SAT & ACT

One important factor that colleges use to consider students for admission is their score on either the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or ACT (American College Test). These tests, also called college entrance exams, are designed to measure students’ skills and help colleges evaluate how ready students are for college-level work.

 

 

Both the ACT and SAT Reasoning are accepted at colleges and universities across the nation. The UC's and some private colleges still require the Optional Writing portion/essay on both the SAT and ACT.

 

 

Students who are on the free/reduced lunch program take the SAT and ACT for free. You must complete the meal application every year to qualify for fee waivers. If you have not done so, fill out the LAUSD meal application here: LAUSD Meal Application

 

Fee Waivers are available in the College Center. You are eligible for the following number of fee waivers:

 

YOU must create an account and register online to take either the SAT or ACT.

To register for the SAT/SAT Subject Test: https://sat.collegeboard.org/home

To register for the ACT: http://www.act.org/content/act/en/register.html

 

Some competitive UC programs and private/out-of-state colleges may require or recommend that students take one or more SAT Subject Exams. Students can take up to 3 SAT Subject Exams in one testing day.

 

Taking SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Exams require two separate testing days, so plan ahead.

 

Students should take the SAT Subject Exam at the end of the school year when the corresponding course is completed. For example, if taking the U.S. History exam, a student will want to take the SAT Subject Exam in U.S. History in May or June of the year the course is completed.

 

The following SAT Subject Exams are available:

 

The national average for the new SAT is 1000 (minus the essay). For the ACT, it's between 20 and 21. If you are close to these averages you will likely be accepted into a considerable number of colleges and universities (as long as you have decent grades), but may not be considered at more selective schools. Above average SAT/ACT scores will improve your chances of getting into a more selective school.

Scores below a 850 on the SAT or a 15 on ACT are considered low at just about any four-year college. You can overcome low scores with good grades or an outstanding application. But even if you're accepted by a four-year college, the school may advise or require you to take some remedial courses as a freshman.

Not sure where you stand? Most colleges publish admission data regarding the previous year's freshman class. Check out the range of scores on each school's "Freshman Admission Profile" by googling the name of the school and "Freshman Admission Profile." (ie UC Berkeley Freshman Admission Profile, etc...)

Unless you pulled in a perfect 1600 or 36, you can always improve your score. Some students are confident that their numbers are high enough to get them into the college of their choice. But unless you're an honorary member of the admissions committee, you never know.

A good SAT score or ACT score can also help you snag additional scholarship money. Even if you have already been accepted to a college, you may want to consider taking the test again (say, in December or January of senior year) for that reason.

 

There are tons of free resources both online and in person to help you prepare for the SAT or ACT. Check out the following sites:

	SAT	ACT
Why Take It	Colleges use SAT scores for admissions and merit-based scholarships.	Colleges use ACT scores for admissions and merit-based scholarships.
Test Structure	Math Reading Writing and Language	Math Reading English Science
Length	Essay (Optional) 3 hours (without essay) 3 hours, 50 minutes (with essay)	Essay (Optional) 2 hours, 55 minutes (without essay) 3 hours, 40 minutes (with essay)
Reading	5 reading passages	4 reading passages
Science	None	1 science section testing your critical thinking skills (not your specific science knowledge)
Math	Arithmetic Algebra I & II Geometry, Trigonometry and Data Analysis	Arithmetic Algebra I & II Geometry and Trigonometry
Tools	Some math questions don't allow you to use a calculator.	You can use a calculator on all math questions.
Essays	Optional. The essay will test your comprehension of a source text.	Optional. The essay will test how well you evaluate and analyze complex issues.
How It's Scored	Scored on a scale of 400–1600	Scored on a scale of 1–36