Testing, Testing, ...
Updated February 2007
Once a student reaches high school, there is a feeling of drowning in alphabet soup! AP, PSAT, SAT, SAT II, ACT, PSAT (NMSQT) – what is it all, and what does a student need to know? The short answer is that it varies by student. We will try to give you information here about optional standardized tests to help gifted students make the choices that are right for them. Be aware that tests change content, and colleges change their entrance requirements for tests. We will try to stay current with this information, but ultimately it is up to the student.
In a perfect world, the student would know where he/she wants to go to college as early as 9th grade (and would be assured of being accepted if requirements are met) and would use that college’s entrance requirements to plan high school classes and standardized tests accordingly throughout the high school years. Reality is that many students make up their minds as they go and don’t narrow choices until senior year. Individual choices, then, need to be made as to whether to take a test along the way when it’s academically appropriate or to wait until the student knows the test results are needed by the college of choice.
Grade 9AP?SAT II? |
Grade 10PSAT (practice)PLAN (practice for ACT) AP (esp. US history) SAT II? |
Grade 11PSAT (NMSQT)ACT SAT SAT II AP Interest Inventories |
Grade 12ACTSAT SAT II AP Interest Inventories |
ACT
(American College Testing)www.act.org
The ACT exam is a national college admissions exam. Students now have two options for ACT tests – with or without an optional Writing Test. The basic ACT test includes 4 curriculum-based, multiple-choice tests that measure students’ educational development in English, math, reading and science reasoning. It is basically an achievement test, requiring math through Algebra II, Earth Science and/or Physical Science and Biology, college prep English classes and Social Studies. The testing time is about 3 hours, with another hour added for instructions and breaks. The Writing Test option adds 30 minutes of testing time.
The ACT is given 5 times a year on national test dates in national test centers, of which EPHS (offering 4 of 5 dates) is a popular choice that fills up quickly, particularly their spring dates. It is a great idea to register in the fall for a spring test date if possible. Counselors recommend that students take the test in the spring of their junior year when they should be academically prepared for it. This date makes it possible for students to have scores available for early admission possibilities in their senior year, or to retake the test early in the senior year if the spring results were poor for some reason. The cost of the ACT with writing option is $43; it will cost $29 without the writing portion.
The ACT score report will include a composite score and each test score (English, Math, Reading, Science); the range for each is 1 (low) to 36 (high). There is no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT (as opposed to the SAT). Students who take the ACT Plus Writing will receive a Writing Test subscore ranging from 2-12 and a Combined English/Writing score (weighted writing 1/3, English 2/3) ranging from 1- 36, plus comments about the essay. Your essay will be available to your high school and the colleges that receive your score report.
The ACT is accepted at schools in the Midwest, as well as some schools elsewhere. Most EPHS students will take this test before college. A student who takes this test more than once may specify to ACT which score he wants reported to colleges (so you may not want to specify college codes on the application, but rather pay a few extra dollars to have ACT send scores to schools later). All scores would be on the EPHS transcript, unless the student asks for the removal of any.
More information is available online at www.act.org and in the Career Resource Center at the high school, where students can pick up registration and practice booklets (one per student).
The ACT offers some “Test Information Release” dates (see your Registration Booklet for dates). You can pay a small additional amount to receive a copy of the test that you took and a photocopy of your actual answer sheet. This could serve two purposes – helping you learn from your mistakes in preparation for taking the test again at another date, and checking to see that the ACT machine has properly scored your test. In the event of mistakes on their part, you may pay another fee to have them hand-score your test and correct the grade.
**If your high school senior needs to take the ACT and is interested in attending the University of Minnesota, be aware that every Friday the U of M Twin Cities campus offers the ACT to students who have applied, been admitted or are enrolled at the U. However - the test scores are only for U of M Twin Cities purposes; they will not be available at any point for other colleges. To take advantage of this opportunity, contact the Admissions office at the University at (612) 625-2008 or admissions@tc.umn.edu.
AP
(Advanced Placement)www.collegeboard.com
More competitive colleges expect EPHS students to have taken a number of Advanced Placement courses. Colleges handle Advanced Placement test results differently. Good scores on AP tests may exempt you from taking a college class, give you college credit in that area of knowledge or move you to a higher level course in that area. Some students may be able to enter college as sophomores with enough good AP scores in different areas. EPHS has a number of courses that prepare students for the corresponding AP exam. The exam itself is totally separate from the course and is optional. The government is subsidizing much of the cost of these tests to increase participation. (Cost to the student went from $85/exam in 2004/05 to $22 in 2005/06 to $10 in 2006/07.)
