AI English Translation, Pages 401-425
16
College X and only at about the middle of
the class at College Y.
Of course, you would rather know how you
compare with the freshmen at those colleges you
are considering rather than at X, Y, and Z.
But many colleges do publish and send to school
officials the type of information shown for
X, Y, and Z. These freshman class descriptions
usually present information not only on test
scores, but on high school grades and many other
factors used by the college in selecting a class.
Your school adviser has leaflets like these as well
as much other information about colleges' require-
ments. In addition, conferences with college
admissions officers, either at your school or at the
colleges, will prove helpful in assessing your
prospects.
College Entrance Examination Board
425 West 117 Street, New York 27, N. Y.
ceeb
Photos by George Zimbel
Your College Board Scores
Several weeks ago, you spent three hours taking the Scholastic Aptitude
Test of the College Entrance Examination Board. Since that time, your
test has been carefully graded and a report of the scores you made has
been sent to the various colleges you named and to your secondary school.
The colleges are now comparing your scores with all of the other evidence
they have collected about you (such information as secondary school
record, principal’s recommendation, and evidences of extracurricular
activities). They are also comparing all of your credentials with those of
the other applicants they are considering for admission.
We cannot, of course, tell you whether you will be admitted to one or
more of the colleges to which you have applied. This is a decision which
only those colleges can make. We can, however, tell you something about
Copyright 1958 by College Entrance Examination Board.
To help you
confer
the way in which colleges consider scores, and we can tell you something
about the scores made by other candidates who have also taken the SAT
Our purpose is to give you a basis for conferring about college admis-
sion with your school counselor and with the admission officers of the
various colleges in which you are interested. These men and women have
a good deal of knowledge about you (including your test scores) and can
give you helpful advice in your educational planning. This leaflet should
help you formulate questions about your college prospects. When you have
these questions well in mind ask your school counselor and college admis-
sion officers to help you work out the answers.
Scores range from
200 to 800
The simplest fact about SAT scores is what they are: indicators of ability
to do college work. They are not perfect indicators but considering that
the test takes only three hours, they do a surprisingly good job in telling
how a student will make out in college.
The scores are expressed as numbers on a scale that ranges from a low
of 200 to a high of 800. This scale is the same for all forms (editions) of
the test. That is, a score of 570 on one form of the SAT means the same
thing in terms of academic promise as a score of 570 on any other form
of the test. It also means the same thing whether a student takes the test
in December or whether he takes it in March or at any other time.
The use of these scores makes it possible for college admission officers
2
Uniform standard
to size up all their candidates on the same basis. The academic promise
of a candidate from Maine can be accurately compared with the academic
promise of a candidate from California. Also the test performance of a
candidate who takes the SAT in December can be accurately compared
with the test performance of a candidate who takes the test in March.
Contrary to what some people suppose, a candidate’s score on the SAT
is in no way affected by the ability of other students taking the test at the
same time that he does.
However useful and fair the test is, it is only one part of the evidence
weighed by the college in considering your application. The college is
principally interested in two things: the kind of student you are and the
kind of person you are. It learns about you as a person in several ways—
from your school, sometimes through an interview with you, often through
your answers to the questions asked on the application form.
School record is
most important part
of application
The college also learns about you as a student from your school,
because a student’s day-to-day academic record over a period of years is
known to agree better than anything else with his future college achieve-
ment. So the college carefully reviews your grades, the subjects you
studied, your rank in class. Obviously, your desire to learn as well as your
ability to learn are both reflected in your record. Thus a good school
record is the single most important part of your college application.
3
Test scores
supplement your
school record
The test scores are added to the school record, partly because they make
it possible to compare students from different schools, and partly becaus⟦illegible⟧
they tend either to confirm the individual's record or to call attention to
differences between his record and his ability. The SAT measures certain
kinds of abilities—your reading ability, your ability to understand and
use words, and your ability to reason with words and numbers. Since
these abilities are closely related to both school and college success, if you
have done well in school, you have probably done well on the test and will
probably do well in college. If you have not been a good student, you
probably scored low on the test and will probably do poorly in college.
