ACT or SAT Which test to take? Christine Williams, M.Ed

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS

ACT or SATWhich test to take?Christine Williams, M.Ed

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION

ACT Inspire Program (Formerly the PLAN test)

PSAT Exam ACT SAT Differences between ACT and SAT Testing Dates Test Taking Strategies

WHO TAKES THE ACT INSPIRE AND THE PSAT?

ACT Inspire is for grades 3-8 and then lower high school grades (9 & 10). It is normed for grade 10.

PSAT is for grades 10 & 11; however the student must take it during grade 11 to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. It is normed for grade 11.

ACT ASPIRE ASSESSMENT (FORMERLY THE PLAN AND EXPLORER TESTS)

Includes four multiple choice tests:English, Math, Reading, and Science

There is a Writing Section (30 minutes) The test lasts about four hours and 10 minutes On-line or written forms Highlights gaps between what students have learned and

what they need to learn Provides an estimated ACT Score College Readiness Estimator Study guide for the ACT For more information: http://www.discoveractaspire.org/

PSAT TESTING

Includes four multiple choice sections:Two Critical Reading and Two Math problem solving

There is a writing section (30 minutes) The test lasts two hours and ten minutes It is scored on a range from 20 to 80; mid to high 40s is the

average score. Receive feedback on strengths and weaknesses on skills

necessary for college study Creates a study guide for the SAT Qualify for National Merit Scholarship (test must be taken during

the junior year) Receive information from colleges For more information: http://

www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

Who takes the ACT/SAT?

The ACT/SAT is typically taken by High school Juniors and Seniors preparing for college.

Most students take the ACT/SAT for the first time the Spring of their Junior year, and again the fall of their Senior year.

All colleges accept the ACT/SAT as part of their college entrance requirements (in conjunction with your high school GPA, class rank and extracurricular activities).

What sections are there?What information is

covered?

ACTThere are 4 sections:

English (usage/mechanics & rhetoric)

• Mathematics (Algebra, Geometry & trigonometry)

• Reading (reading comprehension)

• Science Reasoning (data representation, research & conflicting viewpoints)

• Writing (optional essay response) How is this scored?•Each of the sections is scored individually

between 1 and 36 points.

•For your composite score (out of 36), the scores from each of the 4 primary sections are averaged together and rounded to the nearest whole number.

How do I get my scores?

•Scores are available online (www.actstudent.org ) 3-8 weeks after your testing date.

•If you took the writing portion, your scores will not be released until all portions of your test have been scored (typically 5-8 weeks after you took the test).

Do I need a specific score to pass?

•There is no set pass/fail score for the ACT

•Depending on which college you are applying for and the degree/program you want to get into, different scores may be required.

•Colleges typically post the ‘average’ scores their students receive that get in to that school or the minimum score you need to apply for a certain program.

Where can I get more information?

www.actstudent.org

There you can register, take practice tests, view your scores, and develop your plan to improve your scores.

ACT FEES AND SERVICES

ACT (no writing) $36.50 ACT (with writing) $52.50 Late registration fee $23.00 additional Standby registration fee $45.00 additional Test date change $22.00 Test center change $22.00 Test information release $19.00

Source: ACT www.actstudent.org

SELECT REGISTRATION

CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT

SATThere are 3 sections:

The critical reading section includes reading passages and sentence completions.

• The mathematics section includes questions on arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability.

• The writing section includes a short essay and multiple-choice questions on identifying errors and improving grammar and usage.

How do I get my scores?

• Scores are available online (www.collegeboard.org ) 5 weeks after your testing date.

HOW IS THIS SCORED?

Each of the sections is scored individually between 200 and 800 points.

Your raw scores are calculated for each section based on the number of questions you got correct or incorrect, or that you omitted.

Correct Answers- +1 point for questions you get correct Incorrect Answers--1/4 point subtracted for incorrect multiple-choice

0 points subtracted for incorrect student-produced response (math section)

Omitted-0 points subtracted for questions you don't answer

Additional sub scores reported for the essay (ranging from 2-12) and for multiple-choice writing questions (on a 20-80 scale).

Raw scores are converted to scale scores.

DO I NEED A SPECIFIC SCORE TO PASS?

There is no set pass/fail score for the SAT; though 500 on a section is considered average or the mean.

Depending on which college you are applying for and the degree/program you want to get into, different scores may be required.

Colleges typically post the ‘average’ scores their students receive that get in to that school or the minimum score you need to apply for a certain program.

SAT FEES AND SERVICES

SAT $52.50 SAT Subject test $26.00 Late registration fee $28.00 additional Waitlist fee $46.00 additional Test date change $28.00 Test center change $28.00 Test information release $11.25

Source: SAT www.collegeboard.org

SELECT REGISTRATION

CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT

RIVER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

ACT/SAT CODE

030228

ACT

Test date Location Registration Deadline Late Registration DeadlineSeptember 13, 2014 LHHS, MHS August 8, 2014 August 22, 2014October 25, 2014 LHHS, MHS, KHS, RVHS September 19, 2014 October 3, 2014December 13, 2014 LHHS, MHS, KHS November 7, 2014 November 21, 2014February 7, 2015 LHHS, MHS January 9, 2015 January 16, 2015April 18, 2015 RVHS, MHS, KHS March 13, 2015 March 27, 2015June 13, 2015 MHS May 8, 2015 May 22, 2015

Register at www.actstudent.orgRegular Registration fee for ACT (no Writing) is $36.50Regular Registration fee for ACT (w/ Writing) is $52.50Late registration fee is an ADDITIONAL $22.00Fee waivers are available if you think you qualify

