Students generally take the ACT and/or SAT test at the end of their junior year in high school.

ACT
There are four main sections to this test: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning; and an optional Writing Section.  Each section is scored from 1-36 (highest), and the Composite is a rough average of these scores. There is NO penalty for guessing. The ACT's monthly News You Can Use electronic newsletter provides short articles to inform students and parents about college and career planning: go to http://www.act.org/news/use/index.html

SAT
There are three main sections to this test: Verbal, Math, and Writing. Each section is scored from 200-800 (highest), and the total score is the sum of these three scores. A fraction of a point is subtracted for incorrect answers, but NOT for any unanswered questions.

STUDY HINTS
One of the best ways to prepare for these college entrance exams is by doing practice problems. Working on practice tests allows students to become familiar with the instructions, test format, and types of questions they can expect on the actual tests. Practice problems may be obtained from several sources, including:

A practice test booklet that comes with the registration packet Books from the school or public libraries Computer software programs Internet sites such as www.maxthetest.com

HOW TO REGISTER
Registration packets are available in the Counseling Center throughout the year.