will continue to be based on the same subject matter. Changes described thus far appear to be minor (except for science being optional). So, I believe students can reasonably decide whether the ACT or the SAT will be the best test for them. As has been true up to now, recent PSAT and PreACT scores should be reliable predictors of SAT and ACT scores. If those are not available, the factors that are usually predictive are whether the student is stronger in math or verbal skills, and whether the faster pace required for the ACT is a problem for the student.

If students or parents have questions about these tests or preparing for them, they can feel free to contact Perry at [email protected] or 910-528-5595.

If you have friends who may find this information helpful, please forward a copy of this to them.

Perry Youngblood Tutoring
“Helping Students Succeed since 2002“

The last few years have brought many changes to the role of standardized testing for college admissions and scholarships. COVID-19 made it hard for testing companies to carry out their normal testing schedule; some students were unable to take the SAT or ACT at their location, so colleges felt like they needed to make the test optional.

Over the last year, with testing schedules back to normal, many selective colleges decided that they needed to receive students’ test scores to supplement what they could learn from transcripts and course grades, so quite a number of colleges have reinstated the requirement for either the SAT or ACT.

I got to thinking back to my own experience taking the SAT and the benefits it brought to me.

l applied to an engineering program at NC State and took the SAT. A few weeks later the phone rang and an NC State person asked if they could stop by for a visit. We arranged to meet the next afternoon at my father's store where I typically worked after school. The next day we had a visit from Mr. K. D. Raab, NC State's Director of Admissions. Mr. Raab told us that they liked what they had seen in my application and would like to invite me to attend NC State. In addition, he offered two scholarships that were funded by one of North Carolina's paper companies, money that would cover about half of my cost of attendance.

After I sent in my acceptance notice, there was more exciting news:
I received a letter informing me that “You are one of a limited number of prospective entering freshmen at North Carolina State whose past scholastic record and College Board scores indicate that you should have an opportunity to compete for membership in the Superior Student Program in Mathematics at State College.”

This program led to my inclusion in the Engineering Honors Program.

A few days later a similar letter from the English Department invited me to participate in the Honors Program in English.

So, I'm convinced that all this good news - acceptance, scholarships, honors programs - came because of my SAT scores. I'm gratified now that over the last 20+ years I've been able to help other students achieve good results from their test scores.

​The University of Rhode Island, in Wakefield, claims to have “the most beautiful campus on the coast”. Over half of the 14,000 undergraduates are from out of state.
​
As with most state universities, many majors are offered. Nursing, pharmacy, and engineering are the most competitive and students need to apply early. The average GPA for pharmacy is 4.1, with average ACT 29. The ability to transfer into pharm or nursing, once enrolled, is minimal.

​Salve Regina is located in posh Newport RI. Tourists come to the neighborhood to visit the mansions overlooking the bay. And Salve is located right next to one of the most famous, The Breakers. In fact, many of Salve Rigina’s campus buildings are substantial former homes that have been donated to the college.