College Admissions TestsCollege Admissions Tests

ACT or SAT

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Cost of Attendance in Indiana for Cost of Attendance in Indiana for 2011-2012 academic year2011-2012 academic year

IU $18,044 Tuition, Room & Board only Purdue $18,988 Tuition, Room & Board only Ball State $15,948 Tuition, Room & Board only USI $13,119 Tuition, Room & Board, fees VU $13,573 Tuition only (15 cr. Hrs.) Ivy Tech $3,355 Tuition only (15 cr. Hrs.) UE $38,946 Tuition, Room & Board, fees

High Test Scores = High Test Scores = Scholarship $Scholarship $

Indiana University Excellence Scholarship Award: $9,000 per year School: Indiana University Major: Any Criteria: Students with SAT score of 1340 (CR & MATH) or above or ACT composite of

30 or above and a minimum GPA of 3.8, will receive an IU Excellence Scholarship at the time of admission.

Deadline: Must have complete application file to IU by November 1, 2011.   Indiana University Prestige Scholarships Award: $4,000 per year School: Indiana University Major: Any Criteria: Students with SAT score of 1220 (CR & MATH) or above or ACT composite of

27 or above and a minimum GPA of 3.7 will receive an IU Prestige Scholarship at the time of admission.

Deadline: Must have complete application file to IU by November 1, 2011.

What is the SAT/ACT?What is the SAT/ACT?

College Admission TestsScholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) by

CollegeBoardAmerican College Test (ACT) by ACT

Why take the SAT/ACT?Why take the SAT/ACT?

Critical in Admission and Scholarship decisions Colleges will be looking at course selection,

grades earned, GPA, Class Rank, and TEST SCORES when making admissions decisions

Any 4-year institution will require SAT or ACT scores (Check w/other schools) & some scholarship programs

Only objective way for colleges to evaluate student’s readiness for college-level work

SAT vs. ACTSAT vs. ACT

SATSAT

Critical ReadingMathWritingAverage score is about 500 on each

section of the testEach section is scored on the 200-800

scale, where 200 is lowest and 800 is highest

SAT (cont.)SAT (cont.)

For each correct answer, the student earns one point

For a wrong answer to a multiple-choice question, the student loses ¼ point.

No points are deducted for unanswered questions or for wrong answers to math student-produced response questions (not multiple-choice).

ACTACT

English Math Reading Science Writing (Optional, but required by many

colleges)

ACT (cont.)ACT (cont.)

Average Composite Score (21.0) *The composite score is an average of the four test scores (Eng, Math,

Reading, & Science)

Each test is scored on the 1-36 scale, where 1 is lowest and 36 is highest

All questions multiple-choice (except Writing Test)

When do I take the SAT/ACT?When do I take the SAT/ACT?

Spring of Junior Year Allows enough time to test again and still

meet deadlinesSome admission and scholarship

decisions are made in Early Fall Most universities will tell you to take

SAT/ACT during the spring of your junior year

What does it cost?What does it cost?

SAT - $49.00 (Late Registration $26.00)ACT - $34.00 (Late Registration $21.00)

ACT Plus Writing - $49.50

How do I register?How do I register?

Online (preferred) or Paper-Pencilwww.collegeboard.com (SAT)www.actstudent.org (ACT)Limited registration materials available

in the guidance officeBarr-Reeve School Code: 152395

Additional Registration Additional Registration InformationInformation

Select four institutions you wish to receive your scores (May request more than four, but requires extra fee.)

Must include high school code 152395 or we will not receive your test scores (Could delay college application process)

Additional Registration Additional Registration Information (cont.)Information (cont.)

If you are a 21st Century Scholar or Project Aspiree student, ask about fee waivers

Students with disabilities may be eligible to receive accommodations; Must fill out form (See Mrs. Sward)

Additional Registration Additional Registration Information (cont.)Information (cont.)

