1. How to Evaluate a College & Testing: PSAT, SAT & ACT
ASHS Counselors:
Eric Vorchheimer & Rhonda Paules
Kaplan K12 & College Prep:
Amy Huss

2. College Process:
Preparation
Application
Decision Making
College Match:
Academic
Social
Personal
Test Scores:
SAT
ACT
Test Optional

3. Preparation for College
Academics- What are colleges looking at?
Curriculum – CP / Honors / AP
Grade Point Average (GPA) / Class Rank
Standardized Test Scores
Extracurricular activities / Letters of Recommendation

4. Application Process Use of Abington’s Naviance Program
College specific websites
College Applications – Online availability mid-July. Common Application open Aug Review of Essay
Applications submitted -Fall of Senior year

5. Decision Making
Final decision made based on variety of factors – Be an informed consumer
If available – final visits to campus
Decision for what college student will attend must be made by May 1 of senior year.

6. Academic Matches your academic credentials: your GPA/Test scores
Does school have your intended major?
Liberal arts, undecided, specific major.
Other coursework that you may be interested in taking
Possible minor
Internships/co-op/study abroad

7. Social Nature of student body- i.e. coed, single sex, HBCU,
Religious affiliations
Clubs
Activities
Athletics

8. Personal Location- i.e. proximity to home, climate, flight vs. drive
College visits- tours, information sessions, open house dates, college fairs, 3 excused days at AHS for college visits
Size of school- large, medium, small setting
Cost- tuition (public, private, in state vs. out of state,) room and board, travel expenses

9. PSAT’s New version of the SAT since March 2016
Taken on October 19th at AHS
Results given back in January
All students given an online access code to a personalized “quickstart” page:
Learn more about personal skills
Suggestions for improvement
Career search based on interests
College searches
Personality test available

10. Kaplan Test Prep
Free SAT/ACT combo test offered at Bryn Mawr college on Saturday, November 12th or free online at:
Combined SAT/ACT test given on Saturday, January 21, at AHS
Shortened version of both tests
Full report given back to students/parents/guardians along with an explanation by a Kaplan representative
Two additional prep options available:
Free online course for ACT or SAT
In-Person classes offered at Abington
Information for Combined Test and In-Person Kaplan courses available on the Senior High Website under “Guidance” and then “Kaplan”

12. Test Structure/Format
ACT
Old SAT
New SAT
Length
3 hours 35 minutes (optional writing)
3 hours 45 minutes
3 hours 50 minutes (optional essay)
Structure
4 sections (English, Math, Reading, Science) plus optional writing portion
10 sections (3 Critical Reading, 3 Math, 3 Writing, 1 experimental unscored)
4 sections (Evidence-Based Reading, Writing, Math w/Calculator, Math w/o Calculator) plus optional essay
Scoring
Score
1 - 36
Scores range from ; 800 highest score per section
Scores out of 1600: 800 for Math and 800 for Evidence Based Reading/Writing
Wrong Answer Penalty
No Penalty
¼ of a point deduction from raw score for every wrong answer (except grid questions)
Content
Reading
Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension; Sentence Completion
Reading Comprehension; Words in Context; Evidence Based
Math
Arithmetic, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry
Arithmetic, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II
Algebra I, Data Analysis, Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra II
Science
Analysis, Interpretation, Evaluation, Basic Content, Problem Solving
No Science
No Science - but students ability to interpret charts, infographics, and data on science topics part of other portions
Writing and Language
Essay: Writing Test
English: Writing and Language Multiple Choice questions
Writing Tests
Tests grammatical and rhetorical skills
Essay
Optional; Final Section; 40 minutes; topic relevant to high school students
First Sections; 25 minutes; more abstract topic
Optional; Final Section; 50 minutes; Topic comes from a 750 word passage read on test day

13. Test Dates for 2016-2017 ACT SAT December 10, 2016 December 3, 2016
February 11, 2017
January 21, 2017
April 8, 2017
March 11, 2017
June 10, 2017
May 6, 2017
June 3, 2017
All SATs offered at Abington Senior High School; April ACT offered at Abington Senior High School
SAT registration: wwww.collegeboard.com
ACT registration:
*Fee Waivers available for students on free/reduced lunch*

14. Welcome Amy Huss, our Abington representative from Kaplan Test Preparation Services!