High or low scores
High test scores coupled with a poor school record often mean that you
have not done your best in school. A high score, however, is neither an
automatic ticket of admission nor a guarantee of success in college. It
cannot compensate for mediocre preparation for college work any more
than a strong body can compensate for lack of exercise and training in
athletics. On the other hand, low scores can often be counterbalanced
by an academic record which is good enough to demonstrate that your
purpose is steadfast and that you are ready to undertake college courses.
Colleges weigh
many factors
Clearly, then, a great many intangibles, both personal and intellectua⟦illegible⟧
are involved in the college's evaluation of the individual applicant. It
is also true that the college's decision may be influenced by other consider-⟦illegible⟧
4
ations which force it to make hard choices between individuals—such
things as the number of students who can be admitted and the range of
ability and interests that may be sought for the freshman class. In other
words, the college’s decision is not always determined wholly by the indi-
vidual’s ability to do school work alone. Each applicant must be compared
with every other applicant against the background of the entire class that
is to be admitted.
Values attached to
a score vary
This means that test scores have no set value in college admission, nor
do they have passing or failing levels, since college requirements vary.
Even so, the fact remains that the test does estimate academic ability and
that your scores can be viewed in relation to those of all other students
or of any group of students to see how your test performance compares
with theirs.
The SAT, as you probably know, yields two scores, a Verbal score and
a Mathematical score. What scores do students generally make? Figures
1 and 2 give the answer.
How high school
seniors scored
Figure 1 shows in two charts how high school seniors who actually took
the test last year lined up on the Verbal and Mathematical scores. What do
these charts tell you? Suppose your Verbal score is 482. This would fall
among the scores shown on the chart as the “450-499” group. Seventeen
per cent of last year’s candidates got a Verbal score in the vicinity of
5
Figure 1 Scores of the school seniors who took the SAT
Figure 2 Scores of all school seniors (if all seniors took the SAT)
SAT Verbal | Figure 1 Percentages
650 & above | 8%
600-649 | 8%
550-599 | 12%
500-549 | 16%
450-499 | 17%
400-449 | 16%
350-399 | 13%
300-349 | 7%
Below 300 | 3%
SAT Verbal | Figure 2 Percentages
650 & above | 1%
600-649 | 2%
550-599 | 2%
500-549 | 5%
450-499 | 7%
400-449 | 12%
350-399 | 22%
300-349 | 28%
Below 300 | 21%
SAT Mathematical | Figure 1 Percentages
650 & above | 10%
600-649 | 10%
550-599 | 14%
500-549 | 18%
450-499 | 17%
400-449 | 15%
350-399 | 9%
300-349 | 5%
Below 300 | 2%
SAT Mathematical | Figure 2 Percentages
650 & above | 2%
600-649 | 4%
550-599 | 7%
500-549 | 10%
450-499 | 16%
400-449 | 15%
350-399 | 18%
300-349 | 20%
Below 300 | 8%
Mathematical score
example
yours, that is, somewhere between 450 and 499. If you add up the per cents
above the 499 mark, you will find that 44 per cent of last year's group did
better than you. If you add up the per cents below 450, you will find that
39 per cent did worse than you.
Still looking at Figure 1, suppose your Mathematical score is 527. This
puts you among those who had scores between 500 and 549. Eighteen per
cent of the candidates had scores in this vicinity. About 34 per cent have
Mathematical scores higher than yours. About 48 per cent have Mathe-
matical scores lower than yours.*
How all seniors
might have scored
Figure 2 gives a different picture. It shows how all high school seniors
might have done if they had taken the SAT. Against this background, your
supposed Verbal score of 482 looks somewhat different. Only about 10 per
cent of all high school seniors would have scored higher and about 83 per
cent would have scored lower than you. Your supposed Mathematical
score of 527 also looks different against this background of all high school
seniors. In this case you are up among the top 23 per cent.
Chart your position
Now look at your own actual scores in Verbal and Mathematical, and
see where they put you on these two charts.
*In general girls do less well than boys on the Mathematical parts of the test and
should not be surprised if their Mathematical scores are noticeably lower than their
Verbal.