Students planning on registering with the NCAA Clearinghouse MUST request all ACT and SAT scores be reported directly to NCAA. (Code 9999)

If you plan on taking the ACT, check to see if your college requires the optional Writing portion

Understanding Deadlines…Understanding Deadlines…

2011-2012 SAT DATES

Understanding Deadlines…Understanding Deadlines…

TEST DATE REGULAR REGISTRATION

DEADLINE

LATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE

May 5 April 6 April 20

June 2 May 8 May 22

Understanding Deadlines Understanding Deadlines (cont.)…(cont.)…

2011-2012 ACT DATES

TEST DATE REGULAR DEADLINE

LATE DEADLINE

April 14 March 9 March 23

June 9 May 4 May 18

When to arrive and what to When to arrive and what to bring to the Test Center: bring to the Test Center:

Arrive no later than 7:45AM; Testing usually completed by 1:00pm

Admission Ticket Acceptable Photo Identification

(Has to have name and recognizable photo) Two No. 2 Pencils and a soft eraser (NO

PENS OR MECHANICAL PENCILS) Acceptable Calculator

What What NOTNOT to bring in the to bring in the testing room:testing room:

Cell phone, pager, PDA, or other digital/electronic equipment

Scratch paperNotes, books, dictionariesCompass, protractor, rulerHighlighterPortable listening deviceCamera

A word on cell phones….A word on cell phones….

Cell phone use is prohibited If their phone makes any noise or a student is

seen using a cell phone (even during breaks), the student may be dismissed immediately, his/her scores canceled, and the device may be confiscated and its contents, inspected.

Also applies to any other digital/electronic equipment

DON’T BRING IT!

Admission TicketsAdmission Tickets

Students can print their Admission Tickets from the testing center’s website

Only students who register by paper and do not have an email will be mailed an Admission Ticket

Students who provide an email address will also receive an Admission Ticket by email.

No one will gain entry to testing room without an Admission Ticket

Acceptable IdentificationAcceptable Identification

Acceptable photo identification in English is required

Identification must be current, recognizable and bear the student’s name exactly as it appears on the student’s Admission Ticket

Acceptable Identification Acceptable Identification (cont.)(cont.)

A Driver’s License IS an acceptable form of identification

A Social Security Card, Credit Card, Parent’s Driver’s License, Birth Certificate are NOT acceptable forms of identification

Test Taking TipsTest Taking Tips

Answer easy questions first (usually at the beginning of the section)

Make educated guesses (Rule out one or more choice)

Skip questions you really can’t answer – on the SAT no points are deducted if an answer is left blank

Limit your time on any one question

Test Taking Tips (cont.)Test Taking Tips (cont.)

Keep track of time Use your test booklet as scratch paper Mark the questions you skipped and want to

return Check your answer sheet to make sure you

are placing your answers correctly Make sure you use a No. 2 pencil Be sure to fill in/erase entire circle

Test Taking Tips (cont.)

Guessing on the ACT:

Because there is no penalty for guessing on the ACT mutliple-choice tests, it is to the student’s advantage to answer every question. A student’s raw score on each multiple-choice test is simply the number of correct responses.

How to PrepareHow to Prepare

The best way for students to prepare for the SAT is by taking challenging courses and by reading and writing as much as possible.

PSAT My College Quickstart ACT Prep Booklets available in guidance

office (practice tests w/answers) www.number2.com;

www.March2Success.com

How to prepare (cont.)How to prepare (cont.)

Test Day Simulator: an interactive sneak peek inside an SAT administration (sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-test-day-simulator)

Answers imagined: a creative exploration of answers to SAT practice questions(sat.collegeboard.com/practice/answers-imagined)

Why SAT: What students and families need to know about the SAT

(sat.collegeboard.com/why-sat)

How to prepare (cont.)How to prepare (cont.)

Free Official Online Practice Test: a free, official online practice test with automatic scoring features based on The Official SAT Online Course

(sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-practice-test) SAT Study Plans: individualized study plans

based on a student’s stage in the test-taking process

(sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-study-plan)

Questions?Questions?