Students at EPHS may not be prepared to take any AP tests their first year. Some freshmen take the AP Statistics exam (after the AP Statistics course) and/or the Computer Science A or Computer Science AB exam. Sophomores who are in the Enriched English/Social block are encouraged to take the AP U.S. History exam in May of 10th grade. Most students will not be prepared for the AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC exam until junior or senior year, but students in UMTYMP may be ready in 9th and/or 10th grade.
EPHS has a number of AP classes, and a few additional courses that are not strictly ‘AP” but would be good preparation (like Enriched English/Social block and French, German and Spanish IV and V). For a listing of the current AP courses at the high school, check the EPHS website under ‘department,’ ‘gifted.’ Registration for AP exams is held in March, with all tests held on their particular national test date in May. EPHS will give those exams.
For more EPCGT information on the Advanced Placement program, see Advanced Placement.
For the most up-to-date calendar of AP exam dates (be aware that those dates are subject to change), see College Board Exam Schedule.
PLAN
www.act.org/plan/index.htmlThe PLAN is a pre-ACT test that gives a good indication of success on the ACT, so it helps students who take it to identify areas that need improvement. Eden Prairie High School offered the test to interested sophomores in 2005 as a pilot program. Starting in 2006, EPHS will give the PLAN to all sophomores (with the option of sophomores choosing the PSAT if tests are held the same day. See "PSAT" below.). The state legislature has allocated money to pay for the testing, so there is no cost. The test will be administered during classtime in October. It includes four achievement tests - English (30 minutes), Mathematics (40 minutes), Reading (20 minutes) and Science (25 minutes).
Results of the PLAN test will be made available to the high school and the student, but will not be sent to any other institutions. For more information about the PLAN at EPHS, please contact the high school gifted coordinator.
PSAT/NMSQT
(Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test)www.collegeboard.com
The PSAT measures verbal reasoning, critical reading, math problem solving and writing skills that students have developed. The PSAT is the entryway to the National Merit Scholarship Program for juniors so all juniors who “test well” should take this test whether or not they plan to take the SAT. One to two percent of juniors will become National Merit semifinalists based solely on their PSAT scores. Finalist status is dependent on additional factors. The PSAT can help students with early preparation and planning for college (a student will get on college and university mailing lists), and because of its similarity to the SAT, it can provide more practice for that test.
Sophomores may elect to take it for practice, but their scores are not used for the National Merit Scholarship qualification, so their test is PSAT only, not PSAT/NMSQT. We have highly recommended this option in the past, but with the addition of the PLAN test for sophomores (see above), sophomores may have a conflict with the tests happening on the same day (true in 2006). In that case, you will want to make a decision as to which test would be more helpful. Since the PSAT taken in the junior year may lead to National Merit recognition and possibly scholarship money, your sophomore may want to take the PSAT to see if the results indicate the need for a prep class before taking the test as a junior.
Signup at Eden Prairie High School happens in September during lunch in the Main Commons area (Watch the daily bulletin; no late signups are accepted.), with tests given at the high school during class time on a national testing date in October, usually the week of MEA. If you need a different option, be aware that some area high schools (ex: Minnetonka HS, International School and Waconia HS) administer the test that Saturday, so you should call alternate sites as soon as you can to see if any can accept your registration. Registration must be done through the school where you will be taking the test. Cost is minimal - $15.00.
SAT (SAT I: Reasoning Test)
(Scholastic Aptitude Test)www.collegeboard.com
The SAT I Reasoning Test measures critical thinking skills needed for college success in areas of critical reading and math. It also now assesses writing skills through multiplication choice questions and an essay. There will be three scores – writing, math and critical reading - each with a score on a scale of 200-800.
The math content has been enhanced from the previous version of the test and will include some content from Algebra II. Calculators are still recommended, and the College Board suggests that the calculator be at least at the scientific level. Expect the test to take 4 ½ hours with breaks.
The critical reading section has more reading than the previous version of the test. It will cover critical reading and sentence-level reading and include short and long reading passages that come from many fields including natural sciences, fiction and social science. Analogies are no longer included in the test.
