ACT%20and%20SAT%20PREP

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ACT and SAT PREP

• Paradise High School College Nights
• November 10, 2009
• By SusanLee Torrey and Alan Rice

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ACT

• The ACT test assesses high school students'
  general educational development and their ability
  to complete college-level work.
• The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas
  English, mathematics, reading, and science.
• The Writing Test measures skill in planning and
  writing a short essay.
• www.act.org

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SAT

• SAT tests students' knowledge of subjects that
  are necessary for college success reading,
  writing, and mathematics.
• The SAT assesses the critical thinking skills
  students need for academic success in
  collegeskills that students learned in high
  school.
• www.collegeboard.com

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ACT and SAT Purpose

• For students
• To advise students about their academic standing
  statewide and nationwide
• To identify academic areas of strength and
  weakness
• For colleges and universities
• To determine a students potential academic
  performance/success in college

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ACT and SAT Use by Colleges/Universities

• Admission
• Used in conjunction with class rank, GPA,
  admission essays
• Scholarships
• Many universities have one application for
  university scholarships

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ACT Test Structure

• English Section
• Measures standard written English and rhetorical
  skills
• 75 questions
• 45 minutes
• www.act.org

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ACT English section

• The test consists of five prose passages, each
  one accompanied by multiple-choice test
  questions. Different passage types are included
  to provide variety.
• Questions ask about an underlined portion, a
  section of the passage, or the passage as a
  whole.
• Many questions include "NO CHANGE" to the
  underlined portion or the passage as one of the
  choices.
• www.act.org

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ACT Test Structure

• Mathematics Section
• Measures mathematical skills students have
  typically acquired in courses taken up to the
  beginning of grade 12.
• 60 questions
• 60 minutes
• www.act.org

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ACT Mathematics Section

• The test presents multiple-choice questions that
  require reasoning skills to solve practical
  problems in mathematics.
• Students need knowledge of basic formulas and
  computational skills to answer the problems, but
  are not required to know complex formulas and
  perform extensive computation.
• Calculators are permitted but not necessary.
• www.act.org

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ACT Test Structure

• Reading Section
• Measures reading comprehension
• 40 questions
• 35 minutes
• www.act.org

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ACT Reading Section

• Questions ask students to use referring and
  reasoning skills to
• determine main ideas
• locate and interpret significant details
• understand sequences of events
• make comparisons
• comprehend cause-effect relationships
• determine the meaning of context-dependent words,
  phrases, and statements
• draw generalizations
• analyze the author's or narrator's voice and
  method
• www.act.org

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ACT Reading Section

• The test comprises four prose passages that are
  representative of the level and kind of reading
  required in first-year college courses passages
  on topics in social studies, natural sciences,
  prose fiction, and the humanities are included.
• www.act.org

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ACT Test Structure

• Science Section
• Measures the interpretation, analysis,
  evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills
  required in the natural sciences.
• 40 questions
• 35 minutes
• www.act.org

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ACT Science Section

• The test presents seven sets of scientific
  information, each followed by a number of
  multiple-choice test questions. The scientific
  information is presented in one of three
  different formats
• data representation (graphs, tables, and other
  schematic forms)
• research summaries (descriptions of one or more
  related experiments)
• conflicting viewpoints (expressions of several
  related hypotheses or views that are inconsistent
  with one another)
• www.act.org

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ACT Science Section

• The questions require students to
• recognize and understand the basic features of,
  and concepts related to, the provided information
• examine critically the relationship between the
  information provided and the conclusions drawn or
  hypotheses developed
• generalize from given information and draw
  conclusions, gain new information, or make
  predictions
• www.act.org

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ACT Test Structure

• Writing Section
• Measures writing skills emphasized in high school
  English classes and in entry-level college
  composition courses.
• 1 prompt
• 30 minutes
• www.act.org

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ACT Writing Section

• The test consists of one writing prompt that will
  define an issue and describe two points of view
  on that issue. You are asked to respond to a
  question about your position on the issue
  described in the writing prompt. In doing so, you
  may adopt one or the other of the perspectives
  described in the prompt, or you may present a
  different point of view on the issue. Your score
  will not be affected by the point of view you
  take on the issue.
• www.act.org

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ACT Testing Tips

• Carefully read the instructions on the cover of
  the test booklet.
• Read the directions for each test carefully.
• Read each question carefully.
• www.act.org

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ACT Testing Tips

• Pace yourselfdon't spend too much time on a
  single passage or question.
• Pay attention to the announcement of five minutes
  remaining on each test.
• www.act.org

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ACT Testing Tips

• Answer the easy questions first, then go back and
  answer the more difficult ones if you have time
  remaining on that test.
• On difficult questions, eliminate as many
  incorrect answers as you can, then make an
  educated guess among those remaining.
• www.act.org

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ACT Testing Tips

• Answer every question. Your scores on the
  multiple-choice tests are based on the number of
  questions you answer correctly. There is no
  penalty for guessing.
• www.act.org
• Answer first and last questions in English and
  Math sections. The first 10-15 and last 10-15
  questions in these sections are generally easier
  than the middle questions.

