when do sat scores come out?

when do sat scores come out? at the earliest, you will be able to view your scores online beginning 13 days after the test. sat multiple choice scores can take anywhere from 13 to 19 days to be released during the academic year – and up to five and a half weeks in the summer.

the tables below cover the schedule of sat score release dates: every sat test date and sat score release date for the 2022-23, 2021-22, and 2020-21 testing years in the u.s. — as well as international dates. for more information about registration dates and choosing the best test date, see our accompanying post on sat test dates.

you may notice that for most of the test dates, a range of release dates are given. this is the time frame within which you can expect to get your multiple choice scores.

u.s. and international sat score release dates

2022-2023 sat score release dates (u.s.)

2021-2022 sat score release dates (u.s.)

2020-2021 sat score release dates (u.s.)

the college board added test date in response to covid-19 on september 26, 2020.

sat test date	sat score release date (multiple choice)	sat score release date (essay)*
august 29, 2020	september 11, 2020	september 14, 2020
september 26, 2020: added	october 9, 2020	october 16, 2020
october 3, 2020	october 16, 2020	october 23, 2020
november 7, 2020	november 20, 2020	november 27, 2020
december 5, 2020	december 18, 2020	december 26, 2020
march 13, 2021	march 26, 2021	april 2, 2021
may 8, 2021	may 21, 2021	may 28, 2021
june 5, 2021	july 14, 2021	july 21, 2021

*the majority of sat essay scores will be released the week following your multiple-choice scores.

2022-2023 sat score release dates (international)

*college board announced that digital sat scores will be released in a matter of days, not weeks, so these scores will likely come out sooner.

2021-2022 sat score release dates (international)

2020-2021 sat score release dates (international)

frequently asked questions

don’t forget, if you’re a premium magoosh sat student, then you’re eligible for our up to 100-point score guarantee, and probably a free retake extension. email help@www.catharsisit.com to get more information.

not a magoosh student yet? no problem. we offer online, self-paced prep for the sat. we’ve helped thousands of students improve their test scores, and we’d love to help you, too.

all magoosh sat prep plans are digital sat ready! start studying today.

still have questions?

you’re probably not alone. leave us a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer!

the post when do sat scores come out? and other sat score release facts you should know appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the act is just days away. like hundreds of thousands of students around the country, you may be getting jitters. that’s normal! you’re probably looking forward to a well-deserved break from studying, too. all in good time. these last few days are an important time, and there are a few commonsense things you can do to improve your test experience and score. let’s take a look at some last minute act tips to help you do your best on the exam!
 

 
now’s the time for a big push to get you to your goal. let’s get started!

last-minute act tips before test day

1. focus on your weaknesses

at this point, you’ve (hopefully) taken plenty of practice tests and reviewed the various act tips for each section. in the last few days, focus solely on your weaknesses, whether it be a whole test (section) of the act, or just a few topics. by using your time wisely, you’re sure to do better in these areas on test day.

it’s a delicate balance, though: don’t try to cram in tons of new concepts at this stage. instead, just review those that you’re rusty on or areas where you may have been scoring low on your practice exams.

2. one final practice test

when you’ve finished studying, take one last time practice test about two days before test day. the results will give you a heads-up on what to expect for your act score. not only will you go into the act feeling confident, you will be able to compare your act score with this result to determine if your performance was off on test day.

as for the day before test day, don’t study or prepare. don’t. your brain needs a little time to decompress and relax. get out there and do something enjoyable.

3. follow your routines

nothing can hurt your act score more than feeling  off on test day. to make sure that you’re prepared both mentally and physically, keep your routine the night before and morning of the act. that means no going to bed extra early or extra late, no chugging energy drinks on the way to the testing center. just do…well, whatever it is you normally do!

4. visualize success

whether it’s going to the doctor or flying on an airplane, there are certain triggers that cause our stress level to skyrocket. for those of you who get sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat even at the thought of the testing room, there are a few things you can do to calm your reaction to that trigger.

even before you start to feel anxiety, imagine that the test is over. you’re walking out of the testing room, and feeling good about how you performed. though the actual act might throw you an unexpected curve ball or two, a positive frame of mind can stop all that energy-sucking anxiety that plagues many test takers.

tips for test day

5. show up prepared

the last thing you want to worry about as you shake yourself awake on test day is what you need to bring:

here’s a complete list:

• admissions ticket (print from actstudent.org)
• photo identification (crucial! you will not be admitted without it. check acceptable forms of identification here.)
• several sharpened soft lead no. 2 pencils (the old fashioned wooden kind; not mechanical.)
• a permitted calculator (did you know that using a ti-89 is the most common reason students are dismissed from the act? check the list of prohibited calculators here.)
• extra batteries
• a watch to pace yourself (you can’t rely on the fact that the test room will have a clock.)
• eraser
• pencil sharpener
• healthy snacks (see below)
• a water bottle
• gum (did you know chewing gum improves accuracy and reaction times? check out this and other test prep lifehacks.)
• an outfit with layers (your test room may be too hot or too cold. it is rarely just right, goldilocks.)

6. keep your focus during the test.

a surefire way to not get the score you want is to constantly pay attention to the test-takers around you. how does that girl in front of you answer math problems so fast? why can’t that kid stop tapping his foot? try to stay in the zone and focus on your particular strategies. everyone is different, and what these other students are doing is irrelevant. and it should go without saying that you should avoid any temptation to peer at your neighbor’s answer sheet. cheating is not a risk you want to run here. and he’s probably wrong anyway.
 

7. eat on your breaks even if you aren’t hungry.

your brain needs fuel just like the rest of your body, even if your nervous stomach doesn’t think so. and the last thing you want is to let a perfectly good snack break go to waste only to regret it later when your stomach is howling halfway through the science section. fruit is great test fuel: the natural sugars help give you energy. make sure to have something with protein too, like a handful of nuts. many of my students swear by peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or trail mix with chocolate for the perfect combo of sugar and sustenance. don’t forget the water!
 

8. reward yourself

you worked hard for this, and no matter how you think the test went, afterwards treat yourself to something you enjoy. you need the mental break and relaxation. but as important as an after-test reward is, i think that what is even more important is rewarding yourself during the exam. no, you can’t whip out a cookie in the middle of the english section, but give yourself mental pats on the back when you catch yourself doing something right. so many students beat themselves up during a test for what they think they are doing wrong. put a stop to this destructive mentality and instead congratulate yourself when you find yourself doing something right: sticking to your pacing or recognizing a grammar error you’ve missed before. it’s a long test and a positive attitude is crucial!

bonus: tips on how to get an extra boost on your act score.

the post last minute act tips to help you succeed appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the may 2019 sat test date is coming up this saturday, which means now’s your last chance to get in every little bit of studying that you can…especially if you haven’t exactly been sticking to your study schedule.

but don’t worry! we’re here to help you make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible on your big day. in this video, magoosh’s sat expert chris will give you 10 strategies for cramming in the final days before the sat.

just click on the embedded video below to watch “sat last minute tips: how to cram”.

…or scroll down for a full video transcript.

what will i see in the “sat last minute tips: how to cram” video?

in this free 6-minute video, magoosh’s sat expert chris will go over five strategies for letting go of stress to beat your test day jitters:

1. expect to guess a little!
2. skip around a little!
3. don’t buy anything!
4. do one section at a time!
5. learn from your mistakes!
6. rinse and repeat!
7. work on your weaknesses!
8. don’t try to cover everything!
9. don’t study on test day!
10. sleep!

if you like the video, don’t forget to hit like, and subscribe to the channel for more study tips. and if you have any questions about how to prepare the sat, write to us in the video comments section, and we’ll answer with advice!