8
Students at
three colleges
A much more helpful comparison would be provided by a graph which
would show the scores of students who have been admitted to the colleges
in which you are interested. Since graphs of this kind cannot be provided
for the more than 200 colleges which require the SAT, you are again
urged to discuss your scores as part of your overall record with your
school counselor. He can advise you best on the different requirements
and expectations of a great many colleges. Some indication of these dif-
ferences, as reflected very incompletely by test scores alone, is given
(Figure 3) by a comparison of the Verbal scores of students who were
admitted and enrolled at three colleges, all of them fully accredited insti-
tutions of good reputation.
See how you stand
By using the same procedures that you followed with the charts in
Figures 1 and 2, you can see where your Verbal score puts you in relation
to the students in each of the three colleges depicted in Figure 3. In College
A you will stand lower than you will in College B. And in College B you
will stand lower than you will in College C. Add up the per cents above
your scores at each college and find out for yourself.
The SAT scores have been selected for discussion here because this is the
College Board test taken by the greatest number of students. Many of the
same things could be said about the Achievement Tests. Perhaps you did
not have to take any of the Achievement Tests. If you did, however, you
9
Figure 3 SAT Verbal scores of freshmen at three colleges
College A | | College B | | College C |
800 | | 800 | | 800 |
750 | 2% | 750 | | 750 |
700 | 6% | 700 | 1% | 700 |
650 | 17% | 650 | 2% | 650 | 1%
600 | 26% | 600 | 8% | 600 | 3%
550 | 20% | 550 | 17% | 550 | 6%
500 | 18% | 500 | 27% | 500 | 9%
450 | 7% | 450 | 23% | 450 | 17%
400 | 3% | 400 | 14% | 400 | 21%
350 | 1% | 350 | 6% | 350 | 25%
300 | | 300 | 2% | 300 | 12%
250 | | 250 | | 250 | 5%
200 | | 200 | | 200 | 1%
Achievement Test scores
should know that the scores on them are expressed in the same way as the
SAT scores, that is, on a scale that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of
800. A full explanation of Achievement Test scores depends on factors best
interpreted by your school counselor: the courses you have taken, the
number of years of study in a subject, and your own particular interests
and abilities. These individual factors prevent our giving you a more
meaningful explanation of Achievement Test scores in this leaflet.
If you are a junior and have taken the SAT at the suggestion of your
counselor for guidance purposes, it is possible now to estimate what your
scores will be as a senior next year. By doing this and by comparing your
scores with information about students who are now being admitted to
various colleges, you can get a general indication of your chances of being
admitted to a number of different possible colleges. Since this is not
something you can do yourself, ask your counselor to help you.
Ask your counselor
for help
It must be clear to you at this point that, however simple the test scores
themselves are, the job of interpreting and applying them in college admis-
sions is difficult and complex. Under the circumstances, the men and
women who can be of most help to you are your school counselor and the
admission officers of the colleges in which you are interested. Consult
them, consider their advice carefully, and the chances are that your
college experience will be worth while and enjoyable.
11
College Entrance Examination Board
425 West 117 Street, New York 27, N. Y.
ceeb
FIRST CLASS
PERMIT NO. 89
PRINCETON, N. J.
BUSINESS REPLY ENVELOPE
No postage stamp necessary if mailed in the United States
Postage will be paid by
PSAT
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test
Educational Testing Service
P. O. Box 589
Princeton, New Jersey
||||||||||||
ceeb
College Entrance Examination Board
c/o Educational Testing Service
P. O. Box 592
Princeton, New Jersey
PRINCETON N. J. APR 13 '60
U.S. POSTAGE 50
P.B. METER P.B. 348130
16
Shamash Secondary School
New Alwiyah, Baghdad 990210
Baghdad, Iraq
ATTENTION:
GUIDANCE
DIRECTOR
⟦Sent airmail⟧
Order of Applications for sat & Achievement Tests
Actual no. of students = 9
⟦illegible⟧
ceeb COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD
Post Office Box 592, Princeton, New Jersey ⟦U.S.A.⟧
April 14, 1960
To the Secondary School Guidance Director:
Again, as in 1959, we are inviting you to place an early order for copies of the
1960-61 College Board booklets and forms that your students will need in arranging to
take the Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test and Achievement Tests in the academic year
1960-61. The students' booklets, all of which will be supplied free of charge, are:
1960-61 Bulletin of Information, which lists testing dates, centers, and fees, and
explains how students register for and take the tests.
