ACT: American College Testing program.
AP: Advanced Placement program.SAT: Scholastic Achievement Test.
PSAT/NMSQT: Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
The SAT and the ACT. Does it matter which one you take as a college admission test? Not really. Test experts say students should check to see if the school they want to attend has a stated preference, but both exams are accepted by nearly all U.S. colleges and universities.
A high score on the PSAT, which is taken by high school sophomores or juniors, could lead to designation as a National Merit Scholar, a prestigious award looked upon very favorably by admissions officers and scholarship directors all over the country.
Officials also suggest that students take both tests at the end of their junior year.
The ACT has 215 multiple-choice questions in English, mathematics, reading comprehension and science reasoning and takes about three hours and 30 minutes to complete, including the time spent on breaks. Actual testing time is two hours and 55 minutes.
The test is proctored in October, December, February, April and June. In some states, the ACT also is given in late September. Cost is $21. See www.act.org for more information. Registration is required months in advance.
The SAT I costs $21.50 and consists of 138 verbal and math sections and will take about 90 minutes to complete. The SAT II consists of subject tests. These are one-hour exams in specific areas. Cost is $18 for one test, $23 for two tests and $28 for three tests.
Programs such as pre-medicine and engineering often require tests in biology, chemistry and physics. Calculators are allowed on all of the tests.
The next national test date for the SAT I and II is May 1. The deadline for registration is March 26. See www.collegeboard.com for more information.
Information also can be given to students by high school counselors or by testing companies.
Call the ACT at 1-319-337-1270 and SAT at 1-609-771-7600.