“sat last minute tips: how to cram” full transcript

hi, this is chris, the sat expert at magoosh.

and for the last 15 years, i’ve helped students ace the sat.

and today, i’m gonna talk about the most important things you can do to cram for the sat.

okay, the first tip doesn’t have to do with cramming all this information in your head, which is kinda hard because you’re cramming it last minute.

and so i’m gonna tell you a little strategy here, a little tweak that you can make that can make a big difference right away, and that is never leave any answer choice blank.

there is no guessing penalty.

and so if you’re feeling a little frustrated or unsure, or you simply didn’t get to the end of the section, then those are potential points that can boost your score.

guess on those, and that will definitely make a difference test day.

the second tip is also similar.

it’s not about digesting massive amounts of information, it’s making a simple tweak in terms of how you approach the test.

what i’m talking about here is, you do not have to do every question in order.

so skip questions if need be, why?

well, a lot of students feel they have to get this one question right.

and if they don’t, something bad will happen.

it’s an irrational fear.

the test doesn’t award you more points just because you did the questions in order.

if a question is wasting your time, move on.

and if you have time, you can come back to it, and if you don’t have time, going back to the previous tip, then it never hurts to guess.

the next tip is gonna sound crazy, but it’s this.

don’t buy any materials, what?

no, seriously, because they are free.

the best possible material that you can use to cram is completely free.

and that is the sat practice test.

how do you find it?

go to google and type in sat practice test 1.

and boom, just like that will pop up an sat practice test.

and that is a major tip in of itself because this is the best material that you can find.

it is written by the college board, the very people who write the questions that you will see tested.

and there’s no better practice and it’s free.

so the next tip is do a section at a time.

now the reason i emphasize section is a lot of people give you the tip that hey, take a practice test.

but that’s like four hours of your time, which isn’t really reasonable when you’re cramming.

so instead, work on a section at a time.

anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

once you’ve done that section, stop.

figure out the ones that you missed, and then go back to those questions and try to get them right.

again, if after a few minutes you can’t figure it out, then go check out the explanations.

the next tip flows out of the last one.

and once you’re done with the section, once you’re done reviewing the questions that you’ve missed, step back and say, okay what are three things that i’ve learned?

three takeaways or three mistakes that i won’t make when i next take the test, whether it’s the next section that you take from a practice test or if it’s the actual practice test itself.

by forcing yourself to think of these three things, you’re less likely to make those same errors test day.

okay, the next tip is to rinse and repeat.

what do i mean?

well, if you’ve already done all of the sections of one practice test, then it’s time to do another one.

and again, the great news and what’s so amazing about this tip is it’s all free.

again, go to google, enter in sat practice test.

now, it’s time for practice test number two, so pipe in that two, and there it is, a free college board practice test waiting for you.

and this test has all new questions, totally different from the first one.

and so it’s preparing you more for what you can see on the test.

and if you do even more, you get to three and even four, then you’re seeing more and more of what the test can throw at you.

and you’re better prepared for test day.

okay, the next tip is to work on your weaknesses and not your strengths.

what do i mean by that?

well, we’re good at certain things and it’s easy to wanna just keep doing those, cuz it makes us feel good when we get the answer right.

of course, when we get the answer wrong, we’re likely to feel frustrated and we don’t wanna try it more.

but the point is to actually work on those weaknesses, because that’s what’s gonna help you test day.

it’s becoming better at the stuff that you need the most help on, not becoming somewhat better on stuff you’re already good at.

the next tip is, and this is a really important one, don’t try to cover everything, why?

well, we’re talking about cramming here.

there’s no way you can get everything in.

don’t say, oh, i gotta pull an all-nighter so i can learn everything about clauses that there is to know under the sun.

don’t do that.

pick your battles and pick them wisely.

the next tip might be the single most important tip on this entire video, and that is do not study the day of the test.

i’ve seen this sabotage so many students who go in there, having woken up at 4:30 in the morning just to study some more, totally tired, totally frustrated, totally stressed out.

and it only hurts their test performance.

so do not be this person.

instead, who do you want to be?

you want to be the relaxed person test day.

don’t even think of test prep, the sat.

just think of [sound] breathing and relaxing.

just as i am imparting that feeling to you right now.

and that is what’s gonna help you the day of the test.

the next tip, cram.

cram what?

cram in the sleep.

i’m serious, sleep makes such a huge difference on your performance in anything, whether it’s the sat, or if it’s running a race.

and this has been shown time and time again in studies.

so cram in the sleep, and i don’t mean the day before.

don’t say, hey, everyone, i’m going to sleep at 5 pm, not gonna happen.

but two or even three days before the exam, start going to bed around 9:30 or 10.

give yourself that full eight or nine hours of sleep, and that way you can already start adjusting your body to it.

and that’s gonna make a much bigger difference than going on four hours of sleep each night and saying, i have been memorizing all these formulas in math.

not gonna help you test day if you can’t stay awake.

if you liked this video, then click on the link in the description below.

that will take you sat.www.catharsisit.com where you can join thousands of other students who are prepping for the sat.

if you want more helpful tips and strategies, then check out the videos on the left.

and i will see you next time.

looking for more sat strategies?

take a look at some of our other useful sat study tips for preparing for your big test day:

good luck on the test!

the post sat last minute tips: how to cram | video post appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the april 2019 act test date is coming up next saturday, and if you’re planning on taking the exam you may be getting a little nervous!

but don’t worry–although most of your act prep is probably now behind you, there are a few test-taking hacks you can still add to your toolkit.

in this video, our act expert kat covers guessing strategies to use when you run into questions on the act that are difficult for you to answer…follow these tips and you can seriously increase your chances guessing correctly on any act question!

just click on the embedded video below to watch “how to guess on the act”.

…or scroll down for a full video transcript.

what will i see in the “how to guess on the act” video?

in this free 8-minute video, kat will teach you the best ways to tackle any act question you aren’t sure about! she’ll cover guessing strategies specifically tailored to each section of the act, giving you the best chance of choosing correctly–even if you have not idea what the right answer is!

some of the topics covered in this video are:

how can you eliminate incorrect answers?
what should you guess if you can’t eliminate anything?
are some questions worth more than others?
what should you guess if you’re in a hurry?
should you ever leave something blank?
when should you go back to a previous question?

if you like the video, don’t forget to hit like, and subscribe to the channel for more study tips. and if you have any questions about how to prepare for the act, write to us in the video comments section, and we’ll answer with advice!