A description of the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test, which tells why the
SAT is given, how it is made, and how scores on it are used in college admissions, and
which also includes many sample questions.
A description of the College Board Achievement Tests, a similar booklet about
these tests.
In addition to the students' booklets, you may also order the following forms:
separate applications which your students will need if they wish to register for tests on
more than one date and transmittal forms to be used if you wish to return completed
applications in bulk instead of having your students send them individually.
We would appreciate it if you would order only as many copies of the Bulletin as
you will have students taking the tests next year. Each copy of the 1960-61 Bulletin
will contain one application blank bound into the booklet. For students who will need
more than one application blank in order to register for tests on an additional testing date
or dates, please order separate applications rather than additional copies of the Bulletin
containing applications.
We would also appreciate your ordering only as many copies of the SAT descriptive
booklet as you will have students taking this test and only as many copies of the booklet
describing the Achievement Tests as you will have students taking those tests. We are asking
that, starting next fall, you give your students copies of the booklets describing the tests
they will take at about the time they obtain the Bulletin from you. At present, many
students obtain these booklets directly from the College Board by making a check-mark on
their applications. This system is being discontinued because it leads some students to
obtain their booklets too late in the year to permit a careful reading of them before taking
the tests.
- 2 -
An order blank for these publications and forms is enclosed for your convenience.
Estimates rather than exact figures of the various quantities you will need will be
satisfactory, because you will receive another order form as part of our fall announcement,
with which you will be able to supplement this first order if you should find that additional
copies are needed.
Although we are asking you to order these materials now, they will not be shipped
until September 1. Placing your order early, however, will enable us to prepare shipments
in advance and to deliver your supplies shortly after school opens next fall.
The schedule of tests for 1960-61 is:
Saturday, December 3, 1960 | SAT and Achievement Tests
Saturday, January 14, 1961 | SAT only
Saturday, February 4, 1961 | SAT only
Saturday, March 18, 1961 | SAT and Achievement Tests
Saturday, May 20, 1961 | SAT and Achievement Tests
Wednesday, August 9, 1961 | SAT and Achievement Tests
Thank you for your interest and cooperation.
College Entrance Examination Board
⟦staple marks⟧
College
Entrance
Examination
Board
⟦1⟧959-60
⟦A⟧DVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATIONS
⟦IN⟧FORMATION FOR COORDINATORS
Two copies of this booklet have been sent to each Coordi-
nator, one for his own use and the other as information for
the principal or headmaster of the school and for teachers
of Advanced Placement courses. Additional copies may be
obtained on request.
Address all correspondence to:
⟦C⟧ollege Board Advanced Placement Examinations
c/o Educationa⟦l⟧ Testing Service
Box 592
Princeton, New Jersey
Copyright 1959 by College Entrance Examination Board
On May 1960, secondary schools in the United
States and abroad will conduct the Advanced Place-
ment Examinations, which were formerly adminis-
tered directly by Educational Testing Service for
the College Board. The Advanced Placement Exam-
inations are prepared for the College Board by
examining committees composed of school and col-
lege teachers. The examiners are assisted by testing
specialists of Educational Testing Service, which
also provides other services in connection with the
program.
Each school that plans to hold the examinations
during the week of May 16 to 20 has appointed an
Advanced Placement Examinations Coordinator,
who will be responsible for making the necessary
arrangements for giving the examinations. The pur-
⟦p⟧ose of this booklet is to assist the Coordinator by
⟦pr⟧oviding him with detailed information about the
registration of candidates, the collection of fees,
and other arrangements for the examinations.
