Preparing For College - ACT & SAT Information

Another school year has begun, and now is the time for high school juniors - especially if they dream of attending a highly selective college - to start thinking about taking the SAT and/or ACT. Besides good transcripts and letters of recommendation, entrance exams are an important part of the admission process. While some colleges have waived these tests as a requirement, many colleges and universities still rely heavily on SAT and ACT scores to help in admissions decisions. A typical applicant to a competitive college might boast section scores in the upper 20s for the ACT and above 600 for the SAT.
SAT - Originally introduced in 1926 as a test for Ivy League applicants, today the SAT is used by many different colleges. This test spans three hours and 45 minutes with sections in reading, writing and math. The questions are multiple choice, except for ten student-produced response math questions and an essay. The highest score possible is 2400. The SAT test is given seven times a year, usually on a Saturday. It is typically taken by juniors and seniors. Female students average about 40 points lower than male students on the SAT, even though females earn higher grades than males in high school and college. Homeschoolers tend to do well on the SAT. For more information about homeschoolers and the SAT, see:http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/tests/meet-tests/21302.html
ACT - Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the ACT is a standardized test that measures high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The ACT was introduced in 1959 as an alternative to the SAT. The core exam, not including the optional essay, takes two hours and 55 minutes. Multiple choice sections cover four key curriculum areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The optional writing test measures skill in planning and writing a short essay. The ACT is offered four to six times a year (depending on the state) in September, October, December, February, April and June. For more info, see: http://www.act.org  

Traditionally, the ACT has been widely used in Midwestern and Southern states while the SAT is popular on the East and West coasts. However, both exams are accepted by most colleges. The ACT is based on facts learned in school; the SAT focuses on critical thinking and reasoning skills. This means that one test may be a better fit for some students than others. For example, students who perform poorly on the ACT may find that they do better on the SAT and vice versa. Since there's a good chance of doing well on at least one of these exams, a student would be wise to take both. In fact, more and more students are opting to take one of each test rather than repeating the same test over again to try and improve their score.
SAT and ACT test results are equally valued although they are scored differently. Each SAT section yields a score from 200 to 800, while ACT section scores top out at 36. A recent study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) found that coaching for standardized college admission tests can yield positive gains of at least 30 points. Even relatively small improvements in test scores may have a significant impact. For example, it's possible to miss out on a scholarship cutoff by just a couple of points, and a slight increase in test scores can boost the chances of being admitted to certain colleges. In other words, every little bit helps!
A wide range of test prep resources are available including practice tests, books, software, websites, local test prep courses, and one-on-one tutoring. Students who stress out over the idea of standardized testing and who don't generally excel on tests may benefit greatly from utilizing one or more of these tools. A student who simply concentrates on preparing himself for the tricky format of these exams can obtain good results without huge amounts of work. All students should do at least some basic test preparation, such as reviewing an algebra textbook if it has been a few years since their last algebra class. Of course, the best preparation of all is to take challenging courses and to study hard in school.