“how to guess on the act” full transcript

hi, i’m kat.

the act expert at magoosh.

i have over 15 years teaching and tutoring students, and i love helping students ace the sat.

in this video, we’re gonna talk about how to guess on the act.

the most important thing is to leave nothing blank.

so wrong answers do not count against you.

it used to be on the sat number of years ago.

if you got something wrong, it would deduct points.

this is not the case anymore.

it’s not the case for either the act or the sat.

and so you want to put in an answer for every question.

you will have at least a one and four or one and five chance of getting that right.

the only guarantee that you will get an answer wrong is if you answer nothing.

so what should your strategy be then?

how do you guess when?

when do you guess?

well, one thing you should do is when your answering a question eliminate any option choices that you know are incorrect.

and if you’re spending too long on one question, that’s when you want to skip and come back to it.

but before you skip, make sure that you have visibly, physically crossed out all the incorrect answers based on your reasoning about what is not the right answer.

because when you come back to it at the end of the section, you will have in that period of time gone over all these other questions, all these different questions.

you probably won’t remember and you don’t want to have to refigure it out when you come back to question number three.

now, let’s say you’ve been able to eliminate a couple options and you’re left with two.

two choices that both seem equally good to you.

you go ahead.

you take a guess.

you keep working on the exam section.

and then two minutes later, you start to doubt.

you have that question, you know what?

i actually think it may have been b not d.

so should you go back and check it out again?

my answer is unless you are really short on time, yes.

a lot of times when students go back to previous questions, they get their revised question correct.

so here’s an interesting question, how many of you have heard the idea that on a multiple choice test, c is usually the right answer?

probably a number of you and there is some validity to that, but not for the act.

what that comes from is that when high school teacher, middle school teacher is writing the test, they often, usually accidentally make c the correct answer.

but on the act, this stuff is really thoroughly reviewed by the test makers and they make sure that there aren’t any patterns.

and so if you are going to guess randomly, you can guess c, but you can also guess one of the other letters.

and statistically, you would be equally as likely to get it correct in the case that you are blindly guessing, in the case that you’ve not been able to eliminate at least a couple of the options.

if you are guessing on the english section, so this is a section where you are given some sort of a sentence or a couple sentences and you’re supposed to choose the option that is grammatically correct or that is the right sentence for the point in the paragraph and you have to blindly guess the option that is the shortest.

the act likes concise statements, they’re often actually testing you on how well can you put words together in a concise way.

so this doesn’t mean you should always choose the concise option, right?

but if you have to blindly guess or if you’re in a real hurry, go ahead and guess the option that is the shortest.

another tip, reading sections.

avoid any options that are to extreme.

now this is again, in reference guessing, the most important thing to do is to try to get the right answer to eliminate wrong answers really try to work it out there first.

but if you are in a position where you are guessing, maybe between two options or maybe just blind guessing with all four options still left.

choose an answer that seems moderate.

so if the question asks you, what would the author agree with of the following statements?

and one option is this author would say that cellphones are ruining american society and another option is this author would say that we need to rethink how we introduce cellphones within the workplace or within society.

that second statement, it’s more subtle.

it’s more moderate.

it’s less extreme.

it would be more likely to be the correct answer.

so if anything just seems like too strong of a statement and you have to guess, guess the one that’s a little bit more moderate.

on the math section on the act, there aren’t really any patterns or advice i can give you in terms of guessing.

but one thing i’ll say is that even if you don’t know how to answer a question, see if there’s one option you can eliminate.

for instance, if one number value is definitely too large or too small to be the correct answer, at least eliminate one even if you feel you are totally lost in that question and you are just guessing what they are remaining for.

if there is one you can eliminate, absolutely do it.

on the science section of the act, you have a series of passages, right, and you have a number of questions tied to each passage.

what a lot of students don’t realize is that the questions tend to get more difficult toward the end of each passage.

and so the first couple questions tied to a passage are a little easier than the last couple.

therefore, i usually recommend students.

if they have to guess on some of the earlier questions for a passage, question one, two, three, i want you to guess the answer that looks too obvious to be true.

those ones often are they’re often so straight forward that the student doubt themselves.

but if you know that those questions are likely to be easy, you have more confidence to guess the answer that just seems too straight forward, too right in your face.

so i’ve given you a couple tips on how to guess when you don’t know the answer, but what in really want to emphasize to you it that the act is a game of eliminating wrong answers.

and sometimes, you’re able to eliminate all the wrong answers and you wind up with the correct answer.

sometimes, you can only eliminate one wrong answer and you’re kind of trying to guess or use your intuition with what remains.

in that case, i don’t want you to think of it as guessing.

don’t call it guessing if you are able to eliminate.

that actually is the name of the game is eliminating wrong answers and you’re doing everything correctly.

you’re being strategic.

you’re going to increase your score even if all you can do is eliminate one wrong answer.

so like i said before, the only guarantee that you’re going to miss a question is if you leave it blank.

so don’t feel bad if you have to guess on the field.

if you like this video, follow the link in the description box below and go to www.catharsisit.com where you can join thousands of students who are already using magoosh to reach their goals.

looking for more act study tips?

check out these videos on your left and i’ll see you in the next one.

looking for more last minute act tips??

why not check out some of our other free act resources for more strategies on how to prepare for test day?

good luck on the test!

the post how to guess on the act | video post appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

what is the barnard admissions committee looking for? well, a good place to start is the word splashed across barnard’s website, describing the college’s personality: “bold.” that’s what you have to be to choose the prestigious, highly selective women’s liberal arts college in new york city!

known around the world as one of the oldest colleges for women, barnard was founded to ensure the highest quality education was available for the diverse, engaged students who called it home.

small classes on an intimate campus aren’t the only thing barnard has going for it. sitting on manhattan’s upper west side, barnard is right across the street from columbia university. the colleges are affiliated with each other, meaning barnard students have access to all of the resources, courses, and opportunities as their ivy league neighbors. that’s more than twenty libraries, 1500 classes, and 450 student groups!

“dedicated to the success of women,” barnard boasts alumnae who have become famous writers, politicians, and scientists, excelling in just about any field you can think of.

if this distinctive, rigorous, and tight-knit community sounds right for you, read on to learn more!

barnard quick admissions statistics

here’s a short look at the basic barnard admissions data:

average barnard sat scores (middle 50%): 1340-1490
average barnard act scores (middle 50%): 30-34
average barnard gpa: 4.0
barnard admissions rate: 11.8%

barnard sat scores

there are a few things to know about barnard’s standardized test policy if you’re planning to apply:

• barnard requires sat or act scores as part of your application, but you can choose to submit both
• the essay part of the sat is not required
• barnard superscores sat test results. this means they take the highest scores for each section from every time you took the test, creating a profile of your best performance!
• barnard does not recommend or require the sat subject tests
• you are allowed to self-report your test scores. this means you don’t have to send in an official score report when you apply, but they will accept one when you’re accepted to confirm the scores you reported

with all that information in mind, how can you put it to work to understand what kind of scores make you a competitive applicant?
 

the middle 50% of barnard’s class of 2023 scored between a 1340 and a 1490, which puts students accepted to barnard in about the 90th percentile of all test-takers nationally.

to break those numbers down further, the 25th percentile of students scored a 1340 or below, placing them below average, and the 75th percentile got a 1490 or above, meaning their scores were above the average admitted student.

aim for 1490 (the 75th percentile) to distinguish yourself from other applicants and gives the admissions committee an opportunity to look deeper into your materials and understand what makes you unique.

barnard act scores

here’s what we know about how barnard uses act test results:

• the writing portion of the test is not required
• unlike their policy on the sat, barnard does not superscore act results. that means they will take your highest composite score, but not put your highest scores from across test dates together into a new composite.
• you are allowed to self-report your act scores. this means you won’t have to pay to send barnard an official report until you choose to enroll.

the middle 50% of the class of 2023 scored between a 30 and a 34 act composite. that means, to be really confident about your chances, you should aim for above a 34.

the reason we recommend setting your sights on a 34 is simple: the middle 50% score range means that the 25% of admitted students who scored under a 30 were below average compared to other students, while the 25% who scored higher than a 34 were above average.

that means you can be certain the parts of your application which distinguish you from other applicants can really shine!

barnard average gpa

the average gpa of barnard’s class of 2023 was a 4.0.

that’s a really good gpa, and suggests that barnard looks for students who took challenging classes in high school. you should try and take as many college prep courses as possible, like honors, ib, ap, or dual enrollment to demonstrate you’re ready for a rigorous academic experience.

moreover, 85% of students came from the top 10% of their high school classes. since it’s tough to change your gpa dramatically after sophomore year, take your grades seriously from the beginning of high school, plan on enrolling in those challenging classes, and don’t let your gpa slip in senior year!

barnard acceptance rate

only 11.8% of students who applied were accepted into barnard’s class of 2023. ten years ago, barnard accepted over 28% of students into its class of 2013, demonstrating their acceptance rate is following the national trend in higher education of falling over time.

barnard is committed to being one of the most rigorous, selective colleges in the country, and works to admit a diverse and high-achieving student body.

barnard freshman profile

if you’re considering barnard, chances are you want to know what your classmates will be like.

barnard students come from all over. only about half are from new york or the mid-atlantic, and 12% are international students.

