Monthly Archives: April 2020

16 Apr 2020

Coronavirus: ACT over SAT?

Billy Wheelan, Founder

ACT’s June administration, though in doubt, remains on for now. We should know in the coming days if testing centers will be able to accommodate June 13 testers. Now that there are officially no SAT administrations scheduled until August, the July 18 ACT is becoming a more attractive option for students who want to test over the summer instead of waiting until practically the fall. We can’t know for sure what will happen in the coming weeks but the July administration (not offered in the state of New York, so New Yorkers should register in a neighboring state), should it be offered, would provide an opportunity for students to test earlier in the calendar year than if had they waited for the SAT in August.

For students applying to the most competitive schools in the United States, the decision to switch to the ACT brings with it another big benefit: more Subject Test dates. Because a student must choose between taking the SAT or up to three SAT Subject Tests on each test date, making the switch to the ACT frees up testing dates in August, September, October, November (not available to international students), and December for Subject Tests should The College Board administer them on all planned testing dates. That factor alone provides a compelling reason to consider switching test prep from SAT to ACT for those students who score similarly on a concordance table between the two tests. 

Finally, ACT has more experience offering their exam digitally than does The College Board. We believe if the global pandemic continues and both organizations are forced to develop in-home options, ACT is better prepared to make that rollout happen more smoothly than The College Board. 

As always, we invite you to contact us if we can be of service to you.

15 Apr 2020

SAT June Administration Cancelled

Earlier today The College Board announced that the scheduled June administration of the SAT and SAT Subject Tests will be cancelled. While the news was expected, The College Board’s revised testing plan will significantly impact rising juniors and seniors. Rather than adding summer testing dates, The College Board instead plans to offer its first administration on the previously scheduled August date, with additional dates rapidly falling in the fall: one administration in September, October, November, and early December. Should schools remain closed and unable to administer the SAT by August, The College Board has suggested it will offer a digital version of the exam to be administered at home. The College Board has been late to offering digital versions of its exams (the PSAT 8/9 and 10 can be offered digitally in schools but paper-based testing remains the norm) so the digital version, reportedly already under development, would need to be rapidly rolled out. 


The schedule change means students will need to be extremely well-prepared for the August administration as there will be limited time between administrations to adjust preparation schedules. Our students often take the May and June administrations and then decide whether or not to continue to prepare for the August administration given their Spring scores. Without the June administration, students should anticipate a preparation schedule through the summer and into the fall. And while we anticipate many colleges waiving or reducing testing requirements for this year’s applicants, strong SAT, SAT Subject Test, and ACT scores will make the prepared candidate stand out even more. 


While the change intensifies the summer test preparation schedule, it also provides the prepared student with the opportunity to take and retake College Board exams in the late summer and early fall with less risk of score backslide. 

We know this change will likely add importance to test preparation at just the time students are feeling most uncertain about their newly-established online schooling and uprooted summer plans. For rising seniors, writing college applications only adds to the anxiety. Rest assured, we are here to provide you with reliable and thoughtful revisions to your test preparation plans. We’re ready to collaborate with our partners, students, and parents to ensure our students are as prepared as ever come test day. 


At Sentia, we don’t just tutor, we’ll be with you every step of the way™ 


Warmly,
Billy Wheelan

Founder

09 Apr 2020

New LSAT In-Home Administration

Billy Wheelan, Sentia Founder & Eduardo Villalta, Sentia Master LSAT Tutor

The Law School Admission Council, purveyor of the most popular test for US law school admissions, announced on April 7th that LSAC’s upcoming April LSAT administration would be canceled and replaced by a shortened version of the test to be administered on personal computers in the test taker’s home in the second half of May. 

LSAC was a late entry into the world of digitally administered exams, lagging behind competitors that offer the GRE and GMAT in rolling out a computer-based version of their signature offering. So the speed with which LSAC has pivoted to what might soon become a new normal of home administered tests is leaving prospective law school students in uncharted territory. (The GRE, an alternative to the LSAT, began offering an in-home option last month).

LSAC left open the door to additional administrations of the updated LSAT, dubbed LSAT-Flex, to be offered in the spring and summer “if the situation warrants.” Candidates registered for the April 2020 test will be automatically registered to take the new version of the test in the second half of May unless they choose to apply the credit toward a future LSAT date. 

The shortened LSAT mimics the organization’s practice tests and will include three scored 35 minute sections: one each of reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning. Test takers who struggle with the stamina to complete the traditional LSAT’s five sections (including one unscored experimental section) will likely welcome the change.  

Caroline Scott, Director at Sentia Education, calls the new offering a game changer but warns that while students may be more comfortable in a home setting, “distractions and connectivity issues could add stress to an already high pressure situation.” Still, most test takers will likely welcome the opportunity to sit for an exam in an environment that closely resembles that of their  practice tests. “Overall, the prepared student will benefit from this change.”