SAT and ACT: More than just acronyms...

Hi there, mentees!

I hope all is well. I am back once again with a very informational post on two standardized exams that will be a significant part of your high school experience and college admissions later on.

These two exams are taken at the end of Junior year (11th grade) and beginning of Senior year (12th grade). They are aptitude exams designed to measure how well you might perform in a college-level setting. They are by no means measures of IQ- in fact many people who are extremely intelligent and talented don't earn scores that border perfection. Unfortunately, some people just don't do so hot on them because:

1. They suffer from testing anxiety

2. The timing on these exams is very limited

3. These exams are more about practice and strategies than hard knowledge

BUT, do not feel discouraged! As Mater Lions, we are very fortunate to have excellent resources to prepare for these frightening exams. Your Junior year, you will each be enrolled in an SAT Prep Course, half a year of Math, and half a year of Reading/Writing. I personally found this course to be very helpful (although quite challenging!) and I do believe it helped raise my scores. The main factor on performing well on these exams is PRACTICE, and in this class you will be forced to be practice for a few hours two or three times a week, and you'll pick up very useful skills. If you want more practice, there are dozens of books in the Media Center that you can check out to practice on your own, too. There are also tons of website and applications that you can use!

Now on to the nitty gritty: what do these exams even look like?

The SAT is the oldest of the two, the original and most widely recognized (although almost all colleges will accept either the SAT or ACT). The ACT has a very different structure and timing. Some people do better on one exam, so I recommend you take both at least once!! I took my SAT in March of my Junior year, and was happy with my score, but then I took the ACT in April just to see, and realized I'm more of an ACT person. I decided to not retake the SAT and instead retook the ACT in September of my Senior year to see if my score could improve some more.

This year, both exams changed a little bit and by the time you take them they may even change again. I did a little research, however, and here is the breakdown of both exams. As of now, the SAT has actually become more similar to the ACT than when I took it.

SAT

Here's the general breakdown:

If you are curious about more specific features, like the question types on the exam, check out this link. Warning: do not be freaked out by the difficulty of the exam. The learning you'll do throughout the next years of high school and your SAT Prep class will more than prepare you to do well on this exam. http://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-guide-to-the-new-sat-in-2016

ACT

As you grow older, you'll start to gain an idea of the score you'll want to earn. This is based mainly on the type of college you'd like to attend. Scores are of course not everything, but to maximize your chances of being admitted, you'll need to be informed of what a "good" score for the schools you're applying to is. When you receive your scores a few weeks after taking the exams, it is crucial to look at what percentile you fall in, as this compares you to other fellow students in the country and state. For example, though you think your score of 29/36 on the ACT is low, if you look at the percentiles and you're in the 85th percentile, that's not bad! That means out of all students who took the exam that day, you performed better than 85% of them- not too shabby if you ask me.

There you have it, folks. After a long and winded post, we've finally reached the end. I know this is a lot of information and it can be overwhelming, but this is one of those topics that you don't have to worry about too much the first years of high school. Surely, you now know it is something you'll have to face eventually, but for now don't sweat it too much, kiddies.

All the best,

Laura