Need-to-Know Information about the SAT and ACT standardized tests!!
Hello awesome Olympic students! This is an important message about STANDARDIZED TESTS – tests you need to take to get in to a 4-year college. These are AKA (also known as) the SAT test and the ACT test. This paper was written by your COUNSELORS and it is based on years of answering questions from our students about the SAT and ACT.
Oh, and we get a gazillion questions about SAT and ACT all the time so we are going to try to answer all of the questions here! A lot of the ANSWERS to these questions depend on what GRADE you are in and what KINDS OF COLLEGES you are trying to get into. For example the answers will be different for someone who is in 10th grade but planning to apply to Harvard vs. someone who is in 12th grade and planning to apply to Wake Forest (Wake Forest is one of a small handful of schools that don’t require any test scores!)
Soooo here goes! We hope you find answers to all of your questions here. If you don’t then please ask your counselor!
Who needs to take the SAT or the Act test? Anyone planning to go to a 4-year University. If you are planning to go to a 2-year college (and even if you plan to transfer LATER to a 4-year college) you do NOT need to take the SAT or ACT now. There are a FEW 4-year Universities that do not require SAT or ACT scores but they will probably want you to have a higher GPA and often times they are more expensive because they are private Universities. If you want to go to one of the 16 fabulous public Universities in North Carolina* (the cost of public Universities on average is much less than private Universities plus the 16 schools in the UNC system truly are fantastic) then you must have a qualifying SAT OR ACT score (there are minimum scores -17 for ACT and 880 for SAT)
Why do I need to take the ACT or SAT? Almost all four-year colleges look at two main things to decide whether or not to accept you or not-your GPA (Grade Point Average) and your SAT or ACT score. Yes they look at your essays and teacher recommendations and volunteer and extra-curricular activities as well, but the two most important things to most colleges are your GPA and SAT or ACT score.
Do I need to take both the SAT and the ACT? You should NOT take both tests. Well, there are some exceptions to this rule and we will explain this below but in general ALL four-year colleges just need to see an SAT OR an ACT score and NOT both!! In fact you can really improve your score greatly by studying for the test and doing lots of sample questions but if you end up studying for both tests then your scores may go up on both tests vs. if you only study for one of the tests then your scores are more likely to go up even MORE on the test you are studying for the most.
How do I decide which test to take-the SAT or the ACT? The tests are different but not drastically different. Honestly both companies just want to make money and they both want you to sign up and take the test multiple times! The best way to decide which test to take is to google both tests and do sample questions and sections from both tests to see which test you like more. You should spend between 2-10 hours thoroughly examining both tests and deciding. Once you decide then study long and hard for the one test you plan to take. If you choose to take the SAT please note that all Juniors in North Carolina public schools are given the ACT for FREE during the school day at Olympic one time in February or March of 11th grade. So if you end up concentrating on the SAT you will also have at least one ACT score from when you take it at Olympic your Junior year.
Why shouldn’t I just rely on that one test score from 11th grade when I take the ACT at Olympic? Why should I bother paying and taking it on my own on a Saturday morning? It would be great if you could study for the ACT all Junior year and then take the test at Olympic for free in February or March and then get a great test score that you can use to apply to colleges. And not have to take another test. That would be ideal. But remember that it is very important to study for the free ACT we give at Olympic. SOOOOOO often our Seniors come in to the counselor’s office in Fall of their senior year wishing they had taken the ACT more seriously when they took it for free at school their Junior year. You can save a lot of time, money, hassle, energy if you plan ahead, study for the ACT test all Junior year and then take it once when we give it at Olympic.
If I do take both the ACT and the SAT then should I report both scores? Probably not-you should look up your scores and see which one places you in the higher percentile. You can google this to find out what your percentile is or just look on the test website. There is also a chart that compares both your SAT and your ACT score—you need to google this. If you have a higher percentile on one test then report the scores that show you have a higher percentile.
When are the upcoming tests? The SAT and the ACT are both given on Saturday mornings approximately once a month throughout the school year. See the very end of this document for the upcoming testing dates for both tests.
Suppose I take one of the tests a few times and on one of the tests I do better on Math and on another test I do better on English/Reading? Which test results do I report to the colleges?
We are glad you asked! Suppose you take the SAT and the first time you take it you get a 580 on Math and a 650 on Reading/English. You decide that you REALLY want to improve that Math score so you spend tons of time studying for the Math section and then next time you take the SAT you get a 660 on Math!! But you get a 600 on Reading/English L Have no fear! Many colleges will look at all of your scores but they will superscore meaning they will add together the HIGHEST Math score you have gotten and the HIGHEST Reading/English score! Many colleges do this but not all so if you want to know which ones do you need to google the information.