48% identify as people of color, and 13% are the first in their families to attend college. almost half come from public schools.

other barnard admissions requirements

here’s a list of what you’ll need to apply:

• common app, including the barnard writing supplement
• high school or college transcripts
• recommendation from a guidance counselor
• two teacher evaluation forms
• sat and/or act scores

barnard also offers a couple optional application materials:

• an on- or off-campus interview (this is a good way to demonstrate your interest and learn more about the college!)
• portfolios for art, dance, music, creative writing, or theater programs

remember, the deadline for regular decision is january 1st!

barnard faqs

does barnard have early decision?
yes! early decision is a binding program offering applicants the opportunity to submit their applications early and find out if they’re admitted ahead of the regular decision timeline. the “binding” part means if you’re accepted, you are obligated to attend. that said, it is a smaller pool of applicants, and you’re more likely to stand out.
for barnard, the deadline for submitting your materials is november 1st, and you’ll hear back by mid-december about whether you’ve been admitted.

what kind of student does barnard look for?
in barnard’s own words: “[barnard] selects women of proven academic strength who exhibit intellectual voracity and strong potential for further scholarly growth.” learn more about what they’re looking for here.

does barnard accept ap or ib scores?
yes, up to thirty points of credit. they generally expect a score of at least 4, and 5 for some subjects.

how to get in to barnard college

it’s important to remember that the barnard admissions office evaluates applications holistically. that means there’s no one thing you can do or have to guarantee you’ll be admitted, whether that’s a perfect test score or straight as.

like all selective colleges, barnard is looking for interesting, engaged, well-rounded students who will benefit from joining their diverse and exciting community.

with that in mind, here’s your “how to get into barnard college” checklist!

good luck, and happy studying!

the post barnard college admissions: the sat, act scores, and gpa you need to get in appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the university of massachusetts, amherst is one of the nation’s leading public universities — ranked 24th — but going there is also like being enrolled in four more prestigious colleges.

that’s because umass amherst is a member of the five college consortium, along with smith, mt. holyoke, hampshire college, and the 2nd best liberal arts college in america, amherst college.

that means you can choose from over 6,000 courses at any of those schools for no extra cost.

even better, umass amherst has new england’s best honors college and ranks 4th nationally in research grants to their students.

there aren’t many universities offering their students as diverse an education, whether you’re looking for stellar research opportunities or a vibrant liberal arts education.

umass amherst admissions fast facts

average gpa: 3.90
acceptance rate: 64%
average sat: 1292
average act: 28.8

if umass amherst sounds like the place for you, keep reading to learn what you need to be a competitive applicant!

more about umass amherst sat scores

umass generally expects applicants’ sat scores to be in the top quarter of results nationally, fitting with their high admissions criteria.

there’s no minimum sat score, but since more than three quarters of accepted students submitted sat scores in 2019 it’s a good idea to send yours in if you scored highly, and applicants are required to submit the act or the sat.

here’s a breakdown of umass amherst sat scores:

the average score of admitted applicants in 2019 was a 1292, and the middle 50% of scores fell between 1220 and 1380. that means 25% of those admitted scored below 1220, and another 25% had above 1380.

it’s a good idea to aim for a 1380 or higher, landing you in the top quarter of applicants and really increasing your chances.

more about umass amherst act scores

the average act in 2019 was a 28.8, which is in the 90th percentile of act scores nationally — that means only 10% of test-takers got a higher result.

here’s a breakdown of umass amherst act scores:

50% of admitted students scored between a 26 and a 31, meaning anything under a 26 is a below average score and higher than 31 is above average.

one-quarter of students scored lower than the average range, which means a low test score doesn’t mean you won’t be admitted as long as you have an otherwise strong application. that said, getting a 28.8 or higher — a score in the top quartile of applicants — can really boost your chances of getting in.

more about umass amherst average gpa

the average gpa of admitted applicants in 2019 was a 3.90, which means you should be mostly an a student, with one or two bs but no cs, to be competitive.

if your school offers ib, ap, or dual enrollment classes and adjusts your grades accordingly, your gpa can end up being much more competitive.

enrolling in those courses also demonstrates your willingness to take on a challenging, college preparatory course load.

umass amherst acceptance rate

umass amherst admissions are selective, with a 64% acceptance rate in 2019. for comparison, the average acceptance rate nationally is only about 65.5%, so we’re not talking a real difference in competition.

that said, if you look at admissions statistics over the last few years, average test scores of admitted students are growing while the number of students admitted is falling. like a lot of schools, it’s only going to get more difficult to get in.

umass amherst freshman profile

if you’re thinking of applying to college, you probably want to know what your classmates will be like, right?
umass gives us a lot of demographic info on their recent classes, so we can get a pretty good picture of who chooses to enroll.

here are some of the highlights:

• 22,726 total undergraduate enrollment
• 23% out-of-state
• 5,731 students in the 2019 freshman class
• 33% alana (african-american, latino, asian, hawaiian/pacific islander and native american)
• 444 international students admitted in 2019
• 82.1% six-year graduation rate (that’s 25% higher than the national average!)

we can see from these numbers umass amherst admissions are remarkably diverse, even for a state university, and most of the students who enroll there choose to stick around to finish their degrees.

other admissions requirements

probably the most important thing to know is you can only apply to umass amherst using the common application, which means you can submit everything from transcripts to essay questions using umass amherst’s page on that site.

here’s a list of the essential application materials:

• a completed common application, with the umass amherst supplementary questions
• an official high school transcript
• sat and/or act score report from the testing agency
• an $80 application fee
• a letter of recommendation
• international students from non-english speaking countries should report a minimum internet-based toefl score of 80 or an ielts score of 6.5, with a minimum score of 6.0 in each subject area

if you’re applying to the architecture, art, dance, or music programs you’re also permitted to submit a portfolio or arrange an audition — check your department’s page on the umass amherst website to learn more.

umass faqs

what’s the five college consortium?
it’s a collaborative agreement among five colleges in western massachusetts, including some of america’s best liberal arts schools, to share resources like libraries and facilities, as well allowing students of any one college to enroll in classes at any of the member schools for free.

does umass use the common app?
yes, and only the common app, so you’ll be able to do everything you need to submit your application from their website.

what are the important deadlines?
for freshman applicants, that’s january 15 for regular admission and november 5 for early action, and you’ll have until may 1 to accept or decline admission.

if you end up getting your application in late, the admissions office will consider admitting you for the spring semester.

