College Testing FAQ

The PSAT includes reading, writing and language, and math. The test measures your current abilities and pinpoints areas for development.

A student’s total PSAT score will range from 320-1520. This is a sum score of the Math and Evidence Based Reading & Writing sections. Each section will have a score range of 160-760.

The total score and section scores will be accompanied by a nationally representative sample percentile ranking, which demonstrates the percentage of students across the country in a particular grade whose score falls at or below your score. For example, a junior whose Math percentile is 63 scored higher or equal to 63% of juniors across the country in that section.

Additionally, a student’s score report will include a section titled “College and Career Readiness Benchmarks”, which can serve as an indicator as to a student’s level of preparedness for college, following high school graduation. If a student scores below the benchmark, we encourage them to use the feedback provided on their score report in order to improve their skills.

The benchmark scores are broken down into three sections: test scores, cross test scores, and subscores, with a scale that indicates whether you meet/exceed, approach, or do not meet the benchmark. Under “Test Scores” you will receive scores ranging from 8-38 for reading, writing and language, and math. The “Cross Test Scores” rate your analyzing skills in History/Social Studies and Science based on questions answered in the Reading, Writing and Language, and Math sections of the test. These scores also range from 8-38.

The PSAT score report will also provide Subscores in the following areas.
Reading and Writing Language:
- Command of Evidence
- Words in Context
- Expression of Ideas
- Standard English Conventions

Math:
- Heart of Algebra
- Problem Solving and Data Analysis
- Passport to Advanced Math

These scores will range from 1-15.

The PSAT is 2 hours, 45 minutes in length.

We encourage students to take the PSAT during their sophomore and junior years at Central. Students should speak with their counselor directly regarding their individual plan, if they have questions.

The PSAT essentially serves as a practice test, prior to a student taking the SAT. PSAT scores are not reported to colleges and universities, and students will be introduced to a test that is similar in length and content to the SAT. Students who take the PSAT will receive feedback on strengths and areas in need of improvement prior to taking the SAT and applying to colleges. Additionally, juniors can qualify for National Merit Recognition. Students who select “yes” to the Student Search Service on the test will also be able to receive information from colleges and universities across the country.

Students should not feel any pressure to study for the PSAT as it is intended to be a practice test. However, please feel free to check out these practice tools on Collegeboard’s website: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nms...

Stay calm! The PSAT is for a student’s own benefit and scores are not reported to colleges. Students will receive feedback on their strengths and areas in need of improvement, so they have the opportunity to improve prior to taking the SAT. It is a “no stress test".

Also, be sure to eat breakfast, arrive on time and bring all necessary materials to avoid any test day stress.

- #2 Pencils
- Calculator
- Photo ID
- PSAT Admission Ticket

No. PSAT scores are not reported to colleges or universities, but rather are intended to help prepare for the SAT, and to qualify juniors for National Merit and other scholarships and recognitions.

The SAT is a standardized test used for college admissions. It tests a student’s reasoning ability in the areas of Mathematics, Critical Reading and Writing. Please note that the SAT is a reasoning test; it tests what a student does with what he/she knows.

You will see the following on the SAT:

- 52 questions on Evidence-Based Reading (5 passages, 500-750 words/passage)
- 44 questions on Writing & Language (4 passages, 400-450 words/passage)
- 20 questions on Math No Calculator (Algebra, Data Analysis, Geometry, Trigonometry)
- 38 questions Math + Calculator (Algebra, Data Analysis, Geometry, Trigonometry)
- Essay *Optional* (Read, analyze 650-700 word document, draft essay explaining how author builds an argument)

The test is 3 hours, 50 minutes with the essay; 3 hours without it. On the SAT, there is no penalty for guessing and no vocabulary that you’ll never use again, according to CollegeBoard. Visit https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/ to learn more about the SAT.

We encourage students to take the SAT during their junior year.

Counselors recommend that students take the SAT more than once, for comparison purposes.

For complete location, date, and time information, as well as for information on test registration, please visit: www.collegeboard.org.

Visit: https://sat.collegeboard.org/home

- Create an account.
- Make sure you register with your legal name that matches your school records.
- Keep your username and password in a safe place; this information will be used frequently throughout high school.
- Consider creating a separate email account (i.e.JohnSmithCollege@gmail.com) for college email correspondence.

- #2 Pencils
- Calculator
- Photo ID
- SAT Admission Ticket

Subject Tests are hour-long, content-based, single subject tests that are required by some schools - many times, selective schools. Please check the admissions requirements of schools in which you are interested, to see if they require Subject Tests. A student can take up to three Subject Tests per sitting but cannot take the SAT and Subject Tests on the same day.

In general, you’ll want to take SAT Subject Tests right after you’ve completed the recommended classes, because the material will still be fresh in your mind. In some cases, this may mean spring of your freshman or sophomore year. For the language tests, however, you should consider taking these tests after you’ve studied the language for at least two years.

Check the recommended preparation guidelines for each Subject Test here: https://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-subject-...

More information about Subject Tests can be found here: https://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests/sat-subje...

For complete location, date and time information, as well as for information on test registration, please go to: www.actstudent.org

Go to: www.actstudent.org:

- Establish an account.
- Click on “Registration.”
- Make sure you register with your legal name that matches your school records.
- Keep username and password in a safe place; you will use this information frequently.
- Consider creating a separate email account (i.e.JohnSmithCollege@gmail.com) for college email correspondence.

The ACT is a second standardized test option for college admissions. The ACT is a knowledge-based test; it tests what a student knows.

The ACT has up to five components: English, Math, Reading, Science and an optional Writing test.

The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete (or just over 4 hours if a student is taking the optional writing test).

Always check college admissions requirements for individual schools, to see which tests are accepted for admission. Most colleges will accept both the ACT and the SAT.

To learn how the SAT compares to the ACT visit: www.princetonreview.com/sat-act.aspx.

The ACT test measures skills across a large domain, while the SAT will measure fewer things much more deeply. For example:

- In the SAT’s Reading Test and optional essay, students are asked not only to demonstrate their understanding of texts but, in many cases, also to explain their reasoning (e.g., by determining which portion of a reading passage provides the best textual evidence for the answer to another question).

- In the SAT’s Math Test, students are asked to respond to multi-step problems that are presented in real-life contexts, like those they will encounter in college and in their careers.

- In the SAT, students are also asked to analyze and synthesize both words and numbers and to find inconsistencies in the information they convey. This is an important difference in what is being measured by the new test.

ACT and the CollegeBoard have completed a concordance study that is designed to examine the relationship between two scores on the ACT and SAT. These concordance tables do not equate scores, but rather provide a tool for finding comparable scores. http://www.act.org/solutions/college-career-readin...