 An important step in preparing for college is to plan and study
for the SAT/ACT exam. Most colleges in the U.S. use your scores to
assess the probability of your success in college, so your scores
can be an important attribute of your application.Though your SAT/ACT score does not necessarily guarantee or prevent
your admission, high scores can be advantageous along with the other
criteria you submit for assessment. These other materials include
your high school transcript (your grades for your classes), any
extracurricular activities, essays, and online college credit (see
section on online courses).
One advantage to the current acceptance of both test scores is that
students can choose which test they think they will do better on
based upon their strengths and weaknesses. The reason you might do
better on one test as opposed to the other is because both tests are
significantly different. The ACT tests English, math, reading, and
science reasoning; and the SAT tests math, vocabulary, and reading
comprehension. At first glance it may seem that the only major
difference is the science reasoning section on the ACT; but in fact,
there are other differences between the two tests. For example, the
SAT focuses more on vocabulary testing than does the ACT.
 Be sure to
speak to your parents, teachers, and counselors concerning standardized
tests to get their advice and instruction on registration, studying, and
practice tests. Use any resources available to you to research the
tests, what you need to know, and how to be prepared.
Find out as much as you can and schedule regular appointments with
people at your school who deal with standardized tests and college
preparation so that you stay informed about important information
and dates.
There are a couple of practice tests you can take in preparation for
the ACT or SAT. For example, you can take the PSAT or NMSQT to
prepare for the SAT, or you can take the PLAN in the 10th
grade to prepare for the ACT.
Practice tests are a good way of testing your abilities early so
that you can see what areas might need special attention when
studying for the real thing. It also gives you an opportunity to get
used to the test environment so that you will feel more comfortable
with it when you take the real test.The ACT is entirely multiple choice whereas the SAT is not. The ACT
tests English grammar, but the SAT does not; therefore, if you are
better at multiple choice questions and English grammar, then you
might prefer to take the ACT. However, it is best to check with the
colleges you think you might be interested in before you make a
decision just to be sure that they accept both scores, as there may
be some colleges that still prefer one or the other.
Sometimes, students choose to take both types of tests so they will
be prepared for whichever test score is requested on various college
application forms.
Also, it is a more comprehensive way of testing your knowledge and
abilities. |
 A
lot of students wonder what makes a good score. Our advice is simply to
aim for the highest possible score you can achieve.
Perfect scores are rare. For the ACT a perfect score (the highest
possible score you can achieve) is 36; for the SAT, a perfect score
would be 1600. Both the ACT and SAT websites offer statistics that
highlight median scores achieved across the nation, which will give
you some idea of what is possible and what is likely. However, you
should try not to compare yourself to anyone else. The national
average is not an indicator of what you personally can achieve; you
may score higher or lower.
The best thing you can do is prepare thoroughly for the test and do
your best on the test day. Some students choose to take their tests
again if they feel they didn’t achieve the best score they could.
This is fine, and many schools will accept your highest score
regardless of the number of attempts. It is probably better though
to try and prepare enough for the test to just have to take it one
time. |