does umass amherst have early action?
yes! early action is a nonbinding program for students who want to apply and receive their admissions decision earlier than the traditional decision timeline.

the program has its own faq page with all the information you’ll need on the admissions timeline.

can i transfer to umass amherst?
yes, and transfers make up a big part of each year’s incoming class. you have until march 1 to apply for the fall semester and october 1 to apply for spring admission.

does umass amherst accept ap credit?
they do! like most colleges, how much credit, if any, you can expect to receive depends on the specific test and your scores.

how to get into umass amherst

as anyone will tell you, there isn’t one thing alone that will get you into the college of your dreams. here’s an excerpt from the umass website:

“we seek to admit students who will contribute fully to campus life. no specific grade point average, test score, or other qualification by itself ensures admission.”

that means they’re evaluating each student holistically, including not only your test scores but your personality, achievement, and community involvement.

here’s a selection of some of the criteria they value, according to umass’s admissions webpage explaining their admissions standards:

• record of achievement
• personal qualities
• co-curricular involvement
• standardized tests
• writing ability
• life context
• recommendations

it’s pretty rare that a college tells you exactly what they look for in an applicant, so we strongly recommend reading the admissions decision page thoroughly.

that said, here’s a checklist with the minimum qualifications you should have in those categories to feel confident about getting in.

umass amherst admissions checklist:

good luck, and happy studying!

the post umass amherst admissions: the sat, act scores, and gpa you need to get in appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

looking for a little help prepping for the sat math section?

in this video, magoosh’s sat expert chris introduces the work formula and goes over several sat practice questions to help you get comfortable with using the work formula on your own.

watch the embedded video below, or scroll down for a full video transcript.

what will i see in the “sat math section: work formula | sat practice questions” video?

in this 9-minute video, magoosh’s sat expert chris will take you, step-by-step, through three sat practice questions, explaining how you can identify whether a question calls for the work formula and how to use the formula to solve even the hardest work formula problems!

if you liked this video, hit that like button–or better yet, send it to a friend! let’s all go to college

“sat math section: work formula | sat practice questions” full transcript

hi, i’m chris, the sat expert at magoosh, and for over 15 years i’ve been helping students ace the sat.

and today we’re gonna talk about the work-rate formula.

so what’s cool about the work-rate formula is it deals with a question type that if you didn’t know the formula you’d be pretty much stuck and have no idea what to do.

and that’s why this formula’s so great.

it’s really simple, and it unlocks a tough kind of question type.

and so, i’m gonna teach you a formula called the faf formula, for flip, add, and then flip.

and this is gonna make everything so much easier.

so here it is.

that set up i was talking about.

machine a takes 4 hours to finish the job and machine b takes 3 hours to finish the job.

working together, how long does it take them to finish the job?

so i know i’m dealing with work rate because we have the rates here, the number of hours, 4 hours and 3 hours, and we also have this word here, working together, so we can see wer’re combining those rates.

now, you can’t just add these together and say, oh, 4 hours plus 3 hours, that would take them seven hours to finish the job together.

because they are actually working together, so they’re gonna do the job faster than they would just working alone.

would you take the average of it?

well, no, you wouldn’t add 4 plus 3 into 5 by 2, because even that is a little bit slower.

that would be 3.5 and that would be a little bit slower than the 3 hours that one takes the job to finish the job by themselves.

and again, we know that, if they’re working together, they do it faster.

so if we just sit here all day thinking about this intuitively, it’s gonna be really hard.

and you obviously don’t have time on the test.

and that’s why i’m gonna show you a simple technique to deal with these kinda questions.

and it is called the faf method for flip, add, and flip.

let’s see how this actually plays out because you might be wondering, what do you mean by flip.

so let’s check it out.

pick the first rate here which you see which is 4 hours.

now, you can think of that as just the number 4 and when i say flip it over, what i mean is the reciprocal.

so the reciprocal of 4 is 1/4.

okay, next step.

you wanna add the 1/4 plus the 1/3.

you might be thinking, whoa wait a second, where did you get 1/3 from?

well the idea is, we wanna add up the reciprocals of both their rates.

and so 4 hours corresponds here to 1/4 for the first machine and for machine b we want to flip and do the same thing so that we get 1 over 3, that is, we flip 3 and get the reciprocal which is 1/3.

at that point, once i’ve done that with both traits then i can add them up together.

and then this gives me 7 over 12.

i know, that was super fast, how did i do that?

cool method you might not have learnt this in school but if you have two fractions and you’re adding them up together.

and both of them have one in the numerator, all you need to do is take the denominator, both numbers in the denominator, in this case 4 and 3, and add those together.

4 plus 3 is 7.

and then put that in the numerator, put a line as i did here.

and then for the denominator, just do 4 times 3, which is 12, 7 over 12.

that’s a little side show here though because we’re focusing on the faf method.

and now we need to go to the final step which is to flip.

so just a second ago i added up 7 over 12, what do i do?

i take the reciprocal of that, that’s why we have the double flip there.

first flip here, second flip there.

so 7/12 the reciprocal of that is 12/7ths, which is 1 hour and 5/7th or 1 5/7th of an hour or just 12/7 an hour.

if this were a multiple choice test, they would probably leave it in this form and that would be the answer.

okay, so now that we’ve seen that, that we take both rates, we flip them, and then we add the reciprocals here, second step.

and once we’ve added the reciprocals, we flip again to get the answer.

so let’s try that out here in the next slide.

this one has deborah.

and if you wanna be bold and try it at home by yourself, pause and see what answer you’ll get and watch and wait to see what answer i get.

hopefully they match up.

okay, if you did possibly try this at home or if you didn’t doesn’t matter, cuz i am heading on now so here we go.

deborah takes 2.5 hours to paint a fence.

her friend molly takes 2 hours.

how long it will take them to paint the fence if they work together continuously?

there again it is, the work rate, both doing it.

we need to combine it, we need to flip, right?

faf, so what’s the first thing we do?

well, we take the first rate which is 2.5 hours and you might think oh, i get it, this is great, 1 over 2.5.

and then you’re gonna be ah, what happened here.

you’re stuck.

well that’s what can easily happen and the test writers know that, and that’s why they try to throw students off by putting decimals in there, but you should know that 2.5 is the same as two and a half.

you should also know that two and a half could be written as five over two

that’s great because what is the reciprocal of 5 over 2, well we can flip that very easily and get two fifths.

then we add that to, what’s the next one?

molly, molly takes 2 hours.

the reciprocal of 2 is one halves, a lot easier.

we do the math here, we find out that 2 over a 5th is the same as 4 10ths so write that down.

and one-half is the same as 5 10ths.

look at that, just like that we get to the answer, which is 9/10ths.

or is it?

and that’s the tricky part it’s the faf method.

not the fah method.

we always have to make sure to flip the final result here when we add them together so you flip 9 over 10 over here, you get 10 over 9.

so the answer is not less than one hour which you might have fallen for.

but it is between 1 and 1.5 hours cuz 10 over 9 is slightly more than 1.

and there we have it, that is the answer here.

okay, we’re gonna try one more, and just as this one was a little bit harder than the first one, this last’s one gonna be even harder.

so if you didn’t get this, i would still encourage you to try this at home.

of course if you did answer the question with deborah and her friend painting the fence, then definitely try this.

pause the video and then you can have a look.

okay, unpause the video and here we go.

a pump working at a continuous rate can empty a full pool in 9 hours.

a second pump working at a continuous rate can completely fill an empty pool in 6 hours.