1
Candidate estimates
All secondary schools planning to hold the Advanced
Placement Examinations have been requested to
submit an estimate of the number of students they
expect to take the examinations and the number of
examinations in each subject that their students will
take. Sufficient copies of the Bulletin for Students,
Advanced Placement Examinations, 1959-60 have
been sent to the Coordinators for distribution.
In February 1960, the Coordinators will receive
a form on which to make a final estimate of:
1. The total number of students who expect to
take the examinations in May 1960.
2. The examinations to be administered, listed
by subject, and the number of students who plan to
take each examination.
The figures given on this final estimate form will
serve as the basis on which the examination sup-
plies will be sent to the school. The form should be
completed and returned to the address given on the
inside front cover by April 20, 1960.
Examination schedule
It is expected that schools will notify Advanced
Placement candidates as to the starting time and
place of the examinations. The 1959-60 Advanced
Placement Examinations may be given only during
the week of May 16 to 20, on the dates that are
shown below. Since each examination requires a
full three hours of testing as well as time for dis-
tributing and collecting the examination materials,
it is suggested that the morning examinations begin
at 8:30 a.m., and the afternoon examinations at
1:30 p.m. Schools may vary the starting time by as
much as two hours in order to adjust the adminis-
tration of the examinations to meet local conditions.
If a school has candidates who wish to take one of
the German examinations and the Biology exami-
nation, the Friday schedule can be rearranged. For
example, the conflict could be resolved by holding
the German examination in the morning and the
Biology examination in the afternoon. Candidates
should be informed that they may take either the
Schedule for
the 1959-60 Advanced Placement Examinations,
May 16-20, 1960
| Morning | Afternoon
Monday May 16 | Physics | Literature and English Composition
Tuesday May 17 | French | Mathematics
Wednesday May 18 | Spanish | European History
Thursday May 19 | Chemistry | American History
Friday May 20 | Intermediate German Advanced German Biology | Latin 4 Latin 5
2
Latin 4 or the Latin 5 examination, not both. Simi-
larly, the Intermediate or the Advanced German
examination may be taken, not both.
Coordinators will receive detailed information
on the administration of the examinations in the
Supervisor's Manual, which will be sent to them
with the test supplies.
Examination supervision and rooms
It is expected that the Coordinator, at most of the
schools offering the Advanced Placement Examina-
tions, will also supervise them. If the size of the
group to be examined is large and a number of ex-
aminations in different subjects are scheduled, he
may obtain help in conducting the examinations.
Rooms should be selected which provide the best
possible conditions for good performance on the
examinations. Since parts of the examinations in
French, German, and Spanish use tape recordings
to test the listening skills of the students, special
care should be taken to hold these examinations in
quiet rooms. Before scheduling an examination in
a particular room, the Coordinator should inspect
it to make sure that it does not give an advantage to
any individual or group of candidates. Wall dis-
plays, maps, charts, and bulletin-board or black-
board notes that relate to the subject of the examina-
tion either should not be in the room or should be
covered during the examination.
3
Student notification and records
Joint school administration
Students should be notified that the Coordinator is
responsible for making all necessary arrangements
for the examinations. It may be helpful to the Co-
ordinator to ask students to fill out a simple form
prepared by the school on which students would
indicate their intention to take the examinations. A
Master Record Card for each student, which will be
used to identify the candidate with the examinations
he has taken and the college to which his grades are
to be reported, will be sent to the Coordinator with
the examination supplies. This card should be filled
out by candidates at the time they take the examina-
tions and then returned by the Coordinator along
with the examination materials. Coordinators
should confirm the accuracy of their Master Record
Cards, since the cards will serve as the basis for
billing the school. If at the time he takes the exam-
inations the candidate does not know which college
he will attend, he should be given a Choice of Col-
lege Card (as explained on page 8).
Schools in the same area may wish to cooperate
with each other by combining their testing of Ad-
vanced Placement Examination candidates in a
single school or in a limited number of schools. The
College Board should be notified as soon as pos-
sible, but not later than February 1960, that such
an arrangement has been made. The names of the
participating schools and the name of the person
selected to receive further word about the adminis-
tration of the examinations should be included.
