The short answer to this question is that it depends on the school. 

Many schools use them to get a more holistic view of students, weighing them more or less equally alongside GPA and extracurricular activities. Some schools weigh test scores very heavily, and have stringent score cutoffs for applicants. There are others that don’t require testing at all, and even more that have adopted alternate test-optional policies, utilizing portfolios or project-based evaluations instead of standardized tests. 

Schools that do require admissions tests often use the scores early in the process to help them understand whether students will meet their admissions standards. Test scores can help highlight a student’s academic strengths in certain areas. Test scores can also help schools evaluate whether a student is equipped to keep up with rigorous academics or with a particular style of instruction. Later in the process, schools sometimes use test scores as a deciding factor when determining which students to admit to a finite number of open spots available in a certain year, particularly when considering students with otherwise similar profiles. 

Whether or not testing is a fair indicator of student success is complicated. On one side of the argument, schools find that test scores can help even the playing field for students to showcase strengths, regardless of the school they are coming from. All students take the same test, and an objective test score reduces room for bias, even subconscious bias, on the part of admissions teams. However, standardized testing is still far from perfect. These tests work best for a very specific type of student; strong test taking ability is certainly not the only measure of intellectual capacity. These tests can be anxiety-inducing, and they can pose challenges for students who struggle to maintain long-term attention or who may get overwhelmed by the way data is presented. Additionally, these tests can sometimes favor students who come from socioeconomic backgrounds that allow for intensive test prep. However, regardless of your opinions on the standardized tests themselves, the fact remains that your child will most likely need to sit for a standardized test at some point during their educational journey.

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Let’s take a closer look at the standardized testing your child might be facing when applying to K-12 schools and higher education:

• The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) and Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) are the most commonly used admissions tests for independent and boarding schools for children from 2nd through 10th grade.
• Students applying to Hunter College High School must first qualify to take the exam in 6th grade by meeting the residential and score cut off criteria from the previous year’s New York State or other qualifying test. The 6th grade Hunter exam is the only criteria for 7th grade admission.
• Students applying to religious schools may take the Test for Admission to Catholic High Schools (TACHS) or the High School Placement Test (HSPT).
• Many New York City 8th graders also take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). As with the Hunter test noted above, the SHSAT is not used as part of a more comprehensive application; instead, it is the only admissions criteria for the specialized public high schools.
• For college and university admission, students are still usually asked to take the SAT or ACT. While the increased prevalence of test-optional policies started during the pandemic, many schools have returned to requiring scores for potential students.

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While these are the most commonly-taken tests in NYC, your child may come across others as they move through their academic career!

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TESTS ARE IMPORTANT TO ADMISSIONS:

So how can my child improve their test scores?

There are a few important things to note when thinking about preparing for testing. The first is that tests often differ greatly from what students experience in day-to-day school life. There is content that deviates from standard curriculum, and formats that require strategy that isn’t always taught in the classroom. Students should plan to prepare specifically for the test they will be taking by studying the material and learning strategies that can help improve their scores, based on the content and format of each test. They may opt to study independently, with a tutor, or in a study group. (Learn more about the pros and cons of the different options here).

In addition to content and strategy, students may also need to work to manage testing anxiety, which can also impact scores. Anxiety increases a student’s stress levels, which can lead to difficulty concentrating and impair memory recall during the test. It can also induce feelings of negativity and fear of failure—further stacking the deck against a student’s optimal performance. 

One of the best ways to mitigate anxiety is to know what to expect. Students should prepare with plenty of time so they can move through unfamiliar content calmly and slowly, and then should take full-length practice tests so they know exactly what testing feels like. When students sit for the test, nothing about the format or core content should be a surprise.

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If your student is gearing up for a standardized test, check out our blog for more information. 

If you’re interested in professional support with preparation, submit an inquiry form to learn more about our expert tutors.