<p>you have a lot a free time dude..</p>
<p>
This test is skewed toward math/science nerds and puts students who go to smaller schools at a disadvantage.
I agree. </p>
<p>I got a 97, but...</p>
<ul>
<li>Small private school doesn't rank</li>
<li>I'm in IB Diploma; school does not offer APs</li>
<li>School does not advertise awards/competitions (I'd never heard of any of those until I joined CC, by which time it was too late)</li>
<li>Fluent in three languages, self-studying a fourth</li>
<li>Visual arts supplement (photography)</li>
<li>Subeditor / Photo editor of school newspaper</li>
<li>Riding lessons for 10+ years; taught at summer camp</li>
<li>Very good essays</li>
</ul>
<p>128.........</p>
<p>Very slanted towards math/science students at large public schools.</p>
<p>I got a 62, but that would have been higher if the test included options for:</p>
<p>+Editor-in-chief of the school newspaper
+Attending a private, college-prep school
+Job experience
+Coming from a highly under-represented state
+Graduating with 10 credits more than what it required by the state
+Taking summer classes at a local community college</p>
<p>99</p>
<p>Hahaha. You guys are all so amazing.</p>
<p>I scored a 151.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I got a 62, but that would have been higher if the test included options for:</p>
<p>+Editor-in-chief of the school newspaper
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Please see
"You are an officer of a club. (10 points)."</p>
<p>Just as a general note --
This test is supposed to measure how perfect your application is, not how good it is. That's why there are things like RSI and Olympiad medals on there. (And TASP, for the humanities.)
Most people won't put a checkmark next to most of the items on the list, but that doesn't mean they're bad students (or should be offended if they score badly); similarly, absolutely brilliant students won't necessarily get an off-the-charts score (see my previous post on the person who scored ~160).</p>
<p>^ I think Editor-in-Chief should count for a little more than Secretary of the Film Appreciation Club (I don't know, I'm making this up)... technically, both are officers, but EIC is significantly more impressive.</p>
<p>118... but I've never even heard of any of those awards/activities</p>
<p>I got a 72...my school doesn't have many APs or any of the national competitions etc...oh well, I still got into Penn</p>
<p>100! (10 chars.)</p>
<p>I'm not going to take this test because I'm already a college student, but I agree that it is definitely skewed toward people strong in math/science and toward people who go to magnet/public charter schools that receive funding for students to participate in all of the various state and national events and competitions that are in the test. I have not heard of most of the national events/programs and competitions you have listed because many private college prep schools, especially smaller ones, do not participate in these programs, as mentioned by a few previous posters. I attended a smaller college prep school in Pennsylvania, and despite the fact that we have students who place very high on national examinations for various subjects, we still do not send people to the various math and science olympiads. As others mentioned, why didn't you consider these things as well:</p>
<ol>
<li>Musicianship</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Ensembles played in</li>
<li>Seat in said ensembles</li>
<li>District Concert Band/ State Concert Band/ National Concert Band musician + seat</li>
<li>Youth Symphony/ Orchestra seat (district, state, national)</li>
<li>Adjudication awards</li>
<li>venues played (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, etc.)</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Student Publications</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li># of student publications staffed</li>
<li>position in student publication</li>
<li>editor? manager? editor-in-chief?</li>
<li>awards?</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Art/ Literature</li>
</ol>
<p>-Scholastic Silver/ Golden Key?
-Artwork sold at auction?
- Literary magazine submissions?</p>
<p>The point is that there are so many things that add as much value to you as an applicant as any of the things you just mentioned, if not more value.</p>
<p>There are a lot of inconsistencies in your test. For example, why should you get the same score for scoring 4s and 5s on your AP exams as for scoring all 5's? Why does having an average SAT II score of 780-799 give you 9.999 bar points, and getting an average of 800 give you 10, when 9.999 bar and 10 are mathematically the same number. It doesn't end there. </p>
<p>I don't think you should have posted this test for people who actually have the intention of using it to gage their strengths as an applicant, and I don't think college applicants need any tests like this in general at all.</p>
<p>
[quote]
1. Musicianship</p>
<ul>
<li>Ensembles played in</li>
<li>Seat in said ensembles</li>
<li>District Concert Band/ State Concert Band/ National Concert Band musician + seat</li>
<li>Youth Symphony/ Orchestra seat (district, state, national)</li>
<li>Adjudication awards</li>
<li>venues played (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, etc.)
