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SAT & ACT: Get The Facts
The SAT and ACT were designed to give colleges yet another measure of student potential. These tests have little to do what is learned in school.
Why’s that? Because if a college just wanted to know how well a student was doing in school, GPA would tell the story. Besides, that’s what the SAT Subject Tests are for.
Case in point: 1) Plenty of students with 4.0 GPA’s score low on the SAT / ACT (1600 SAT, 24 ACT). 2) Plenty of students with low GPA's (2.0, 2.5, 3.0) score high on the SAT & ACT (2000 SAT, 29 ACT)
The SAT and ACT have to be hard. With 3.5 million kids taking the SAT and 3.4 million taking the ACT each year, these tests would be useless if every student scored high. The SAT and ACT serve as a blank slate for every student to prove him/ herself without any advanced knowledge or class work.
What, then, do the SAT and ACT really test? 1) specialized skills and thinking not learned in school. 2) the ability to apply what you know to a new situation. 3) how good you are at studying for a test (a skill essential to college success) 4) your performance. Unlike tests in school where it’s a matter of knowledge, these tests measure performance.
SAT Reasoning Test ( previously known as SAT I ) College admissions requirement.
Format: 1 essay and 170 questions on math, grammar, vocabulary, and reading. Time: 3 hours 45 minutes (225 minutes not counting the experimental). Scoring: 600 - 2400
PSAT / NMSQT
Practice mini-SAT and test for National Merit Scholarship. Not
required for college admissions.
How is the SAT scored? What is a good score? Each of the 3 sections: Reading, Math, Writing is given a 200 – 800 subscore. The 3 subscores are added together to give a 600 – 2400 TOTAL score. The Essay is separately scored on a scale of 0 – 12.
Decent = 1800+
Good = 2000+ Very Good = 2200+ ACT ( American College Test ) College admissions requirement.
Format: 1 essay (optional) and 215 questions on grammar, math, reading, and science Time: 3 hours 25 minutes (205 minutes ) Scoring: 1 - 36
PLAN
Practice mini-ACT. Not required for college admissions.
How is the ACT scored? What is a good score? Each of the 4 sections is given a 1 – 36 subscore. The 4 subscores are averaged for a 1 – 36 TOTAL score.
Decent = 27+
Good = 30+ Very Good = 33+ Should I take ACT or ACT + Writing?
Unless you are
applying to CSU, students MUST take the ACT + Writing, which adds an
additional 30 minute essay section. When should I register for the SAT or ACT? ASAP. Test Centers fill up quickly, and the sooner you sign up, the better your chances of taking the test nearby instead of 30 miles away at an unfamiliar school.
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