Supporting high school students and their families.
Supporting high school students and their families.
As a requirement for admission, most all colleges and universities will require either the SAT or ACT. The majority of colleges across the country will accept either one or both.
The SAT and ACT are designed primarily to measure the student's aptitude for college-level work, the student's achievements in a variety of subjects, and weigh their strength against other applicants.
It is recommended that the student take both the SAT and ACT at least two times. Students often score better with subsequent tests and colleges usually only consider the highest score when determining the student's eligibility for enrollment.
The PSAT is a preparatory test for the SAT and should be taken in the student's high school sophomore and junior year. Testing as a high school junior year may result in National Merit Scholarship eligibility.
The PSAT's full name is the PSAT/NMSQT — Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It is administered by the College Board and serves two key purposes: giving students a realistic preview of the SAT in a lower-stakes environment, and serving as the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program when taken in 11th grade.
The PSAT covers the same content areas as the SAT — Evidence-Based Reading & Writing and Math — but is slightly shorter and does not include an essay. The test takes approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes and is administered at your high school, typically in October.
Students who score in the top percentile of their state on the PSAT during junior year may be recognized as National Merit Semifinalists, and eventually Finalists. This distinction is highly valued by colleges and can lead to significant scholarship opportunities both from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and from individual institutions that offer awards to National Merit Finalists.
Taking the PSAT in both sophomore and junior year is strongly recommended. Your sophomore score is purely practice and carries no scholarship implications, making it an ideal opportunity to identify which areas need the most attention before the SAT. Use your PSAT score report to guide your SAT preparation — the College Board provides detailed feedback on exactly which skills to work on.
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions. The ACT is offered nationally seven times each year and is accepted by all colleges and universities in the United States.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT includes a dedicated Science Reasoning section, making it a particularly strong fit for students who excel in science and data interpretation. The four required sections are English (grammar and usage), Mathematics (pre-algebra through trigonometry), Reading (comprehension and analysis), and Science (reasoning and data interpretation). An optional Writing section is available and required by some colleges — check each school's requirements.
Each of the four sections is scored on a scale of 1–36. The composite score is the average of those four section scores, also reported on a 1–36 scale. The median composite score nationally is approximately 20. The optional Writing (essay) section receives a separate score of 2–12 and does not affect the composite. Many colleges accept ACT Superscoring — taking the highest section score from each test date to produce the best possible composite.
The ACT takes approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes without the essay (3 hours 35 minutes with Writing). It is offered seven times per year, typically in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. Registration fees are approximately $63 without the essay and $88 with the Writing section.
Both tests are equally accepted by colleges. Students who are strong in science and prefer straightforward multiple-choice questions often perform better on the ACT. Students who prefer more reading-focused reasoning questions often lean toward the SAT. Taking a full practice test of each is the most reliable way to find out which format plays to your strengths.
The SAT exam is offered nationally seven times every year, is one of two standardized college admissions tests in the United States, and is widely accepted by most all colleges and universities in the country.
The SAT is administered by the College Board and consists of two main sections: Evidence-Based Reading & Writing (which combines a Reading test and a Writing & Language test) and Math (with calculator-permitted and no-calculator portions). The test takes approximately 3 hours to complete. There is no essay section — College Board eliminated the optional SAT Essay in 2021.
Each of the two main sections is scored 200–800, for a combined total of 400–1600. The national average score is approximately 1050. In addition to the total score, the College Board provides subscores and cross-test scores that give detailed insight into specific skill areas such as command of evidence, expression of ideas, and problem solving & data analysis — useful for identifying exactly where to focus prep time.
The College Board's Score Choice feature allows students to select which test date scores to send to colleges — you are never required to send every sitting. Many colleges also practice SAT Superscoring, combining your highest Evidence-Based Reading & Writing score from one sitting with your highest Math score from another, resulting in the best possible composite. Always check each school's policy, but this makes retaking the SAT a low-risk strategy.
Many colleges have moved to test-optional admissions policies, meaning a strong SAT score can only help — never hurt — an application. Submitting a competitive score still strengthens your application and can increase eligibility for merit-based scholarships, so preparing thoroughly remains worthwhile regardless of a school's policy.
SAT II Subject Tests are also given on particular areas such as math, English, and science. A great many institutions use the SAT Subject Tests for admission, course placement, and course selection.
SAT Subject Tests were one-hour multiple-choice exams offered in 20 specific subjects across five categories: English, History, Mathematics, Science, and Languages. Highly selective institutions — particularly those in the Ivy League and comparable schools — historically required two or three Subject Test scores as part of their admissions process. They were also widely used for course placement at the college level, allowing students who scored well to place out of introductory courses.
While these tests are no longer available, students applying to highly selective schools should research each institution's current testing policies, as some may have introduced alternative ways to demonstrate subject-matter strength.
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