Juniors-SAT & ACT Tests Around the Corner
Those of you who are completing your junior year in high school are probably planning to take or retake the SAT/ACT tests very soon. Which tests should you take? Is one type better than the other? When are the next test dates?
Both the SAT and the ACT with writing are accepted by most colleges & universities. If you can, I recommend taking both and then using the scores from the exam on which you do best. The SAT and ACT test differently, and depending on your learning and testing style, you may do much better on one than the other. In a nutshell, the SAT tests abstract reasoning skills more than the ACT, which tests you on the body of knowledge you learn in high school. Both tests include a writing component. (We'll talk about SAT Subject tests in the next post.)
SAT TEST DATES
June 6th, 2009
Registration deadline is May 5th for regular registration and May 15th (mail) or May 19th (phone). There is an additional cost for late registration.
They have not published final dates for the rest of the 2009 yet, but have tentatively set the following dates (the Saturday dates are the standard dates--if you cannot take a test on Saturday for religious reasons, they also offer Sunday dates):
October 10th & 18th
November 7th & 8th,
December 5th & 6th
January 23rd & 24th 2010
For more information about the SAT, go to www.collegeboard.com
2009 ACT TEST DATES
June 9th Registration deadline is May 8th for regular and May 22nd for late registration. There is an additional cost for late registration.
September 12th Registration deadline is August 7th for regular and August 21st for late registration.
October 24th Registration deadline is September 18th for regular and October 2nd for late registration.
December 12th Registration deadline is November 6th for regular and November 20th for late registration.
For more information about the ACT, go to: http://www.actstudent.org/index.htm
How should you prepare for these tests? Both the SAT and ACT web sites have some practice questions/tests, and you can also buy practice test books that come with cds. The book "Up Your Score: the Underground Guide to the SAT" can be both helpful and amusing to read.
Taking a prep class can also be extremely helpful, since you'll learn even more about test taking strategy. If the cost is a concern, check around--some excellent programs do provide scholarships; for example, Revolution Prep in (Santa Monica and Orange County, California) offers scholarships to needy students as well as offering a free 2 hour session over the summer. Some programs offer group classes at a lower cost. So contact test prep programs in your area before assuming you can't afford it.
Next time, we'll talk about the SAT Subject tests.
Both the SAT and the ACT with writing are accepted by most colleges & universities. If you can, I recommend taking both and then using the scores from the exam on which you do best. The SAT and ACT test differently, and depending on your learning and testing style, you may do much better on one than the other. In a nutshell, the SAT tests abstract reasoning skills more than the ACT, which tests you on the body of knowledge you learn in high school. Both tests include a writing component. (We'll talk about SAT Subject tests in the next post.)
SAT TEST DATES
June 6th, 2009
Registration deadline is May 5th for regular registration and May 15th (mail) or May 19th (phone). There is an additional cost for late registration.
They have not published final dates for the rest of the 2009 yet, but have tentatively set the following dates (the Saturday dates are the standard dates--if you cannot take a test on Saturday for religious reasons, they also offer Sunday dates):
October 10th & 18th
November 7th & 8th,
December 5th & 6th
January 23rd & 24th 2010
For more information about the SAT, go to www.collegeboard.com
2009 ACT TEST DATES
June 9th Registration deadline is May 8th for regular and May 22nd for late registration. There is an additional cost for late registration.
September 12th Registration deadline is August 7th for regular and August 21st for late registration.
October 24th Registration deadline is September 18th for regular and October 2nd for late registration.
December 12th Registration deadline is November 6th for regular and November 20th for late registration.
For more information about the ACT, go to: http://www.actstudent.org/index.htm
How should you prepare for these tests? Both the SAT and ACT web sites have some practice questions/tests, and you can also buy practice test books that come with cds. The book "Up Your Score: the Underground Guide to the SAT" can be both helpful and amusing to read.
Taking a prep class can also be extremely helpful, since you'll learn even more about test taking strategy. If the cost is a concern, check around--some excellent programs do provide scholarships; for example, Revolution Prep in (Santa Monica and Orange County, California) offers scholarships to needy students as well as offering a free 2 hour session over the summer. Some programs offer group classes at a lower cost. So contact test prep programs in your area before assuming you can't afford it.
Next time, we'll talk about the SAT Subject tests.
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