SAT Reasoning

Test date Location Registration Deadline Late Registration DeadlineOctober 11, 2014 NHS, LHHS, LHS September 12, 2014 September 30, 2014November 8, 2014 LHHS, KHS October 9, 2014 October 28, 2014December 6, 2014 LHS, LHHS November 6, 2014 November 24, 2014January 24, 2015 KHS, LHHS December 29, 2014 January 13, 2015March 14, 2015 LHHS February 13, 2015 March 3, 2015May 2, 2015 NHS, LHS, LHHS April 6, 2015 April 21, 2015June 6, 2015 LHHS May 8, 2015 May 27, 2015

Register at www.collegeboard.orgRegular registration fee is $52.50 (Reasoning)Late registration fee is $28.00Fee waivers are available if you think you qualify

***TESTS NEED TO BE TAKEN BY DECEMBER OF SENIOR YEAR FOR UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE

Test Registration Information for 2014-15

ACT VS SAT

More curriculum based

Faster paced; students may run out of time

No penalty for guessing

Writing is optional; though recommended

Longer overall by almost 50 minutes

More difficult vocabulary; higher level thinking

Penalty for random guessing

No science except for the reading content

ACT SAT

TEST TAKING STRATEGIES

Carefully read the directions for each test. Carefully read test questions. Pace yourself-don’t spend too much time on a single

passage or question Pay attention to the five minute announcement Answer the easy questions, then go back and work on

the more difficult ones. On difficult questions, eliminate as many incorrect

answers as you can Answer every question. On the ACT, there is no penalty

for guessing. Use only a No. 2 pencil

STRATEGIES FOR MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the phrase and each choice as if it were a separate true-false statement. Then determine whether the choice is true or false. As you determine choices to be false, mark through them.

In some cases, two choices may seem correct. Reread the statement to identify slight differences in meaning and choose the best answer.

Look for answers that are grammatically correct. For example, using “an” indicates an answer beginning with a vowel. Select answers that match the statement for being plural or singular.

Look for root words in the answers that are similar to words in the phrase of the question.

If there is a wide range, choose a middle value.ACT specific Be aware of the writing styles used in each passage Consider the elements of writing in each of the underlined portions of the passage Be aware of questions with no underlined portions Refer to the scientific information in the passage when answering the question Note conflicting viewpoints in some passageshttp://www.usu.edu/arc/test_anxiety/strategies/mchints.cfm

STRATEGIES FOR ESSAY QUESTIONS Concentrate on significant ideas and their supporting information Reduce large amount of information to the main ideas Understand the key words Stay focused Use specific examples Vary your sentence structure and word choice Do some planning

Carefully consider the prompt Decide what perspective you are going to take Write down ideas Come up with opposition to it Organize your thoughtsEnd with a strong conclusion

ACT specific Do not skip lines or write in the margins Write neatly, legibly with a No. 2 pencilhttp://www.usu.edu/arc/test_anxiety/strategies/essay.cfm

TEST DAY CHECKLIST

Report to your assigned test center by 8:00 am Bring a printed copy of your test ticket. You will not be

admitted without one. Bring acceptable photo identification. You will not be

allowed to test without photo verification. You may use a permitted calculator on the Mathematics

portion of the test only. You may not share calculators. Students taking the ACT (no writing) with normal time

should be dismissed about 12:15 pm; students with the writing portion are normally dismissed about 1:00 pm.

Source: ACT www.actstudent.org

Where/When do I sign up?

You can sign up online (www.actstudent.org OR www.act.org) for any testing centerOR you may sign up with your counselor for the dates offered at your school.

ACT ONLINE PREP PROGRAM

Students receive: Two full practice tests with complete scoring using real ACT

test questions Two practice essays for the ACT Writing Test, with real-time

scoring Comprehensive content review for each of the ACT’s four

required tests Diagnostic test and personalized study plan Anywhere, anytime access via the Internet

http://www.actonlineprep.com

Source: ACT www.act.org/onlineprep

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

Review ACT Aspire and PSAT results with your child Determining which or both tests your child will be

taking in the future Access both(or either) www.actstudent.org or

www.collegeboard.org for free test prep and to view sample questions

Enroll your student in the free online ACT Prep Program through either high school

Establish a score range expectations for both(or either) test(s)

Encourage your student to set up a weekly study time for the online ACT Prep Program.

SOURCES

[i] ACT. [/i](n.d.). Retrieved from www.actstudent.org [i] ACT Aspire. [/i](n.d.). Retrieved from www.discoveractaspire.org [i] Author Stream; ACT or SAT Presentation. [/i](2013). Retrieved

from http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/ktroseth-1297150-act-or-sat-presentation/

[i] PDF Crop; ACT SAT Testing. [/i](2013). Retrieved from http://pdfcrop.in/view/ebook/aHR0cDovL2MueW1jZG4uY29tL3NpdGVzL3d3dy5zZmhzY29sbGVnZXByZXAub3JnL3Jlc291cmNlL3Jlc21nci9XZWJfVGVtcGxhdGVfSlEvQUNULVNBVC1URVNUSU5HcHJlc2VudGF0aW9uLnBkZltid25dQUNUIFNBVCBURVNUSU5H

[i] SAT. [/i])n.d.). Retrieved from www.collegeboard.org [i] Test Anxiety Management; Utah State University. [/i](n.d.).

Retrieved from http://www.usu.edu/arc/test_anxiety/ [i] Test Anxiety Tips. [/i](2013). Retrieved from

www.testanxietytips.com [i] “Test-Time” Strategies for Students, Parents, and Teachers. [/i]

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.state.tn.us/education/assessment/doc/tsteststrategies.pdf