Chapter 14

Due to the varying difficulty levels of the exam each year, the cutoff score for each year changed as well. Simply using scores to determine which universities one could get into was neither rigorous nor scientific. What truly matters was the ranking. At Linden High School, there would be four to five students who would qualify for Harvard or Yale each year. But, in the end, only two to three would actually get in. Stephen's ranking of seventh in the grade was still about 50 points short of the cutoff for Harvard and Yale. To Zachary, 50 points would seem impossible. But Stephen was confident. It would all come down to the optional essay paper. He had always been weak in writing, usually scoring only around 160 points in essays. But now that he knew about the essay topic ahead of time, he was sure he could easily get that extra 50 points. Getting into Harvard or Yale was a real possibility. But in truth, both universities were not aligned with his long-term plans for life. He wan