[/quote]
</li>
</ul>
<p>Please see
"8) You are nationally ranked in anything else (not including sports). (+20 for each)"</p>
<p>If you were nationally ranked in music, give yourself 20 points. If you have played at Carnegie Hall, you should probably just count that as being nationally ranked.</p>
<p>If you have been playing piano for a few years without any particular honor/distinction -- well, many applicants do these days. Thus, I don't believe it belongs on a "perfect-application" test. Again, most of the things on the list are designed to measure how many hooks you have, not how good you are.</p>
<p>
[quote]
- # of student publications staffed
- position in student publication
- editor? manager? editor-in-chief?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>"Editor", "Manager," etc. belong under the "You are an officer of a club." column.</p>
<p>
[quote]
-Scholastic Silver/ Golden Key?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I assume that counts as ranking nationally in art.</p>
<p>
[quote]
- Literary magazine submissions?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah, okay, if they're very prestigious national literary magazines, go ahead and give yourself 20 points for being accepted to them (the same as having won national writing contests). If they're of local importance only (famous statewide or countywide), give yourself 5 points (like winning a local writing contest).</p>
<p>
[quote]
There are a lot of inconsistencies in your test. For example, why should you get the same score for scoring 4s and 5s on your AP exams as for scoring all 5's?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Because those 5 points are supposed to stack. Someone who scored all 5s on AP exams should answer "yes" to both of the questions and score a total of 10 points. Someone who scored three 4s and one 5 would only answer "yes" to the first one, for a total of 5 points.</p>
<p>It's the same reason that the USAMO qualification is worth +20 points and the IMO qualification is worth +10. Someone who qualified for IMO (if living in the US) would answer "yes" to both questions, for a total of 30 points.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Why does having an average SAT II score of 780-799 give you 9.999 bar points, and getting an average of 800 give you 10, when 9.999 bar and 10 are mathematically the same number.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Why shouldn't they? A 780-799 and an 800 are virtually the same to adcoms, from what I've heard. The 10^-10 bonus is just for bragging rights.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I don't think you should have posted this test for people who actually have the intention of using it to gage their strengths as an applicant, and I don't think college applicants need any tests like this in general at all.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>People were actually using it to gauge their strengths as an applicant? ;) I thought I had noted in the original post that the test was flawed. I'm just a lowly high-school kid, and this test is for entertainment only (or it should be). I hoped that would be apparent from the random jokes scattered throughout. Thank you for the criticism, though.</p>
<p>Fair enough, its just in my experience people take most things posted in these threads more seriously than they should.</p>
<p>I got a 60, but I've never heard of most of those math/science things because my school doesn't offer them. I don't care if my score sucks since I already got into St. John's University with a scholarship.</p>
<p>For the people criticizing this test, lighten up. It's not meant to be taken seriously.</p>
<p>75 ^___^</p>
<p>But I'm also TIME's person of the year, so I'm thinking auto-in ;).</p>
<ol>
<li> But I did enjoy the jokes. I would love to meet a high schooler published in Science.</li>
</ol>
<p>I didn't actually add up my score (because it doesn't matter anymore).</p>
<p>I just thought I'd mention that you REALLY need to fix that female thing. Unless you're applying to an engineering school, it really doesn't help you at all. It hurts you, in fact.</p>
<p>Actually, being either gender could get you points depending on what schools you're applying to. Perhaps the test should be edited to take that into account.</p>
<p>how many points can one get for publishing in the CA(chemical abstract), or WPI(world patent index)?</p>
<p>thank you?</p>
<p>I did projected stuff (currently a junior), and I got 120.</p>