Latest news with #SATscores
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani, in dig at Mayor Adams, unveils his (700-plus) SAT II scores
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani publicly released his 700-plus SAT II scores on Wednesday in a jab at critics who have seized on his college career, including his decision to identify himself as both African American and Asian on a Columbia University application. Speaking at the headquarters of the United Federation of Teachers union, Mamdani revealed he received 710 on his SAT II English exam and 740 on his world history test. 'I know now that's of great interest to Eric Adams and many others,' Mamdani said with a smirk, standing alongside UFT President Michael Mulgrew, whose powerful union endorsed the democratic socialist's mayoral bid Tuesday. Mamdani's comments about college test scores came after Adams and his supporters have made Mamdani's college career a major target for political attacks over the last several days. The controversy started when the New York Times reported last week that records hacked from Columbia University showed Mamdani had on an application to the college identified himself as both African American and Asian. Mamdani, who was born in Africa to Indian parents and later moved to the U.S., has said he checked both boxes because he felt neither option fully explained his identity. But the mayor, and an X account affiliated with his campaign called @AdamsWarRoom, assailed Mamdani for the application flap, saying he was trying to use Black identity as a trump card at a time when race was a factor in college admissions. Mamdani, who ended up attending Bowdoin College in Maine, did not get accepted at Columbia. On the heels of the application fracas, more information about Mamdani from the Columbia hack leaked out, including records showing he netted a 2,140 out of 2,400 score on his regular SAT, the lower end of the median for students admitted to the Ivy League school. 'We can tell,' the Adams war room account tweeted about his SAT score. Adams and others have also attacked Mamdani for social media posts he put out while in college, including messages espousing socialist views. 'This is horrifying,' the war room account recently wrote on X about a post Mamdani put out years ago saying industries should be 'worker owned.' As the Democratic Party's mayoral nominee, Mamdani is emerging as the favorite to win November's general election. The UFT endorsement marked another influential union backing Mamdani following his win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary. In a new poll of the November contest released Wednesday, Mamdani led with 35%, Cuomo trailed at 25%, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa at 14% and Adams placed fourth with 11%. Addressing the backlash over his tweets and college record during Wednesday's UFT press conference, Mamdani said he believes Adams is focusing on those issues to distract from 'the record at hand.' 'What I hear from New Yorkers is they can't afford their rent, they can't afford their ConEdison bill, they can't afford even a metrocard … If I was Eric Adams I would rather talk about SAT scores than the fact that he raised the rent by 9% over the first years in his mayoralty and increased it yet again this year,' he said, referring to the mayorally-controlled Rent Guidelines Board's increases on stabilized tenants. _____
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New Jersey Ivy League university ranks among top 10 hardest colleges to get into
Seeking a higher education can be stressful. Especially if your dream school happens to a popular college or an Ivy League university. The U.S. is home to some of the most renowned colleges and universities in the world, and they are also some of the hardest to get into, according to 24/7 Wall St. And even if you have an outstanding high school career, getting accepted can still be diffucult. The independent financial and opinion website sourced the National Center for Education Statistics to determine which instituions are the Hardest Colleges and Universities to Get Into across the U.S. by using several factors, ranging from admissions rates to SAT scores. Out of 50 colleges, only one from New Jersey made the list. Princeton University, in Mercer County, landed in at No. 10. Here are the findings: Admissions rate: 5.7% Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math Undergraduate students: 5,236 (61% receive financial aid) Avg. annual cost of attendance: $11,080 Graduation rate: 98% Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $110,433 These ranking are based on SAT scores and admission rates, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): 4%, 760 in reading and writing, 800 in math Harvard University: 3.2%, 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math Stanford University: 3.7%, 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math Yale University: 4.6%, 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math Brown University: 5.1%, 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math Columbia University in the City of New York: 3.9%, 750 in reading and writing, 780 in math Duke University: 6.3%, 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math Dartmouth College: 6.4%, 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math University of Chicago: 5.4%, 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math Princeton University: 5.7%, 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Princeton one of hardest universities to get accepted to: Data
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NYC students score far below state, national averages on SAT, marking some of the lowest scores in years
New York City students scored far below the rest of the state and country on the SAT — producing the lowest average scores in at least seven years, troubling new data show. Public school students in the Big Apple scored an average 473 on the math portion of last year's standardized test, which is widely used for college admissions in the US. It was a whopping 71 points below the average for the rest of New York, and 32 points below that of the rest of the country. Reading and writing scores remained flat, with NYC students averaging 482, the same as 2023 — but the rest of the state and country again far outperformed the city, with average scores of 553 and 519, respectively. The math, reading and writing portions of the test are each scored out of 800, making the highest possible score a 1600. 'It's another wake up call for New York City Public Schools to concentrate on improved instruction in core subjects,' remarked David Bloomfield, an educator professor at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. The Big Apple's SAT flop continued a steady decline that began in 2022 and marked the lowest average cores in at least seven years, according to data released by the city Department of Education Friday. The tests are typically administered from August through June. A school-by-school or borough breakdown was not immediately available. Bloomfield was shocked by an especially wide gap between Asian and white test takers compared to Black and Hispanics. Performance among each demographic on the math portion dropped in NYC compared to 2023. Asian students scored an average 582, down four points from the year before, and white students averaged a 536, down eight points from the year prior. But Hispanic students scored an average of 430 on the math section — more than 100 points less than their white counterparts and five points less than they did the year before. Black students scored an average of 426, down two points from 2023, and 118 points lower than the rest of the state's average. Nationally, math scores dropped by three points, and statewide, they ticked down one point. Asian kids in NYC did better in reading and writing compared to last year, however, while white students dropped from on average of 555 to 549. Black students' reading and writing average went up slightly, from 446 to 449, while Hispanic kids' average dropped 1 point to 445. Across the country, the reading and writing average dropped one point, while the rest of New York, not including the city, increased by one point. 'These results are a reminder that we need to keep expanding access to academic support — especially for students who haven't traditionally had it,' said Frances Kweller, director of the Manhattan- and Queens-based tutoring company Kweller Prep. 'The population of students in New York City compared to the rest of the state, compared to the rest of the country, is poorer and has more kids of color, more special ed kids and more immigrants who whose native language is other than English,' said Eric Nadelstern, who was the deputy chancellor for instruction at the DOE under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, told The Post. 'Those are the factors that I think account for the disparity in SAT scores,' he added, noting also that students who took the test last year were starting high school when COVID-19 lockdowns hit. NYC students' participation in the exam dropped from 71.5% of graduating students taking the exam in 2023 to 70.9% last year. The only demographic whose participation increased were Asians. The College Board, which administers the SAT, transitioned the test to a fully digital format in the spring of 2024. Many colleges stopped requiring SAT and ACT scores during the pandemic, but have recently reversed course. 'Colleges are moving back to 'test required' precisely because they have seen a direct correlation between SAT and ACT performance and college readiness and success,' said Linda Quarles, a Brooklyn Tech parent and vice president of the Citywide Council on High Schools. Leo Niyazov, an 11th-grader at Brooklyn Technical High School and student at Kweller Prep, knows preparing for the SAT will up his chances of getting into West Point. 'Even though many colleges are test-optional now, West Point still requires the SAT … A strong SAT score helps strengthen my whole application,' he said. Avish Jain, another Brooklyn Tech 11th-grader, is doing test prep in the hopes that his SAT score helps him get into college on scholarship. 'I wish more support was available in schools,' he said. The DOE did not respond to an inquiry from The Post.
