QUESTIONS ABOUT COLLEGE TESTS

QUESTIONS ABOUT COLLEGE TESTS

It’s spring, when a young junior’s heart turns to—testing! If the soup of choices is confusing you, try on these answers for size:


Q: Are there any test dates left for this year?
A: Yes. Both tests are offered towards the end of the school year—but you want to sign up for them now to make sure you will be taking the test at a high school close to home.


Q: You mean, I might not end up taking the test at my own high school?
A: Correct. Not all high schools offer the tests, and those that do have a limited number of seats—so once those are gone, you’ll be given a seat at a high school that could be a bit of a drive.


Q: OK. Which test should I take?
A: Every college that recruits nationally (and requires a test) is happy to look at either the SAT or the ACT. Some states offer scholarships for students who take certain tests (Michigan, for example, gives out cash for eligible students who score high on the ACT), so scope that out. In addition, some students find one of the two tests is just easier for them to understand, so that’s the one they take.


Q: How do they figure that out?
A: By trying out sample questions that come in a booklet you can get from your high school. Sample questions are online as well at www.act.org and www.collegeboard.com




Q: OK—so which test should I take?
A: In a perfect world, you would take each test once in spring of your junior year, look at your scores, figure out which test is best for you, then take that one a second time—in your junior year, if possible.


Q: I’m in spring sports, so I don’t know if I can squeeze in a test on a Saturday. Is it OK to wait until fall?
A: Many colleges review applications starting in September, and they’ll hold your app until they get your scores In some states, you can take ACT in September, so that means the college would get your scores in October—that’s OK, but some of these colleges (called rolling admission colleges) have a lot of apps by then, so getting admitted can be harder.

QUESTIONS ABOUT COLLEGE TESTS


Q: What if all of my colleges have a January 1st application deadline?
A: If that’s the case, taking tests in the fall is cool—however, that may mean you won’t hear back from any of your colleges until April 1st, and that’s a long time to wait. You might want to throw in a favorite rolling admissions college as well.


Q: The forms I’m filling out for the SAT and ACT let me send my scores to a few colleges. Shouldn’t I see them first before I send them?
A: It’s up to you. Many, many colleges do not penalize students for low scores—so if your scores are low this time and you get higher scores the second time around, the college will simply use the higher scores in reviewing your file. In addition, some colleges mix and match your subscores—so they would take the best ACT Science score and the best ACT Reading Score, even if they came from different times you took the test. Of course, there are some colleges that really only want to see your best stuff—so if you have some colleges in mind, call them and ask what they do with multiple test results, then decide how to fill out the forms.

COLLEGE COUNSELOR's BOOK GETS POSITIVE FEEDBACK

COLLEGE COUNSELOR's BOOK GETS POSITIVE FEEDBACK

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COLLEGE COUNSELOR's BOOK GETS POSITIVE FEEDBACK