<p>Below is an excerpt from an email I received from a Test Prep company (blind e-mail...my address probably "farmed" from the school directory). Anyone care to weigh in on these last two points in the email? I'm especially leery about the first point they are trying to make, which seems self-serving. Thanks!</p>
<hr>
<p>Most importantly . . . many students (and parents) think Score Choice gives them to opportunity just to go in and “see how I do.” It’s a free swing at the ball. There’s the huge problem with that idea. The primary method ETS uses to detect cheating on the SAT isn’t observation from their team of expert proctors. It’s not checking your ID at the door or looking for cheat sheets. ETS’s primary method for catching cheaters is to identity those students whose scores increase by “too much.” If you take the SAT twice and your second score is substantially higher than your first score, ETS assumes there was an ‘irregularity’ and will launch an investigation. How much is “too much”? Well, it depends on several factors, but broadly speaking a 300+ point improvement in math and verbal will typically trigger an investigation. That sounds like a lot, but Andover’s average improvement is 340 points (math/verbal/writing), so it’s not that unusual. The kids who typically get caught up in ETS’s snare are those who take their first SAT without prep, “just to see” what they will score. So know what you’ll score before taking the real SAT, and if you’re really not comfortable with your score, prep first.</p>
<p>Do colleges average SAT scores?</p>
<p>Ugh. A pernicious myth. Some parents report hearing this from colleges and many have told me that Princeton Review is saying this in their sales sessions. The answer is NO. Colleges do not average all your SAT scores. Only your best scores count. Really.</p>
<p>But yes, I do know of someone who spent all summer with a private tutor in an attempt to get admitted to ‘dream’ school. SAT scores rocketed up. ETS flagged it and refused to report the results.</p>
<p>This kid was pure as the driven snow, so I have not one iota of any cheating on his part. Plus, he had a half a dozen prep tests all scoring in a similar range.</p>
<p>Beyond that, taking a test when one is not ‘ready’ is stupid: it’s a waste of time and money. Just that simple.</p>
<p>Actually, the best course of action is to do a modest amount of self-prep for the first SAT on your own. It’s fine to take the exam just to see where you stand, but no reason to go in absolutely cold.</p>
<p>You should have a reasonable idea of how you will do from your own testing history. That is, you probably have a general idea as to whether you tend to test well and whether you need a lot of help in specific areas. A 300 point increase spread across 3 tests (example: 1850 to 2150) would not be particularly unusual – on a single test (example: 450 math to 750 math) – it would probably raise some eyebrows. I think that the ETS probably looks at many factors as to which exams its flags for review. </p>
<p>My son took a prep class before his first sitting. He didn’t do well, so he started taking lots of online tests on the College Board site, and that made all the difference.</p>
<p>I’m unsure of what they can do if there was no cheating that happened. Are they going to throw it out just at the suspect of cheating? There’s no issue with them investigating if nothing untoward happened. </p>
<p>I don’t personally know anyone whose scores were flagged. </p>
<p>The one thing I kind of agree with is the idea of not taking a real SAT or ACT “just to see.” Why have a potentially bad score on your record when there were all kinds of ways to take free, off-the-record tests – books, online, prep companies looking to sell you their goods?</p>
<p>TCB does flag, investigates, AND cancels scores. Brandon Jennings’ second attempt to pass the NCAA minimum requirement was flagged and he had to retake the test. He did not wait and bolted to Italy. Well, Rome and one million bucks might beat a year at ASU for a NBA purgatory. </p>
<p>The point here is that TCB did not allege cheating but did set the scores aside. Most people will not challenge the decision and go the retake route. A route that should not be that hard for a prepared student. If “divine intervention” was part of the better score, the route might be more uphill. </p>
<p>That is exactly what they do. They send out a letter suggesting possible testing irregularities based on statistical analysis. They withhold those scores, and offer a free retake. (It’s all part of the fine print when you register.)</p>
<p>So, if you took the test and the score is flagged because it is much improved, if you retake and your score is consistent with the prior score, does the prior score get counted?</p>
<p>I suggest you make your child take the free, full length practice SAT test on the College Board’s website. If he scores well enough, I wouldn’t bother with test prep for the first SAT. For argument’s sake, let’s say an improvement of 300 points triggers a review, if your child scores at or above 2100, you’d have nothing to worry about. If it’s 300 points per section, if he scores 500 or better on each section, there’s no need to worry.</p>
<p>As to the statistical review, I gather patterns of test answers are very distinct. Different questions have different degrees of difficulty, too. So if the first test shows the student doesn’t understand perimeter or statistics, and misses all the difficult verbal questions, it’s suspicious if a month later he understands everything he did not understand earlier. </p>
<p>The email sounds like an attempt to scare you into buying their services. Don’t leave the SAT until the last minute. Arguing that your child should prep before he takes the SAT, because what if he does poorly on the first, but much better on the second, and his scores get flagged, and he has to take it again… There are too many “ifs” in that chain.</p>
<p>I think it must be the amount of time between the tests in addition to the score change that is considered. D had 1940 as a freshman and a 2330 in October of her Junior year, and it was not flagged. </p>
<p>$50+ per test is far from a “free swing at the ball.” Get on-line practice for free. Get a whole book of practice tests for $20. Don’t pay for the real test more than once. Prepare well, and it’s “one and done.” And no worries about stuff like this. Yes, they are trying to sell services, but you can prep cheaply at home. (I often hear about teachers/parents/counselors telling students to take the test once without prep to “get a baseline, to see where you stand, to find your starting point, for practice, to see what you need to work on, to get a feel for it,” etc, etc… Just illogical and a waste of $, imo.) </p>