okay, let’s stop there.

that already is quite a headache, my head is spinning, what’s happening?

and that’s fine, you could reread it again slowly, digest each part.

notice that the first pump is defined in terms of how it empties a pool, so it’s actually sucking water out of the pool, and it takes 9 hours to do so.

the second pump is filling the pool, so it’s adding water.

so you’re having this counter effect here.

so what do we do there?

let’s stop there.

we have 9 hours on the first one, we can take the reciprocal there, we know, our faf, that’s 1/9th with the emptying of the pool.

and then with the filling of the pool, we can get 1 over 6.

again, i’m taking the reciprocal of 6 hours.

now i’m going to write it there next to it.

now my question is, are we adding these rates together?

because the faf is flip, add, and flip, and that is most of the times the problems you will get.

and so if you did this and you would think, hey, i don’t think faf really works, in a way you’re right.

we have to change it to fsf or flip, subtract, flip, but that doesn’t roll off the tongue, obviously.

but the point here is the concept is the same, though.

instead of adding these numbers, we are going to subtract them.

why, because, again, one of the pumps is filling up the pool.

the other one is working against it, right?

emptying the pool, and that’s why we’re subtracting them.

and so we have 1/6 minus 1/9 because the one filling that, that’s gonna give us the water, is the first one, 1/6 and the one emptying the pool taking water away, that’s why we’re subtracting it as 1/9.

and so we use this method and now we’re subtracting, we get 3 over 18 minus 2 over 18 on this side and that gives us 1 over 18 and that’s great.

well, what is 1 over 18 then?

1 over 18 is how much the pool fills in one hour.

but what’s the final step now?

now we go back to the faf part, you flip it over and you can see that, okay, in this setup, it would take 18 hours to fill.

again, a long time, but you have one pump that’s sucking water out, while the other one is filling the pool up with water.

so, that’s 18 hours worth.

so, is that our answer?

d, it’s screaming at me.

well, we never did read the end of the question which is, if a pool is half filled with water, how long would it take the pool to fill completely then?

now what was that part that i just read?

that important part, it is already half filled with water.

so you don’t need to have all 18 hours there.

you can see it’s already half filled up so you’re only going to need 9 hours worth.

because in 9 hours, the set up here with these two pumps, in 9 hours they fill up half the pool, and so therefore c is our answer.

if you liked this video, then click on the link in the description below.

that will take you to sat.www.catharsisit.com where you can join thousands of other students who are prepping for the sat.

if you want more helpful tips and strategies, then check out the videos on the left.

and i will see you next time.

want more sat study tips?

take a look at some of our other useful study tips to help you prepare for the sat math section:

happy studying!

the post sat math section: work formula – sat practice questions | video post appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

looking for a little help with the sat math section?

in this video, magoosh’s sat expert chris explains the distance-rate formula!

you don’t have to be scared of these question types anymore, once you’ve got the distance-rate formula in your pocket!

watch the embedded video below, or scroll down for a full video transcript.

what will i see in the “sat math section: distance rate | sat practice questions” video?

in this 8-minute video, magoosh’s sat expert chris will take you, step-by-step, through three sat practice questions, explaining how you can identify whether a question calls for the distance-rate formula and how to use the formula to solve even the hardest distance-rate problems!

if you liked this video, hit that like button–or better yet, send it to a friend! let’s all go to college

“sat math section: distance rate | sat practice questions” full transcript

hi, this is chris, the sat expert at magoosh.

i’ve had over 15 years’ experience helping students ace the sat, and today, i’m going to talk about the distance rate formula.
why do you have to know this?

well, there’s a certain question type, a word problem about moving vehicles going in different directions, that freaks a lot of people out.

but this formula can make things a lot easier.

so here’s a distance problem, we have stephen cycling at a constant rate of 10 miles per hour, and gertrude cycling at a constant rate of 15 miles per hour.

so we know people are moving at a certain rate for a certain amount of time, and that’s how we know we’re in the distance formula world.

so we’re gonna come back to this question in a second, and we’re gonna go straight to that distance formula.

we have distance = rate x time.

now, we’re gonna put this to work with us, with that very problem we just saw, but i’m gonna show you an easy way to remember this.

see how d stands for distance, rate stands for r at the beginning, and time starts with t, so there it is?

and we’re gonna make that, and simplify that into d = rt, that’s gonna be your magic formula.

you always wanna keep that in mind, but of course, know what those things stand for.

okay, so let’s take a look back here at stephen and gertrude.

and not only am i going to give you that question, but i’m gonna give you some answer choices.

you can try this on your own if you want, but let’s do it together now.

so stephen cycles at a constant rate of 10 miles an hour for two hours, and then stops, so let’s use our formula.

w know the rate, that’s the speed, so that’s 10 miles an hour for stephen, let’s get that right there.

and then he goes for how long, for two hours.

so we know that if he’s going at this rate ,10 times 2, we have a distance of 20, and that’s essentially how far stephen has gone.

now, if we look at gertrude, we can do the same math, but she’s going faster, and the question is, how long will it take her?

so we actually have the distance she needs to go, which is 20, and her speed, which is 15.

and now, we suddenly don’t know t, that’s what the question is asking for.

but we can plug this information back into that original equation, and that’s why it’s so handy.

essentially, we use it twice, once for stephen, we figured out how far he had gone.

and then we plugged that 20 down into the equation here, with gertrude, and that gave us 20.

and then that equals 15, being the rate, t is the time.

we solve for t, next step, here, t is 20 over 15.

that is equal to 4 over 3, so what is 4 over 3, it’s the same as 1 and one-third, make that 4 a little bit better there.

1 and one-third, what’s one-third of an hour, 20 minutes, and therefore, 1 hour and 20 minutes it is.

now, you don’t even have to figure out that one-third being 20 minutes.

if you look at the answer choices, you have 45 minutes ,which is less than an hour.

and you look at your, the number we got, four-thirds, that’s greater than 1 but less than 2.

and the only answer that would work is only answer choice c, so quick way of doing things, as well.

but the focus, of course, here is the distance-rate formula, let’s do some more.

this one’s gonna be a little bit harder, scarier, it’s the two trains, the dreaded scenario.

they are setting off from different cities located 300 miles from each other.

and they’re headed directed towards each other, but don’t worry, on different tracks.

the first train moves at a constant rate of 40 miles an hour, and the second moves at a constant rate of 60 miles an hour.

so what’s the key here, if objects are heading towards each other, we always combine their rate.

again, if they’re headed directly at each other, you combine their speeds, and so 40 plus 60, that’s gonna be our rate, that’s 100.

and so we have the fact that they are d, 300 miles from each other.

and that they are going at 100 miles an hour, cuz we have to combine the rates, and we have to figure out the time.

and we get 300 = 100t, and then therefore, we can get t = 3.

and so therefore, we can see that in 3 hours, they’ve gone how far?

well, in three hours, again, you’re combining their speeds together.

so this train over here goes 120 miles, which is 40 times 3, this train over here goes 180 miles, so all in all, they’ve traveled 300 miles.

now, it would seem like the answer is c, 1 o’clock.

but notice that we’re not waiting for the two trains to get to the other cities, we’re asking when they meet each other.

and so they’re going to meet each other at this halfway point in time.

so in three hours, they’ve covered the total 300 miles, but half of 3 hours, which is 1.5 hours, they’ve actually connected.

that’s the point they intersect, so it’s actually half of 3, which gives us an hour and a half.