These schools should also submit a single combined
final estimate of the expected number of Advanced
Placement candidates by April 20, 1960. On the
basis of this estimate, a single shipment of examina-
tion supplies will be made to the school at which
the examinations are to be held.
4
For students not at participating schools
Students attending schools that do not plan to ad-
minister the Advanced Placement Examinations in
1960 have been asked to report their difficulty to the
address given on the inside front cover. The names
of nearby schools planning to administer the exam-
inations will be sent to them. These candidates will
also be advised to ask the Coordinators of these
schools if they can be accommodated at one of them.
Students who are not affiliated with any school
or who are unable to make arrangements to be
tested at a nearby school can arrange to take the
examinations at special centers operated by Edu-
cational Testing Service for the College Board. (See
page 6 for further details about fees for special
centers.) Requests for special centers in the United
States, Canada, Mexico, the Canal Zone, and the
West Indies must be received at Educational Testing
Service by April 11, 1960, and for candidates wish-
ing to be tested in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia,
Central America, and South America by March 18.
5
Fees, refunds, and honoraria
Regular fee policy
The regular fees for the Advanced Placement Ex-
aminations are $5 for registration and an additional
$8 for each examination taken. Fees are to be col-
lected by the schools in advance of giving the exam-
inations. In doing so, the schools may make what-
ever arrangements are most convenient locally;
unless the financial practice of the school prohibits
such an arrangement, the Coordinator may be se-
lected to collect the fees from Advanced Placement
candidates. Since the school is to retain a portion
of the fees, candidates who pay by check should be
instructed to make their checks payable to the
school, not the College Board.
A candidate cannot obtain a refund of either the
$5 registration fee or the $8 examination fee if he
attempts any part of an Advanced Placement Ex-
amination. In the event that a student does not
attempt an examination for which he has paid the
fee, he will be entitled to a refund of the $8 examina-
tion fee. The $5 registration fee should be refunded
only if the student does not take any examinations.
Candidates examined through schools will be in-
structed to direct any requests for refunds to the
Advanced Placement Examinations Coordinator of
the school.
Honoraria
After the examinations have been administered and
the examination materials returned to Educational
Testing Service, the school will be billed on the
basis of the number of students tested and the num-
ber of examinations actually taken, as shown on the
Master Record Cards. In computing this bill, the
sum of $5, plus $1 for each examination admin-
istered, will be deducted.
These deductions are intended to help the schools
meet some of the administrative expense of giving
the examinations. Because local school situations
are varied, the decision as to the exact use of these
funds will be made by the schools. It is intended
that the Coordinator receive at least $5 for his as-
sistance in handling the arrangements for holding
the examinations, to be paid if one or more candi-
dates take the examinations. This payment should
be regarded as a minimum reimbursement which
would be supplemented if he served as examination
supervisor, associate supervisor, or proctor.
Upon receipt of the bill from the College Board
Advanced Placement Program, the Coordinator or
whoever is in charge of the collection of fees should
disburse the funds remaining after payment of the
bill and then submit a statement to the College
Board of how the funds were allocated.
Special center fee policy
Students tested at special centers operated by Edu-
cational Testing Service will be charged a special
administration fee of $10 for each examination, in
addition to the regular $5 registration fee and the
6
⟦r⟧egular examination fee of $8 for each examina-
tion taken. If a student does not attempt an exam-
ination for which he has registered, the $8 examina-
tion fee and the $10 special administration fee will
be refunded. A refund of $2 of the $5 registration
fee will also be made only if he does not take any
examinations.
Reports to colleges and schools
The materials supporting a candidate's request for
credit and placement are sent only to the college
which he is entering. These materials, which will be
received by the college in July, include a School
Report describing the advanced course or courses
taken, the course grades, and the school's recom-
mendation regarding college credit or placement.
The college also receives an Advanced Placement
Examination report which includes the examina-
tion questions, the student's paper, the grade given
him by the reading committee, and interpretive in-
formation on examination grades. The student's
examination grade or grades are also reported to
his school in September. However, any school that
wishes to receive the examination grades earlier
may request them in July.
School Report
Forms are provided on which the school is asked
to record, for each candidate taking each examina-
7