College entrance exam scores are important tools for universities. Unlike report card grades, which can be inflated by grading subjectivity, ACT and SAT scores are standardized and nationally normed. This means that students across the nation are given the same time limits, similar questions, and their scores are comparable.
Preparing for College Entrance Exams
Because preparing for and taking the exams are stressful, time-consuming, and expensive, parents and teenagers should compare the tests and decide which test is most appropriate. To determine which test to take, parents should do the following:
- Decide which colleges a student might attend, and contact the admissions office to find out testing score requirements.
- Contact the high school guidance office for information about test prep sessions and testing dates.
- Go to a bookstore and buy some test-preparation books.
- Download the available practice tests from the test websites.
Almost all schools accept ACT scores, but more rigorous, exclusive universities tend to use the SAT (although they will often have an ACT option).
ACT Overview
ACT test questions are based on standard high school level curriculum. There are four sections:
- math (pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry)
- English language arts (punctuation, grammar and usage, structure, and organization).
- reading comprehension
- science (Earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics)
Each test has a maximum of 36 points per section, and the four scores are averaged together to determine the final score. The test takes almost four hours.
SAT Overview
The SAT has changed over recent years, and the analogies that most parents remember are no longer part of the test. It is almost four hours long. It tests students:
- critical thinking (grammar, usage, and style)
- critical reading (reading comprehension)
- math ( operations, algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability)
- writing (including multiple choice questions and essay writing)
The maximum score on the new SAT Reasoning Test is 2400 (800 on math, 800 on critical reading, and 800 on writing, for a combined score of 2400. For additional information on the changes in the SAT visit the College Board's Web site.
Retaking the ACT or the SAT
Teenagers do not need to take both tests; it may be strategically smarter to focus on one test and prepare for that test. According to the ACT Newsroom, 55% of students who retake the ACT typically improve their scores. In their "Retaking the Test" article, the College Board reports the same increase for juniors who retake the SAT, saying "Research shows that the average student who retests increases his or her combined critical reading, writing, and mathematics scores by approximately 40 points."
Most universities require one of the tests. Fair Test, an organization committed to decreasing test irregularities, lists the universities that do not require college entrance exams on their website, and they have a searchable database to find universities that consider testing optional for admission.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
