Most four year colleges and a few programs at community colleges require some kind of standardized admission testing. Most ARHS students take the SAT Reasoning test, once in the spring of the junior year and again the next fall. The SAT Reasoning test has three sections – Critical Reading, Math and Writing. The ACT is an equal alternative that many ARHS students take in addition to or instead of the SAT. It includes a composite score and a science section in addition to English, Reading, Math and Writing.
Register for SAT tests online at www.collegeboard.com.
Register for the ACT at www.actstudent.org. (Sign-up for “optional writing section.”)
What do the tests cost? SAT and ACT reasoning tests cost about $46 if you register on time. A major credit card or fee waiver is required for online registration. Print materials are available in the Guidance Office.
Fee waivers are available for SAT and ACT testing and college applications to anyone who is eligible for the free/reduced price lunch program. Students can get a total of two Reasoning Test waivers and two subject test waivers while in high school. See the Guidance secretaries for waivers.
What about accommodations? Students with Individualized Educational Plans or 504 plans who use extended time testing or other accommodations at school and who wish to have these accommodations on SAT Reasoning or Subject Tests or the ACT need to apply directly to the testing companies for them. They should see their special education liaison or guidance counselor well in advance of registration deadlines for instructions on how to use the online application for eligibility. The testing agencies make the final determination regarding accommodations. This can sometimes take several months, so families should begin the application process as early as possible – ninth or tenth grade is best. (Students with IEPs are not required to submit test scores to Massachusetts public universities.)
Are tests required for admission? Many colleges at all levels of selectivity are now “test-optional,” meaning that they place little to no importance on an applicant’s test scores. These colleges have differing policies regarding testing so it is important to read their websites carefully. Students should take appropriate tests; then they can decide whether or where to send the scores. See fairtest.org for a complete list of these colleges.
Highly selective colleges often require either the ACT or the SAT Reasoning tests and two or three SAT Subject tests. It is wise to check the requirements of colleges in the junior year to ensure that the appropriate tests are taken.
When do I take the SAT/ACT?
Juniors who wish to take SAT Subject tests usually take the SAT Reasoning test in March and two Subject tests in May or June. It is possible to take up to three Subject tests on one day, but two is the optimal maximum. It is not possible to take both Reasoning and Subject tests on the same day.
ARHS students most commonly find success with Subject tests in Math (level I or II), literature, foreign language or a science (Biology or Chemistry). Our history curriculum does not align with the tests very well, but students with a high interest who read a lot about history on their own sometimes do very well on either the U.S. or World History tests. Students who are considering a major in engineering should consider taking a Subject test in chemistry or physics, as a physical science Subject test is required by a few highly selective engineering programs.
Many seniors retake the SAT Reasoning test in the fall (October, November or December). SAT Subject tests are rarely repeated by ARHS students.
An increasing number of ARHS students take the ACT as well as the SAT. There are February, April, June, September, October and December ACT test dates. It is not offered at ARHS.
Students who are considering early decision/early action or University of California applications (due in November of the senior year) should complete “first-round” testing in the spring.
What happens to the scores?
Once a student has taken an SAT Reasoning or Subject test, a cumulative record is started at ETS in Princeton. (PSATs are not part of the cumulative record.) Students will be able to choose to send the best SAT Reasoning administration or individual Subject test scores to most colleges. Some colleges will require that all scores be sent. Most juniors should not send scores to any colleges on test registration forms. Seniors should send them, when college choices and scores are better known. Four reports can be sent free within a week of the test administration. There is a fee for each additional college. Students on free/reduced lunch get eight colleges free.
If students take the ACT more than once, they can choose the score that they would prefer to send to colleges. The ACT record is not cumulative so there are separate fees for sending scores from each administration. Many, but not all, ARHS students do better on the ACT.
When preparing for the ACT, students should pay particular attention to the science section, which may be unfamiliar. It tests reading comprehension, graph interpretation and how well students can sift out extraneous information, more than prior science knowledge. While taking the test, it is best to begin by reading the questions; don’t waste time reading all of the provided content first.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language is a test for non-native English speakers. Some colleges require students whose native language is not English to take it in addition to the SAT or ACT. Others may require it depending on students’ level of English proficiency as measured by the SAT or ACT. Because testing requirements differ from college to college, students whose first language is not English should always pay attention to college website information for international students, even if they have a green card or are U.S. citizens. Discuss whether you should take this test with the college advisor and the ELL teachers before registering for it, best in the fall of twelfth grade, because it is costly, and fee waivers cover only half. The Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) is given at various sites in Massachusetts, Holyoke being the closest. Registration materials and information about the test are available online at www.toefl.org.
As with athletics, academics, music, theatre and many other pursuits, standardized test performance improves with practice for most students. It is in your best interest to be well-prepared. Below are some free or low cost things you can do to prepare for the tests. Given some self-discipline, test-preparation does not have to be expensive. The ARHS Guidance Office Library has books available for loan as well as samples of SAT and ACT tests. Remember that standardized tests are only one component of an application, far less important than the academic level of challenge and grades. Remember, too, that many colleges are “test-optional.”
For the SAT
Make good use of the test preparation materials provided by the College Board (http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice)
Study the materials you received with your PSAT score.
Sign up for the SAT Question of the Day.
Use “My College Quickstart,” to which you are entitled free if you took the PSAT. Develop a customized SAT study plan based on your PSAT/NMSQT test performance, highlighting skills for review and practice.
Consider The Official SAT Online Course ($69), which provides eighteen interactive lessons, practice quizzes and tests, and score reports.
Take advantage of the free SAT and ACT Preparation materials available in the Guidance Office.
Use the comprehensive Method Test Prep program provided to you free through Naviance.
Use number2.com for free SAT preparation.
Visit the free Kaplan online quiz bank: http://www.kaptest.com/College/SAT/Kaplan-Programs/Online-Programs/CO_sat_satqbankol.html?cid=201739. Kaplan also offers print and software materials and a preparation course at various prices.
Purchase and use an SAT preparation book, either The Official SAT Study Guide from the College Board, or a number of other options from a local book store. Kaplan, Barrons and Princeton Review are the most popular. They usually cost about $20.
Visit www.princetonreview.com. Read and do everything that is free. Attend a free strategy event. Princeton Review also offers print and software materials and a preparation course at various prices.
Consider materials from www.powerprep.com, offering low cost SAT and ACT preparation ($25.00) and vocabulary building ($10.00) software.
Take the LSSE SAT Preparation course at ARHS; taught by C. Herland and J. Wilby; six 90-minute sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00-4:30 February; $135, reduced fees for students on free or reduced lunch; sign up through LSSE; course will likely be repeated in the spring and next fall.
For the ACT
ACT Online Prep™; test preparation program designed by ACT test development professionals; $19.95 for one year.
The Real ACT Prep Guide; official ACT prep guide— includes 3 actual retired ACT tests—each with an optional Writing Test.
Preparing for the ACT (80 pages, FREE; available online and in the Guidance Office).
Online Practice test questions and Test tips –FREE.
Kaplan and Princeton Review (see above) offer ACT-prep classes.
Princeton Review Assessment (PRA); free; includes “Scores Back” strategy session; This is a diagnostic comparison of the ACT and SAT, offering estimated scores on both, to aide students in deciding which test would best represent them in the college admissions process.