The Ambitious Push For Ray Dass Test Prep

After many colleges lost the requirement for standardized tests during the pandemic, many Loyola students, especially underclassmen, have begun to see the SAT and PSAT as redundant. However, as colleges become more selective and reinstate the need for standardized testing, Loyola has made the preliminary decision to implement formal test prep into its curriculum (5% of English and math grade) for both freshman and sophomores.

This commitment to excellence comes in the form of an already infamous name on campus: Ray Dass. Loyola in recent months has extensively partnered with Ray Dass Test Prep and SARA, an educational software program, in a push for improved standardized test scores and the associated scholarships that come with it. This implementation comes in a variety of manners, ranging from solo test prep to online courses with accredited professionals. Incredibly, nearly all facets of this advantageous program, including one-on-one lessons and practice tests, are open to the entire student body of Loyola.

One of the principal scholarships students are looking to achieve is the National Merit Scholarship, awarded to only the highest performing students on their junior year PSAT. If achieved, students are eligible for scholarships that award up to twenty-eight thousand dollars for prestigious schools like USC and Northeastern University. Not only that, but Loyola argues that preparation for the PSAT will also aid younger students through college admissions tests in the future.

While it might seem extreme to start preparing for a test three years in advance, Robb Gorr, Assistant Principal of Academics, seems to think otherwise. Gorr expressed, “As a college prep school, we want to give our students every tool that we can to make sure that they’re ready to be successful on these standardized tests. If they are able to achieve national merit status, possible scholarship opportunities and acceptance into more selective schools are a very real possibility … We wanted to equip our students with these tools and make sure that they’re ready to test.”

Yet, this is not the first time the name Ray Dass has appeared on campus. In fact, the name is already all too familiar to many juniors who have partaken in online learning over the summer. The summer through October “Merit Program” invites only the top scorers of the sophomore year PSAT with the goal of conditioning students to attain the National Merit Scholarship their junior year. However, unlike other Ray Dass programs, it comes alongside a heavy course load and a premium paid by parents.

On his experience with the Merit Program, Columban Baggot ’27 shared, “While I do believe there is some merit to the program, the amount of work assigned is nearly impossible to complete with my schedule … You would have to drop extracurriculars to keep up with it, it’s so bad.”

No matter the amount of work assigned, it is clear that practice is better than procrastination when it comes to these highly crucial tests. Moreover, the entire Ray Dass suite is open to all Loyola students, free of charge. In a world with so many different forms of test prep, Ray Dass provides a free and easily accessible option for academic growth.

Gorr noted, “We know families spend a lot of money on test prep and we feel like this is a proven program that I’m excited to offer … I think there are other programs out there that are fine, they’re just expensive too.”

However, some more provocative steps have also been taken to cement test preparation into Loyola’s academic policy. For the first time in the school’s history, test preparation has become part of the grading scale. For both the freshman and sophomore classes, their participation in SARA test prep now accounts for up to 10% of their overall grade, taking 5% from English and math respectively.

The implementation of SARA and systemized test prep is no doubt a boon for the entirety of the student body, yet many are now asking if it should take up so much of their time and grade. Gorr expressed, “It’s not an accuracy thing; it’s just making sure that students are staying up to date with that test prep material, and it’s definitely going to work in conjunction with the curriculum that they have in the class … (the coursework and test prep) will work in tandem together.”

While some questions are still being raised about the implementation of Ray Dass at Loyola, hopes remain high that a little hard work now will help aid students through admissions and beyond.