if they started at 10, that means that 11:30, they are going to pass each other, and that’s what makes it tricky.

now, this is definitely a harder question, but the point is that we can still use distance is equal to rate times time.

we can still use that formula when we know that we’re combining rates, things coming together.

but now we’re gonna look at a different problem, the last problem here, which is a tricky one.

here, we’re going to go back to stephen and gertrude, but we’re gonna put them in cars, instead of bicycles, but here, one is chasing the other one.

and so unlike the trains, when you’re combining, because they’re heading towards each other, here they’re in catch-up mode, or at least gertrude is.

so stephen, let’s read the problem here, leaves farm town, driving at a rate of 40 miles an hour, so where is he in one hour?

well, he’s 40 hours from gertrude, who starts driving at that point at 50 miles an hour, so when is she actually gonna reach stephen?

well, assuming again that they’re both continuing to drive, after one hour, he is 40 miles an hour, we know that.

but she is, what, 50 miles an hour, which is 10 miles an hour faster, let me get that 0 there, 10 miles an hour faster than stephen.

so you can think of it this way, for every hour, she catches up.

so in one hour, she catches up 10 miles to him, two hours, she catches up 20 miles to him.

we know that she’s 40 miles behind, so how long will it take her to catch up to him?

well, she’s gaining 10 miles an hour, that means, and now we can kinda use our distance-rate formula here.

she’s 40 miles away, and she’s catching up at a rate of 10 miles an hour.

we can just say, oh, okay, therefore t is equal to 4 hours, that’s the total number of time it will take her to catch.

so we can still use distance and rate, but we have to think of it differently, in terms of subtracting.

we’re subtracting, not adding together, which is the tricky part, but there’s our answer.

and there you have three different setups where we have distance, rate, and time, and we have need to find an answer, relying on our nifty little formula.

so there we are, you don’t have to be scared anymore of these question types, because you’ve got the distance-rate formula in your back pocket.

if you like this video, then click on the link in the description below.

that will take you to sat.www.catharsisit.com, where you can join thousands of other students who are prepping for the sat.

if you want more helpful tips and strategies, then check out the videos on the left, and i will see you next time.

want more sat study tips?

take a look at some of our other useful study tips to help you prepare for the sat math section:

happy studying!

the post sat math section: distance rate – sat practice questions | video post appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

if you’re looking for a small college that emphasizes academics, diversity, and student engagement, there aren’t many colleges in the world delivering a more unique, rigorous education than amherst.

amherst college is one of the premier colleges in america, ranked the second-best liberal arts college by the u.s. news and world report. colleges are ranked according to criteria ranging from prestige, selectivity, to faculty resources, and amherst comes out on top.

if that’s not enough, amherst is a member of the five college consortium. that means amherst students can choose from over 6,000 classes offered at mt. holyoke, smith, hampshire, and the university of massachusetts, amherst.

amherst, massachusetts was also ranked the #4 college town in america, meaning even if you get tired of exploring the college’s 500-acre wildlife reserve and the nation’s best campus dining you can be sure there’s no shortage of exciting experiences within arm’s reach.

if amherst sounds like the place for you, read on to learn more about what makes a competitive application!

amherst college admissions: quick stats

here’s a first look at what the average incoming freshman at amherst college is scoring, along with amherst’s admissions rate.

average sat: 1490
average act 33
average gpa 4.05
admissions rate: 13%

think this could be you?

keep reading for the full breakdown of how to get into amherst college, including admissions data, freshman demographics, amherst admissions faq’s, and more!

more about amherst sat scores

amherst generally accepts students with sat scores in the top 4% of test-takers, meaning you should expect to have high scores to be admitted.

the average sat score is a 1490, and you’ll want to get at least a 1560 for your application to stand out.

the middle 50% of sat scores for the class of 2022 scored between a 700 and 770 on the evidence-based reading and writing section and between 720 and 790 in math.

composite scores for the middle 50% fell between 1420 and 1560, meaning a score under 1420 is below average and over 1560 is above average.

amherst allows students to self-report test scores, meaning you don’t have to pay to send a score report unless you’re admitted.

they also superscore, or combine your best scores, so it’s to you advantage to submit all your scores so the admissions office can create a new score showcasing your best performance.

more about amherst act scores

amherst is a highly selective school, and admitted students generally have act scores in the top 5% nationally.

the middle 50% of students have composite scores between 31 and 35, and between:

• 34 and 36 in english
• 29 and 35 in math

a composite below 31 makes your chances less certain, but 25% of accepted students scored lower and still got in.

get over a 35, and you can feel confident about getting accepted.
like most elite colleges, taking the optional writing section on the act is recommended.

like with the sat, you can self-report your act scores and skip paying the testing agency to send a score report until you are accepted.

it’s a good idea to report all of your scores if you’ve taken the test more than once, because amherst selects your best scores and combines them into a new superscore.

more about amherst average gpa

the average high school gpa of the class of 2022 was a 4.05, meaning you should be a straight-a student and have taken some more challenging courses.

it’s a good idea to take as many ib, ap, and dual enrollment classes as possible, since grades are calculated on an unweighted five-point scale by most schools. that means not only will you be raising your average gpa, but also demonstrating you are prepared for college-level courses.

keep this in mind if you’re considering amherst early in high school, and don’t let your grades drop in senior year! amherst requires the grades from your second semester of senior year, too.

more about amherst admissions rate

if you’ve read this far, you probably realize amherst takes some of the best students in the country. only 13% of applicants were accepted into the class of 2022, making amherst among the most selective colleges in the country.

to illustrate how amherst is growing more selective, in 2009 amherst accepted 15% of applicants; ten years later they take only 13%.

if you are a high school freshman or sophomore, you can count on this rate dropping further by the time you apply. it would be a good idea to keep that in mind as you choose classes and get ready for standardized tests.

amherst freshman profile

amherst’s admission and enrollment statistics have tons of information about enrollment, which you’ll probably be interested in to get a feel for what your classmates will be like.

here are some of the highlights:

• 47% of students self-identify as people of color
• 7% are international students
• 48% are male, 51% are female, 1% identify as another gender
• 35% of enrolled students applied early decision
• 30% of enrolled students are from low-income families
• 15% are the first in their families to attend college
• out of the 1,264 who were admitted, 492 enrolled

that’s a picture of a college that values not only academic achievement but accessibility and diversity, too.

other amherst admissions info

amherst’s first year applicants page is a good place to start for general information about applying. overall, amherst strives to make applying affordable and accessible for the greatest number of students, offering applicants everything from fee waivers to self-reported test scores.

these are some of the essentials for applying as a first-year:

• common application, coalition application or questbridge application
• amherst college writing supplement
• $65 application fee (non-refundable) or fee waiver (requested through common application, coalition application or amherst’s quick pass)
• school report
• secondary school transcript
• counselor recommendation
• two teacher recommendations
• standardized test results via self-reported scores or official score reports (from the sat or act)

amherst faqs

does amherst accept transfer students?
yes, and they do allow transfers to enter in the spring semester. read more to learn about your unique requirements.

does amherst accept non-traditional applicants?
if you’re homeschooled, undocumented or daca, or an international student, follow those links to find out what materials you’re expected to provide.

does amherst accept ap, ib, or other class for college credit?
no, but students are evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if they are eligible to forgo introductory coursework.

how do i apply?
amherst accepts applications through the common app, coalition application, or the questbridge application.

