SAT TESTING DATES

Oct. 1 — Register by Sep. 9

Nov. 5 — Register by Oct. 7

Dec. 3 — Register by Nov. 8

Jan. 28 — Register by Dec. 30

Mar. 10 (no Subject Tests) — Register by Feb. 10

May 5 — Register by Apr. 6

Jun. 2 — Register by May 8

 

Fee: $49

(See www.collegeboard.org for any additional costs.)


 

ACT TESTING DATES

Sep. 10 — Register by Aug. 12
Oct. 22 — Register by Sep. 16
Dec. 10 — Register by Nov. 4
Feb. 11 — Register by Jan. 13
Apr. 14 — Register by Mar. 9
Jun. 9 — Register by May 4

Fee with writing portion: $49.50
Fee without writing portion: $39
(See www.actstudent.org for any additional costs.)


WHEN SHOULD A STUDENT TAKE THE SAT?
According to CollegeBoard, " Most students take the SAT during their junior or senior year in high school. At least half of all students take the SAT twice — in the spring of their junior year and in the fall of their senior year. Most students also improve their score the second time around.

For the SAT Subject Tests™, most students take them toward the end of their junior year or at the beginning of their senior year. In general, you should take tests such as World History, Biology E/M, Chemistry or Physics as soon as possible after completing the course in the subject. Students tend to do better on other tests like languages after at least two years of study."

See their website for developing a detailed testing plan.

WHICH TO TAKE: ACT OR SAT?
Be sure to find out if the colleges you are applying to accept either test. Some colleges still only accept the SAT, and more selective schools may also require the SAT II (Subject tests).

Depending on a student's particular strengths and weaknesses, a student may perform significantly better on one test than the other. Try taking a practice test of each and see how you score. Students planning to attend college should take the SAT or ACT at least once in their junior year and in the fall of their senior year. Students may take the tests as many times as the tests are offered. The ACT is a content-based test, whereas the SAT tests critical thinking and problem solving skills. The chart below makes a comparison between the two tests.

 

ACT   SAT
3 hours, 25 minutes (including the 30-minute optional Writing Test) 
3 hours, 45 minutes 
English, Math, Reading, & Science, Writing Optional   Critical Reading, Math, Writing
Reading Comprehension - 4 passages with 10 questions each passage   Reading Comprehension - short & long passages w/questions; sentence completion  
Math - arithmetic, algebra, geometry, algebra II, and trigonometry   Math - arithmetic, algebra, geometry, algebra II 

Science - analysis, interpretation, evaluation, basic content, and problem solving
Science - none
Essay - optional; last section on test; 30 minutes; not included in composite score; topic of importance to high school students                               
Essay - required; first section on test; 25 minutes; part of overall score; topic is more abstract than ACT 
Composite score ranges from 1-36 and is the average of scores from the 4 sections; scores for each test also range from 1-36; optional Writing is scored 0-12 The Critical Reading score and the Math score are reported on a scale from 200-800 and the score of each are added together for a total score, with additional sub scores reported for the essay (ranging from 2-12) and for multiple-choice writing questions (on a 20-80 scale). 
No penalty for wrong answers.                                 
¼ point subtracted for each wrong answer (except for Math Grid-In questions)