1. SAT or ACT Which is best for me?

2. SAT format Critical reading: two 25 minute sections one 20 minute section Short and long passages, sentence completion 200-800 points

3. SAT format Mathematics: two 25 minute sections one 20 minute section multiple choice grid-ins 200-800 points

4. SAT format Writing: two 25 minute sections one 10 minute section essay (25-minute) grammar usage (multiple choice) 200-800 points

5. SAT format Experimental: one section will not be scored. Questions are used as tests to see if they are valid to appear on future tests

6. How is SAT scored? Students receive one point for every correct answer. Students lose ¼ point for every incorrect answer. There is no penalty for guessing on grid-in questions. The essay is scored on a 6-point scale.

7. The Essay Essays tend to fall in two categories: – 1, 2, or 3 (must be very poor quality) – 4, 5, or 6 (most essays fall into this category) – Two readers have less than two minutes to read an electronic copy of the hand-written essay. – If scores vary more than two points, a third reader breaks the deadlock.

8. Why is 600 the lowest score? Each section is worth between 200-800 points. With deductions for wrong answers, it would be theoretically possible to earn a negative score.

9. ACT format SectionTimingScoring English45 minutes1-36 Math60 minutes1-36 Reading 35 minutes1-36 Science 35 minutes1-36 TOTAL3 hourscomposite 1-36

10. ACT scoring No guessing penalty Tests vary in difficulty from date to date Even single points affect percentile rankings in middle range (example: 20 equals 48%; 23 equals 70%) WorkKey questions carry more value.

11. ACT English (compare SAT writing) Conventions: grammar, usage, mechanics Style: brevity, word choice, relevance Organization: sentence order, sentence choice, paragraph order ACT essay is optional with $14 extra charge

12. SAT Reading Prose fiction passage: short story or excerpt from novel Social science passage: essay or excerpt about anthropology, archaeology, business, psychology, education, economics, law Natural science passage: essay or excerpt about anatomy, physics, biology, medicine, geology, botany, zoology, chemistry, etc.

13. Process of elimination How many states begin with the letter N? – A. 1C. 8 – B. 5D. 25 – Which choices can automatically be discarded?

14. Test taking strategies for Writing Read efficiently Identify the issue Pause at each underlined portion Predict and Eliminate Read answer choices and question stems Rule out choices that dont address the issue

15. Writing strategies continued Plug in – Substitute the remaining choices – Select the best choice

16. Comparing the tests SAT – $41 – 3 ½ hours – Essay included – ¼ point penalty for guessing – 2400 = perfect score ACT – $21 – 3 hours – Essay optional ($14) – No penalty for guessing – 36 = perfect score – Includes science portion