Content area

Full Text

In 2016, more than 1.6 million students took the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a standardized college admissions test (College Board 2016a). Researchers have estimated that 33 percent of students who take the SAT participate in some mode of formal test preparation, such as private tutoring or classes, to prepare for the exam (Buchmann, Condron & Roscigno 2010). In several analyses and meta-analyses, investigators have demonstrated a positive effect of test preparation on SAT scores (e.g., Briggs 2005; Kulik, Bangert-Drowns & Kulik 1984; Lilly & Montgomery 2011; Powers & Rock 1999). Moving beyond the fundamental question of whether SAT preparation is related to performance on the SAT, however, researchers only recently have begun to examine individual factors related to test performance. In the present paper, the relationships between individual difference and test preparation variables and SAT performance are examined.

The college admissions process is more competitive than ever, and high school students and their families are going to greater lengths to increase the likelihood of positive admissions outcomes. Students are taking increasingly strenuous course loads (College Board 2016b), carefully selecting extracurricular activities to enhance admissions portfolios, and submitting applications to more colleges (Hoover 2016). In addition, parents are hiring professional coaches or consultants to ensure that their children's applications and essays will stand out during the admissions process (Greisemer 2012). It is not surprising that families are using their resources to help their children attain higher SAT and ACT scores, because such scores affect not only college admissions but also scholarship opportunities. Both within and outside of school, students are preparing for high-stakes admissions tests. A thriving test preparation industry has emerged to meet the growing demand for competitive admissions test scores (Clark 2014).

SAT and ACT scores have a significant impact on the college admissions process (Patterson, Mattern and Swerdzewski 2012), with 88 percent of four-year colleges and universities placing moderate or considerable importance on them (National Association for College Admission Counseling 2015). In efforts to manage the ever-mounting tide of applications, admissions committees use sAT and ACT scores to compare applicants and infer their likelihood of success in college (Buchmann, Condron and Roscigno 2010). Colleges also attend carefully to the average sAT and ACT scores of incoming classes as these scores directly influence colleges'...

Show less