The essay is considered to be a first draft and does not need to be polished. It measures your ability to organize and express ideas clearly, to develop and support the main idea, and to use standard written English. Your essay will be scored from 1-6 separately by two experienced and trained high school or college teachers. For examples of essays at each level of scoring, see the College Board website. Multiple choice writing questions measure your ability to improve sentences and paragraphs and to identify errors in areas such as subject-verb agreement, grammar, and sentence construction.
There is a penalty for wrong answers on the SAT, as opposed to the ACT which scores only the number correct.
The SAT I is given on 7 national test dates in national test centers (choices include Edina HS, Wayzata HS and Breck School, among others – but not EPHS). East coast colleges and also some colleges on the west coast (esp. California) desire the SAT I. Students in doubt about staying in the Midwest would be wise to take this test in addition to the ACT to cover all bases (unless test taking creates anxiety). With the addition of the writing portion, the cost of the test has gone up ($41.50), but fee waivers are available for students who can’t afford the test fees (and are not registering late).
Students may take the SAT as often as they want. Any SAT test taken while in high school goes on the high school transcript. Student request will remove selected test scores from your high school transcript, but when the College Board sends test scores directly to a college, the report shows all scores from SAT tests taken while in high school. Some colleges would accept SAT scores on a high school transcript in lieu of results directly from the College Board (so they would see only the test results you leave on your high school transcript) but some schools want the info directly from the College Board. Online registration is preferred at www.collegeboard.com. Information is available at the Career Resource Center, along with practice booklets (one per student). It helps to look over the registration questions in the booklet before going online to be sure you have any needed information accessible when you register.
The SAT offers some Student Answer dates and some Question and Answer dates for personal post-analysis. Check the website for details.
SAT II: Subject Tests
(Scholastic Aptitude Tests in specific subjects)www.collegeboard.com
SAT II Subject Tests fall into 5 general areas: English, history and social studies, math, sciences and languages, with many different tests available. They help colleges compare academic achievement of students from different schools. Many colleges that require SAT I results also require a couple of SAT II results. Before the advent of the new SAT I in 2005, most colleges that require SAT II results wanted to see math, writing and a third choice. Now that writing is included in SAT I, many of those same colleges require two SAT II exams – one in math (sometimes Math IIC, specifically) and a second in a scientific field if the student is planning to pursue any technical career. If the student is not choosing a technical career, the second SAT II need not be in a scientific subject. Some colleges will be very specific about the particular SAT II test(s) required.
Most SAT II (not Language tests) are offered 6 times a year on national test dates in national test centers. It is suggested that a student take a particular SAT II test as soon as possible after the relevant class is completed so the information will be fresh. Be aware that a student cannot take SAT I and SAT II on the same day. Each subject test is one hour long. A maximum of three tests may be taken on one day. A student taking only one or two subject tests may leave after his/her last test is finished. The basic registration cost for taking SAT II Subject Test(s) is $18. Each test costs an additional $8, except the language tests with listening, which cost an additional $19.
A student who completes Pre-Calculus should have the knowledge to score well on the SAT II Math 2C exam and may desire to take the exam soon after completion of the course. The SAT II Physics, Chemistry, and Biology exams would be best taken after completing an Advanced Placement course in the subject. (Check college entrance requirements to see if AP tests or SAT II tests are required or recommended to verify acquisition of the knowledge.) Students who take SAT II exams in language should have completed at least two full years of study in preparation.
Interest Inventories
There is a self-scoring career interest survey, the Career Decision-Making System, available in the Career Resource Center of the high school for a $2 fee. Students who wish to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or Strong Interest Inventory test may pick up one or the other for a fee--Myers Briggs $16, Strong Interest Inventory $9--at their Student Center. EPHS does not administer or score the tests.
Test Preparation
The Career Resource Center at EPHS has a list of local class options for ACT and/or SAT preparation including cost, location and dates. A free online study option is available at www.number2.com. It includes the new SAT course, the ACT, a vocabulary-only option and capability for “parent coaches” to oversee progress. High school students may be able to check out SAT I, specific SAT II, ACT, or AP review books from the high school Career Resource Center or Media Center or the Hennepin County Library (quantities are limited and in demand). All review books can, of course, be purchased at a bookseller and your student may wish to do so, especially if the book is needed for a longer period of time.
For further information about studying for AP exams, please see Advanced Placement.