Which test do I take?

SAT Dates Structure 7 times per year (October to June) General reasoning 1. Reading: multiple choice 2. Math: up to basic Geometry and Algebra 2, multiple choice 3. Writing: grammar, essay, 25 min ACT 6 times per year (September to June) Curriculum-based: measures what student learned All multiple choice 1. Reading: Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, Natural Science 2. Math: up to Trigonometry 3. English: stresses grammar 4. Science Reasoning: charts, experiments Writing: optional, 30 min

Content

Length

3 hours, 45 min

3:15 (3:45 with writing)

Which test do I take?

SAT Yes: Guessing penalty? Score = # correct answers incorrect Scores Other uses? No ACT

1 36 per subject, 200 to 800 per section (3 averaged for composite sections = 2400 max) score National average=1500 National average=21 Scholarship purposes

Recommended at least 6 At least 4 weeks prior; Sign-up & weeks prior to test date; ~$29 + ~$15 for optional Fees ~$41.50 writing

SAT/ACT Planning
Unless you are an under-represented minority or target/niche admission, SAT/ACTs are either the first or second most important college admission element. High school grades are the other Activities come third Public statements from admissions officers downplay testing focus due to political correctness concerns over standardized testing. Their actions say otherwise

 Students will have a deadline: 25 minutes for the SAT and 30 minutes for the ACT. Tests will be scored in the same way: Each essay will be read by two scorers who will assign a number on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 the lowest score. In what officials call a "holistic" scoring method, trainees will be instructed to read the essay quickly (perhaps spending just two or three minutes) to get an overall impression and then to take "everything" into account, including organization, sentence structure and facility with language.

SAT: Sending scores to colleges

While in the past, ETS sent every SAT score simultaneously, a new policy beginning in March 2009 will allow students to pick and choose the scores sent to colleges.

ACT:
Score Choice option allows students to pick which scores they send or withhold

Essay Section

SAT First section, 25 minutes Abstract topics Select a side and stick with it

ACT Final Section, 30 minutes Topic is of importance to high school students Address counterarguments

Examples of past ACT prompts:

30 Minutes-Write in pen or pencil. Educators debate extending high school to five years because of increasing demands on students from employers and colleges to participate in extracurricular activities and community service in addition to having high grades. Some educators support extending high school to five years because they think students need more time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other educators do not support extending high school to five years because they think students would lose interest in school and attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your opinion, should high school be extended to five years?

In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

30 Minutes-Write in pen or pencil. Some cities have ordinances that limit the number of pets a city resident can own. Often, the maximum number of pets allowed is limited to three or four. Some people support the limit because they feel it protects them against having a neighborhood overrun with animals that could potentially become a public nuisance. Other people oppose the limit because they feel it infringes upon their rights as private citizens. In your opinion, should city governments be allowed to limit the number of pets a resident can own?

In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on the question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

30 Minutes-Write in pen or pencil.

Many successful adults recall a time in their life when they were considered a failure at one pursuit or another. Some of these people feel strongly that their previous failures taught them valuable lessons and led to their later successes. Others maintain that they went on to achieve success for entirely different reasons. In your opinion, can failure lead to success? Or is failure simply its own experience?

In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Examples of past SAt prompts:

A society composed of men and women who are not bound by conventionin other words, they do not act according to what others say or dois far more lively than one in which all people behave alike. When each person's character is developed individually and differences of opinion are acceptable, it is beneficial to interact with new people because they are not mere replicas of those whom one has already met.

Is it better for a society when people act as individuals rather than copying the ideas and opinions of others? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

When someone has the same ideas or views as most people do, we tend to believe that the person is reasonable and correct. Often, however, views that are considered reasonable or commonsensical are anything but sensible.

Many widely held views regarding current events, science, education, arts and literature, and many other topics ultimately prove to be wrong. The fact that an idea or view is widespreadheld by many people does not make it right.

Are widely held views often wrong, or are such views more likely to be correct? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.