As the deadline arrives to register for the March SAT exam, New Jersey students recognize that the bar is high. While the national average SAT score for the graduating class of 2017 was 1060 out of 1600, New Jersey students scored significantly higher. Statewide, they averaged 1085. But locally, many high schools posted average scores hundreds of points higher, topping at 1477 at the Middlesex County Academy for Mathematics, Science & Engineering Technologies.
Also in Middlesex County, the Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences placed second with average SAT scores of 1413 and John P. Stevens High School placed third at 1273.
In Somerset County, students at Montgomery High School earned the highest average SAT scores of 1313. Ridge High School came in next at 1281, followed by Somerset County Vo-Tech at 1231.
In Mercer County, the West Windsor-Plainsboro high schools earned top SAT scores, with “South” posting an average score of 1321 and “North” earning 1317. Princeton High School rounded out the top three with average SAT scores of 1302.
As students are frequently in competition with their peers, seeking seats at the most competitive colleges in the country, the drive to earn top SAT scores starts early in a student’s high school years. Students are allowed to take the SAT as often as they like. The test is offered annually in October, November, December, March, May, June and August.
When the time comes to apply to colleges, students are allowed-for most colleges-to pick and choose which scores to send. Many colleges even allow students to “superscore,” choosing their highest math score from one test date and their highest evidence-based reading and writing score from another test date.
The regular deadline for the March 10 SAT exam is this Friday, February 9. But students can submit a late registration, paying an additional fee, through February 28.
Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of SAT Smart in Hillsborough that has been offering PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation courses, as well as private tutoring by Ivy League educated instructors, for 25 years. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.
