College Admissions Exams College 101

Standardized Tests PSAT SAT ACT PLAN ACT AP Exams

PSAT Grade 10 & 11

Why take the PSAT? Prepare for the SAT: the test uses similar questions and the same directions. Qualify for scholarships (National Merit) Compare scores with other college-bound students around the country. Forecast SAT scores. Use My College QuickStart to plan ahead for college and a career. The cutoff for National Merit status last year was 209 and this year 211 based on all juniors in Kentucky. (209 National Merits statewide – we had the most with 28.) MA – 224; CA – 223; VA - 222 Get personalized feedback on skill strengths and weaknesses. Get free information from colleges and scholarship programs. The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test measures the educational skills you have developed. These include: critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills. Students can benefit from taking the test as sophomores because they get personalized feedback on academic skills needed for college. By taking the test junior year, students have time to develop these skills and to begin the college planning.

PSAT Two 25-minute Critical Reading Sections. 13 sentence completions 35 critical reading questions Two 25-minute Math Sections. 28 multiple-choice math questions 10 student-produced responses or grid-ins One 30-minute Writing Skills Section. 14 identifying sentence errors 20 improving sentences 5 improving paragraph questions.

My College QuickStart My Online Score Report – an enhanced score report that allows students to review each test question, their answers and the correct answers with explanations. My SAT Study Plan – a customized SAT study plan based on students’ PSAT test performance, highlighting skills for review and practice. My Personality – a detailed personality test. My Major & Career Matches My College Matches

College Entrance Test SAT ACT

SAT

SAT 1+ point for questions you get correct. -1/4 point subtracted in multiple-choice Each section of your SAT will be scored on a 200-800 point scale, for possible total of 2400. You’ll also get two “subscores” on the writing section: a multiple-choice score from 20-80, and an essay score from 2 to 12.

SAT Ten sections (1) 25-minute essay (6) 25-minute sections (math, critical reading, & writing) (2) 20-minute sections (math, critical reading & writing) (1) 10-minute multiple-choice writing section Total test time: 3 hours and 45 minutes

When should I take the SAT? How many times? Most students take the SAT during the spring of their junior year of high school. Many students choose to take the SAT a second time in the fall of their senior year after becoming familiar with the test day experience. Many students take it once or twice.

SAT: Costs Registration: $51 Basic Subject Test Fee: $24.50 Sending Your Scores: $11.25 (for each school) Receiving Your Scores: Scores by Web: FREE Official Score Report: FREE Four reports are included free with every registration. This fee applies for more than four reports during registration, or any report made outside of the registration period. Using the registration score reports ensures that test scores are sent to colleges at the earliest possible moment. Colleges use standardized test scores for admission as well as scholarship awards, course placement, or selection to a specific program or major. Sending your registration score report ensures that colleges have the most complete set of information about you for use in their review processes.

SAT: Average Scores University/Colleges CR Math Boston University (MA) 580-680 590-690 Centre College (KY) 570-690 570-650 Duke University (NC) 660-750 680-790 Harvard College (MA) 700-800 700-790 Indiana University (Bloomington) 510-620 520-640 Morehead State (KY) 420-520 420-550 Northern Kentucky 440-550 450-550 Purdue University (IN) 490-610 530-660 Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech. (IN) 560-680 630-710 Stanford University (CA) 660-760 680-790 Transylvania University (KY) 530-640 530-650 University of Kentucky 500-620 500-630 University of Louisville 490-610 500-640 University of Southern California 620-720 650-740 *Scores based from 2010

Redesigned SAT The first administration of the redesigned SAT will be in the spring of 2016. The redesign primarily impacts those enrolling in college in fall 2017. PSAT will be revised and launched in the fall of 2015. Major changes: no more penalties for guessing wrong, SAT essay is optional, less focus on obscure vocabulary, and reading passage focused on science. Score highlights: 400-1600 point score scale Scores for the Essay section will be reported separately. Will give credit for every correct response and will NOT deduct for incorrect answers. More closely aligned to class work so students are prepared by their daily practice. Free test preparation materials offered online through partnership with Khan Academy & College Board. More attention will be on words that students will use throughout their lives. New emphasis on analyzing sources and using evidence to support responses. Deep focus on three areas of math: problem solving & data analysis, heart of algebra, & passport to advanced math. Reading passages that include one of the Founding Documents of America or a text from the Great Global Conversation they inspire.

ACT PLAN

ACT PLAN (grade 10) English 50 questions 30 minutes (Usage/Mechanics and Rhetorical Skills) Mathematics 40 questions 40 minutes (Pre-Algebra/Algebra and Geometry) Reading 25 questions 20 minutes Science 30 questions 25 minutes

ACT PLAN: Scores Student scores are between 1 and 32 PLAN takes the number of questions you got right on each test and translates it into a number between 1 and 32. Your Composite score is simple the average of your test scores in English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science.