does amherst have an early decision program?
yes. early decision is a binding program requiring students to withdraw applications from other colleges and agree to enroll at amherst in the fall. you must apply by november 1 and will learn your admissions decision by december 15. about 10% of students apply ed to amherst.

what are some important deadlines for applying to amherst?
here’s the timeline for early decision applicants:

• november 1: application and financial aid forms must be submitted and review of applications begins
• december 15: decision notices sent out electronically

and the timeline for regular decision applicants:

• january 1: applications must be submitted and review of applications begins
• february 15: financial aid forms must be submitted
• april 1: decision notices sent out electronically

how to get into amherst

it’s important to remember when applying to a school as selective as amherst that there’s no one thing your application can have that will ensure you’ll get in. instead, the admissions office will evaluate your materials holistically to get a picture of your personality and achievements.

let’s go over some general guidelines you should follow if you want to feel confident about being accepted to amherst college:

“how to get into amherst college checklist”

• an sat score of 1560 or higher
• an act score of at least 35
• a 4.05 gpa
• high grades in challenging courses
• strong extracurricular and community involvement
• thoughtful responses to essay prompts
• enthusiastic, supportive recommendations

happy studying, and good luck!

the post amherst college admissions: the sat, act scores, and gpa you need to get in appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

no need to sugarcoat it–williams college is ranked as the #1 liberal arts college in america by the u.s. news and world report.

that’s pretty huge, but there’s more to a great college experience than just a ranking!

williams is nestled in a cozy town at the foot of the berkshire mountains that just happens to have one of the best contemporary art museums in america, amazing scenic hiking trails, and a famous music scene.

a passion for learning and discovery is an important part of williams’ identity. the academic program emphasizes small classes and oxford-style tutorials, with an average of one faculty member to every seven students. that’s more than twice as many teachers for every student than the national average, and comparable to somewhere like harvard or yale.

each january students can take one of dozens of pass/fail courses, travel, pursue collaborative or independent research, or do an internship–expanding the breadth of their intellectual development. williams students are involved in their community, with almost everyone participating in one of the college’s 150 campus organizations and clubs.

as one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, applying to williams means taking on one of the most selective admissions processes out there. if you think williams is the right place for you, read on for more about what it takes to get in!

williams college quick stats

here are the bare-bones williams admission statistics:

• average act: 33.5
• average sat: 1480
• average gpa: 4.03
• admissions rate: 13%

think this could be you? keep reading for the bigger picture!

more about williams act scores

like we mentioned above, williams takes only the best high school and transfer students in the country. that means the average act superscore at williams is a 33.5, which is higher than 98% of test-takers receive.

the good news is the middle 50% of act scores for the class of 2023 was 32 to 35 — that means 25% of students scored lower than a 32 and still got in. if you got a 35 or higher, you got the same score as the top 25% of admitted students.

it’s a good idea to shoot for that 75th percentile if you’re planning on applying to really make your application stand out, so make a 35 your target act score.

another plus is williams superscores results for all standardized tests. if you’ve taken the test more than once, it’s a good idea to submit all your scores so they can be combined into one ideal composite score. they also allow applicants to self-report their test scores, meaning you don’t have to pay the testing agency to send in official reports until you’ve been admitted.

more about williams sat scores

the students admitted to williams’ class of 2023 had an average sat score of 1480. to give you an idea of how those scores compare, only about 2% of students taking the sat got that score or higher.

on the math section, the average score was a 745, and admitted students scored an average of a 745 on the evidence based reading & writing section.

the middle 50% of scores fell between 1410 and 1550, meaning 25% of students scored lower than a 1410 and were admitted and, equally, 25% got higher than a 1550.

if you’re seriously considering williams, you should focus on getting a score at or above the 75th percentile result of 1550. competition among applicants is strong, and an outstanding test score can make a big difference.

if williams is high on your list but your scores aren’t where you’d like them to be, their superscore policy means it’s to your advantage to take the test as many times as you can. you don’t have to worry about paying to send score reports until you’re admitted since williams allows applicants to self-report, meaning there’s really no reason not to try and raise your score.

more about williams average gpa

for the class of 2022, the average gpa was 4.03. that means you’ll not only have to be basically a straight-a student, but most admitted students took more challenging classes, like ib, ap, or dual enrollment.

consequently, 94% of students admitted in 2017 were in the top 10% of their class, which should help you figure out where the admissions department expects you to be.

like with most selective schools, it’s a good idea early in high school to plan on taking advanced, college preparatory classes to prove you can handle a university workload. don’t let your grades slip in senior year, because williams requires a school report later in the year to make sure you stayed focused.

more about williams admissions rate

in 2019, williams admitted 13% of applicants. williams has been highly selective for a long time, and its admissions rate has only dropped in recent years. in 2018 the admissions rate was 15%, and in 2008, the admissions rate was 18.4%.

if williams continues this trend, you can only expect it to become more challenging to get in over time, and you’ll have to be an even more well-rounded applicant to be competitive.

williams freshman profile

let’s go through some of the highlights from the latest class admitted to williams:

• 134 are international students representing 52 different nationalities.
• 58% identify as students of color
• 20% are first-generation college students
• 13 identify as trans, genderqueer, nonbinary, or two spirit
• 254 students are affiliated with questbridge
• 67% of students applied for financial aid
• 23 will join the class after taking a gap year

looking at the numbers we can infer williams values diversity, and works to make the college accessible to people from different class, national, and racial backgrounds.

more williams admissions info

you can check out williams’ admissions page for more info about applying or to request more information, but here’s a basic rundown of the williams college admissions requirements.

you’ll need to send in:

• common application, coalition application, or questbridge application
• sat or act scores
• school report
• counselor recommendation
• two teacher recommendations
• mid-year report (due february 9, 2018)
• $65 application fee or fee waiver

there is an early decision program for students who are confident about choosing williams and want to hear back earlier about their admissions decision. the deadline is november 15, a couple months sooner than the january 1 deadline for regular admission.

wiliams offers the opportunity to include some optional materials as well:

• williams writing supplement
• visual/performing arts portfolio
• if you have a well-developed talent in the arts, please visit our arts supplement page for specific deadlines and details about submissions.
• scientific research abstracts
• if you have pursued significant scientific or mathematics research and are considering a research or academic career, we welcome brief descriptions of your work.

the williams writing supplement is optional, but is a great way to show your interest in the college during the applications process.

williams faqs

does williams use the common app?
yes! the common app and coalition application are popular with students applying to a number of schools since you can fill out one general application accepted by multiple schools and add in individual college’s optional or supplementary materials.

williams also works closely with questbridge, which works to connect students from low-income backgrounds with prestigious colleges and universities.

can i transfer to williams?
for sure! the deadline for transfer applications is march 1, and williams suggests applying as a transfer only if you have at least one year of undergrad at another accredited institution.

can international students apply to williams?
you definitely can, and williams gets application from more than 1,500 international students from 100 countries.

does williams accept ap credit?
yes, and if you’re interested in how williams will evaluate your ap scores in converting them to college credit you can check out this conversion chart.

does williams have early decision?
if williams is your first choice, the college offers a binding early decision program with earlier application and decision deadlines.

how to get into williams

williams is one of the most competitive colleges in america, so it’s important to remember there’s no one thing your application can include that will guarantee you’ll get in.

their admissions office looks for interested, interesting candidates with a strong record of academic achievement and community involvement as well as a compelling story.

that said, this outline covers what your application should include to have a shot at getting in.

here’s your “williams college admissions checklist”!

good luck, and happy studying!

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