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ACT Website

• www.actstudent.org

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ACT Scores

• ACT scores range from 36 to 11
• Highest score is a 36

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ACT Sample Score Report

• www.actstudent.org
• Search for sample score report

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SAT Test Structure

• Critical Reading Section
• 70 minutes (two 25-minute sections and one
  20-minute section)
• Reading comprehension, sentence completions, and
  paragraph-length critical reading
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Critical Reading

• Sentence completion questions test your
  vocabulary and your understanding of sentence
  structure. (19 questions)
• Passage-based reading questions test your
  comprehension of what is stated in or implied by
  the passage, not your prior knowledge of the
  topic. (48 questions)
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Test Structure

• Mathematics Section
• 70 minutes (two 25-minute sections and one
  20-minute section)
• Multiple-choice questions and student-produced
  responses
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Mathematics Section

• Multiple-choice questions (44 questions)
• Student-produced response questions appear
  without answer choices. You'll use your answer
  sheet to "grid in" your solution. (10 questions)
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Test Structure

• Writing Section
• 60 minutes (two 25-minute sections and one
  10-minute section)
• Multiple choice questions (35 min.) and
  student-written essay (25 min.)
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Writing Section

• The SAT begins with an essay. You'll be asked to
  present and support a point of view on a specific
  issue. Because you have only 25 minutes, your
  essay is not expected to be polishedit is meant
  to be a first draft.
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Writing Section

• The SAT writing section also includes three types
  of multiple-choice questions
• Improving sentences (25 questions)
• Identifying sentence errors (18 questions)
• Improving paragraphs (6 questions)
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Writing Section

• The multiple-choice sections measure your ability
  to
• communicate ideas clearly and effectively
• improve a piece of writing through revision and
  editing
• recognize and identify sentence-level errors
• understand grammatical elements and structures
  and how they relate to each other in a sentence
• recognize correctly formed grammatical structures
• clearly express ideas through sentence-combining
  and use of transitional words and phrases
• improve coherence of ideas within and among
  paragraphs
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Subject Tests

• The SAT Subject Tests measure your knowledge and
  skills in particular subject areas, and your
  ability to apply that knowledge.
• The SAT Subject Tests are the only national
  admissions tests that give you the opportunity to
  demonstrate mastery of content in specific
  subjects, such as English, history, mathematics,
  science, and various foreign languages.
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Testing Tips

• Answer easy questions first. The easier questions
  are usually at the start of the section, and the
  harder ones are at the end. The exception is in
  the critical reading section, where questions are
  ordered according to the logic and organization
  of each passage.
• Make educated guesses. If you can rule out one or
  more answer choices for multiple-choice
  questions, you have a better chance of guessing
  the right answer.
• Skip questions that you really can't answer. No
  points are deducted if an answer is left blank.
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Testing Tips

• Limit your time on any one question. All
  questions are worth the same number of points. If
  you need a lot of time to answer a question, go
  on to the next one. Later, you may have time to
  return to the question you skipped.
• Keep track of time. Don't spend too much time on
  any group of questions within a section.
• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT website

• www.collegeboard.com

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SAT Scores

• SAT scores range from
• 1600 to 510
• Highest score is a 1600

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SAT Sample Score Report

• Using a search engine, search for sample sat
  score report. Click on Page 1 of 6 Score Report.
  It is a sample score report provided by the
  Princeton Review.

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ACT/SAT Concordance

• www.act.org
• Search for act and sat score concordance

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ACT and SAT Test Day Tips

• Get a good nights sleep
• Eat breakfast. Take snacks for the break.
• Turn off cell phone.
• Bring a watch for time keeping.

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ACT and SAT Test Day Tips

• Bring appropriate form of ID
• Bring admission ticket.
• Bring several no. 2 pencils (no mechanical
  pencils or pens)
• Bring approved calculator (allowed but not
  necessary)

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ACT and SAT When to Take?

• Spring of junior year
• Early fall of senior year
• Last chance for seniors early second semester
  senior year (February test date)

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ACT and SAT How Many Times?

• Take at least twice.
• Statistics show that on average students improve
  1-2 points on the ACT and 50-200 points on the
  SAT.

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ACT Test Dates 2009-2010

• Test date Registration Late
  Registration
• December 12, 2009 November 6, 2009 November 7
  20, 2009
• February 6, 2010 January 5, 2010 January 6
  15, 2010
• April 10, 2010 March 5, 2010 March 6 19,
  2010
• June 12, 2010 May 7, 2010 May 8 21, 2010

ACT Fees 2009-2010
ACT test with no writing section 32.00 ACT
test with writing section 47.00 Fees include
score to student, score report to high school,
and four score reports to colleges and
universities of students choice Fee waivers
available see your campus counselor for
qualifications
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SAT Test Dates 2009-2010

• Test date Registration
• January 23, 2010 December 15, 2009
• March 13, 2010 February 4, 2010
• May 1, 2010 March 25, 2010
• June 5, 2010 April 29, 2010

SAT Fees 2009-2010
SAT test includes writing section 45 SAT
subject tests 20 Fees include score to
student, score report to high school, and four
score reports to colleges and universities of
students choice Fee waivers available see your
campus counselor for qualifications
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Admission Requirements

• University of North Texas
• Accepts ACT or SAT (must submit writing section,
  but not used for admission)
• www.unt.edu

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Admission Requirements

• Sam Houston State University
• Accepts ACT or SAT
• www.shsu.edu

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Admission Requirements

• Mid Western State University
• Accepts ACT or SAT (must submit writing portion,
  but not used for admission)
• www.mwsu.edu

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ACT/SAT Questions