ACT

ACT English 75 questions 45 minutes (Measures standard written English and rhetorical skills.) Mathematics 60 questions 60 minutes (Measure mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of grade 12.) Reading 40 questions 35 minutes (Measure reading comprehension.) Science 40 questions 35 minutes (Measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences.) Optional Writing Test 1 prompt 30 minutes (Measures writing skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses.)

Tips for Taking the ACT Answer the easy questions first, then go back and answer the more difficult ones if you have time remaining on that test. On difficult questions, eliminate as many incorrect answers as you can, then make an educated guess among those remaining. Answer every question. Your scores on the multiple-choice tests are based on the number of questions you answer correctly. There is no penalty for guessing.

ACT: Practice for the Writing Prompt Practice writing different kinds of texts, for different purposes, with different audiences in mind. The ACT Writing Test asks you to explain your perspective on an issue in a convincing way, writing opportunities like editorials or letters to the editor of a newspaper are especially helpful. It is also a good idea to get some practice writing within a time limit.

ACT: Cost Registration Sending Scores: $10 (to each school) ACT (No Writing): $33 ACT (Plus Writing): $48 Sending Scores: $10 (to each school) If you want them to the college within two days – the cost is $15.00.

ACT: FAQ Students cannot take the Writing Test, without the Multiple Choice. You must write your essay with a pencil. The ACT is scored with accuracy with readers carefully screened and trained so they are familiar with the type of writing that merits each particular score. The ACT Writing Test is designed so that the prompts can be answered within 30 minutes.

ACT: Average Scores Boston University 25-30 Centre College (KY) 26-30 Duke University (NC) 29-34 Harvard 31-35 Indiana University (Bloomington) 23-28 Morehead State (KY) 18-24 Murray State (KY) 21-26 Northern Kentucky 19-23 Purdue University (IN) 23-28 Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech. 27-31 Stanford University 29-33 Transylvania University (KY) 23-29 University of Kentucky 22-27 University of Louisville 21-27 University of Southern California 28-32

ACT College Readiness Benchmarks College Course ACT Subject Area ACT EXPLORE (8th) ACT PLAN (10th) ACT (11th) English Composition English 13 15 18 College Algebra Mathematics 17 19 22 Social Studies Reading 16 Biology Science 20 23 The Benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject-area tests that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses. These college courses include English composition, college algebra, introductory social science courses, and biology. Based on a sample of 214 institutions and more than 230,000 students from across the United States, the Benchmarks are median course placement values for these institutions and as such represent a typical set of expectations. The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are:

What is the differences between the SAT and the ACT? The ACT is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school. The SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities. The ACT has up to 5 components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test. The SAT has only 3 components: Critical Reasoning, Mathematics, and a required Writing Test. The College Board introduced a new version of the SAT in 2005, with a mandatory writing test. ACT continues to offer its well-established test, plus an optional writing test. You take the ACT Writing Test only if required by the college(s) you're applying to. The SAT has a correction for guessing. That is, they take off for wrong answers. The ACT is scored based on the number of correct answers with no penalty for guessing.

Advanced Placement Exams Taken each May by students all over the world, the AP Exam is the final step you take after a year of hard work in an AP class. Most exams are two to three hours long. Be prepared to tackle a challenging exam with limited breaks. The first part of the exam usually consists of multiple-choice questions. You will choose one of four or five answer choices for each question and use a pencil to bubble in your choice on your AP answer sheet. Your total exam score on the multiple-choice section is based only on the number of questions answered correctly. You won’t receive or lose points for incorrect answers or unanswered questions. The second part of the exam usually consists of free-response questions that require you to generate your own responses. Depending on the exam, your responses could be in the form of an essay, a solution to a problem, a spoken response and more. In most cases, you’ll be writing your response in pen in the free-response exam booklet. These standardized exams are designed to measure how well you’ve mastered the content and skills of the course — a successful score could even earn you credit and advanced placement in college.

University of Louisville – AP Course Credit AP Exam Required Exam Score Awarded Course AP English Language 3, 4, or 5 ENGL 101 (3 hours) AP Chemistry 3-CHEM201 (3hrs); 4 or 5 CHEM 201-202 (6 hrs) AP World History HIST 102 (3 hours) AP US History HIST 211-212 (6 hours) AP Calculus AB 3- MATH180 (3hrs); 4 or 5 MATH 205 (4 hrs) AP Spanish Language 4 or 5 4 – SPAN123 (4 hrs); 5 – SPAN201-202 (6 hrs) AP Biology BIOL 102 (3 hours) AP Macroeconomics ECON 202 (3 hours) AP Art History ARTH 250 (3 hours) AP Psychology PSYC 201 (3 hours) AP Statistics MATH 109 (3 hours) All courses effective fall of 2015

TCA – ACT Prep

To Raise Scores: Understanding the Test: Students need the knowledge of what is on the test and it will give them confidence. (10%) Reviewing Weakest Skills: Even though all the content is taught, many students have forgotten or did not quite get the concept at the time. (80%) Understanding Test Taking Strategies (10%)

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