9/9/09: Today's SAT QOTD (and why the Math section of the SAT needs to be reworked)

[bluebayou]

<p>monstor, from Michelle Hernandez, a top private college counselor and author (read her books and try some critical thinking):</p>

<p>

After the transcript, colleges give most weight to test scores. At schools like Dartmouth and Columbia, the average verbal SAT score is about 730, and the average math is 735. That’s typical at all the top schools, although Cornell and Brown can be a bit lower and Harvard, Yale, Princeton a bit higher. Clearly in order to get into this top category of schools, you must have strong test scores. Typically on SAT Subject Tests, most students aiming for top colleges earn over 740 on three tests. All the unhooked students we have worked with who have gotten into Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale have tended to have 740 and up in critical reading, 730 and up in math and 730 and up in writing.

</p>

<p>Note, she does not say 800, nor 800 is required in math. And prior to my bolding, she reports that her unhooked candidates who were accepted to HYPSM all had 740+ Subject Test scores – in other words, ~750 is the magic threshold for the top 5/10 colleges. Again, while perhaps a help, 800+ is not required.</p>