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Important Tests for College
Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, most Four-Year Colleges and Universities required students take either the SAT or the ACT (see below for more information) for admissions. Many colleges are now reconsidering this long held practice. For admission in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, most universities are waiving this requirement. For the latests on the California State University System's requirements visit Undergraduate Admissions and Standardized Tests.
PSAT
It is recommended that students take a preliminary college test in October of their sophomore or junior year. If you take the test in grade 11 and do well, you might qualify for participation in the National Merit Scholarship competition. The PSAT provides you with practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. You will receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses.
SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests
The SAT reasoning test is taken during your junior or senior year. The SAT Reasoning Test is made up of two sections: critical reading with writing and mathematics. It is scored from 200 to 800 on each test for a total possible score of 1600.SAT Subject Tests are no longer being offered by CollegeBoard.org.
ACT (American College Test)
Most Colleges and universities in the United States accept either the SAT or the ACT for admission. The ACT has four required sections: English, mathematics, reading comprehension and science. The optional Writing Test measures skills in high school English classes and entry level college composition courses.
Multiple Testings
Often students take these college prep tests multiple times to improve scores as colleges generally take the highest score in each subject from more than one testing in deciding to accept a student. This is often referred to as "super-scoring". Some colleges will even look at the best score in one subject on the SAT and pair it with the better score on the other subject on the ACT to build the best profile for the applicant. Resently, the ACT has made some important changes to their reporting proceedures and will now allow testing of individual sub-tests once the overall test has been taken before. ACT will even super-score a composit score for students based on multiple testings. Click here for more information.College Entrance Exams Some private and out of state universities may require students to take an entrance exam. Others may require placement exam if a certain level of in Math and English are not demonstrated on a student's transcript or through SAT or ACT scores. Check with the college/university that you anticipate attending to find out which exam or exams are accepted or needed as part of the admissions process. Almost all schools require the SAT or ACT.
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