Toggle navigation
Toggle navigation
Home
DCUM Forums
Nanny Forums
Events
About DCUM
Advertising
Search
Recent Topics
Hottest Topics
FAQs and Guidelines
Privacy Policy
Your current identity is: Anonymous
Login
Preview
Subject:
Forum Index
»
Private & Independent Schools
Reply to "How are the ISEE and SSAT Scored?"
Subject:
Emoticons
More smilies
Text Color:
Default
Dark Red
Red
Orange
Brown
Yellow
Green
Olive
Cyan
Blue
Dark Blue
Violet
White
Black
Font:
Very Small
Small
Normal
Big
Giant
Close Marks
[quote=pbraverman][quote=Anonymous][quote=pbraverman]I've seen several kids with every sub-score above the 95th percentile.[/quote] Only "several"? Do you believe that your sample is representative of the applicant pool, or is it possible that families with kids who score very highly are less likely to seek admissions counseling?[/quote] I take your point that kids with stratospheric scores may seem less in need of counseling than mere mortals, but testing is only one aspect of an applicant's profile and schools recognize this. Some emphasize testing more than others, of course. To answer your question directly: My sample has not been subjected to rigorous statistical analysis, but yes, I think it's representative. Before I launched my own firm, I worked in a school, where I counseled hundreds of students applying to high school (meaning 90+ percent of each eighth grade). That includes students who had percentile scores in the upper 90s and scores in the single digits. I don't know for sure how many there were who ran the table, but I'd guess between 12 and 20 over a dozen years. Even at the most competitive schools, there are very few kids who have scored in the 95+ percentiles across the board. And, just as Harvard turns away more 2400s than they accept, many of those independent school applicants are not offered spots. The reason is that every school I've ever known will consider scores in the context of other attributes: sibling status, diversity, a potential all-American in soccer or basketball, a student whose acting prowess is nationally recognized as early as eighth grade, or a kid whose charm is simply off the charts. Those aren't "invented" examples: I've worked with all of those kids. Schools will also turn down kids who are very obnoxious, or who have very obnoxious parents, no matter the test scores. I've seen that too, unfortunately. There are just so many factors, and I think we tend to reach for the false certainty implied by numbers, which are easily compared. (Obviously 50 is better than 40. But in the long run that difference doesn't really matter much, if at all, to an admission officer.) There is no formula. Peter _____________________ Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students ahead of you. :) If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com[/quote]
Options
Disable HTML in this message
Disable BB Code in this message
Disable smilies in this message
Review message
Search
Recent Topics
Hottest Topics