How do I sign up to take the SAT or ACT? The easiest way is to google “register for SAT test” and you will be directed to create an account and sign up for the SAT on the collegeboard.com website. OR google “register for ACT test” and you will be directed to create an account and sign up for the ACT on the ACT.org website. Plan to spend about 45 minutes on the registration process.
How much do the tests cost to take? The SAT costs $47.50 if you just want to take the basic math and English portions-that is what most people do. However some colleges want you to add on the Essay portion of the SAT and then the total cost is $64.50. Before you decide on this you should look at the admissions websites of some of the colleges where you want to apply and see if they require you to take the Essay Portion of the SAT.
The cost of the ACT exam is $49.50 without the essay and $58.50 with the essay.
If you cannot afford to pay for the test and if you have Free or Reduced lunch or if you are part of the TRIO program** (helps you get into college if you are a first-generation college going student- email below) then you can ask your counselor or the TRIO counselor for a Fee Waiver. Please bring a copy of the letter showing you have Free or Reduced lunch.
Where do I take the tests? At Olympic? Recently Olympic has been offered as one of the testing sites for Saturday morning. However when you sign up to take either the SAT or ACT you may or may not see Olympic as one of the options. You can choose to take the test at another school like South Meck or Ardrey Kell. It is your choice. But this is important—if you choose to take the test at another school besides Olympic then make sure to have a good set of directions and make sure to leave plenty of time to get there that morning because they do not let you in if you are late!
When should I take the SAT or ACT? Many counselors and college advisors have different opinions on this but the most common answer is that you should take your first test in the fall of your Junior year. When you get your test results back you can see if you like your scores, if they will likely be acceptable to the colleges to which you want to apply, and if you need to study more and take the test over once, twice, or even three times. Some people take the test once and some multiple times. It is up to you and based on your goals.
If you plan to apply to Ivy League schools you may want to start the whole process earlier. If you plan to apply to extremely competitive colleges then you probably have to have a very long-range strategy.
I want to apply to very competitive colleges (for example Brown, Duke, Princeton) – is there anything else I need to be aware of? Yes! You should be starting this whole process and strategy in 9th or 10th grade. If you are reading this in 11th grade and have not started the process yet but plan to apply to very competitive colleges then see a counselor to discuss your strategy and plan. Some competitive colleges also require that you take 2 or 3 SAT Subject Tests (here is a list of the colleges that require this…you should also go on to the website of all colleges to which you are interested in applying and find out what their requirements are… https://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-list-of-colleges-that-require-sat-subject-tests ) If you are a first-generation college going student and have a very high GPA you should also consider applying to Quest Bridge and the Gates Scholar Program. If you are an undocumented student and you have a high GPA you should also look into the Golden Door Scholarship.
How do I improve my test scores? STUDY!! Take sample tests, sample questions, etc. You can study online for free by setting up an account on Khan Academy (for the SAT) or March 2 success (for the ACT). Or if you worry that you are not self-disciplined enough to study on your own then you can also sign up for classes at CPCC or at private companies like Princeton Review or Kaplan. You can also hire an SAT or Act tutor to tutor you privately.
How much do I need to study? Do you mean days and weeks and months or just one or two hours? It depends on your goals-do you want a full-ride to Duke like Faith Goodwin (Olympic ‘2018) got? She took the ACT in 10th grade and got a 27 and then she studied for a cumulative of 80 hours over the course of a year and took it three more times until she got the score she wanted-a 34. She got a full ride to Duke plus lots of other scholarship money. Laura Stahlman on the other hand (Olympic ‘2016) just wanted to go to UNC Pembroke and she took the ACT in March of her Junior year and got a 15. Pembroke said they would accept her if she took it again and got a 17. She studied for about 8 hours and then took it again and got a 17! Remember, if you want to be accepted at one of the 16 amazing public Universities in North Carolina* (list below) then you MUST have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA and a 17 on your ACT or a minimum of an 880 on the SAT. They are not allowed to admit you without these minimum test scores.
What do I need to take with me on test day? DO NOT FORGET YOUR ID!!! It has been so painful to hear about the occasional student who arrives at the test site at 7:45am on a Saturday morning only to be turned away because she does not have an ID. ALSO make sure to check and double check the information on the testing website to see what you need—a calculator? Pencils? Snacks? Water? Prepare the night before!!
How do I submit my test scores? This is something you need to do on your own by logging on to your Collegeboard account or your ACT.org account. You also need to pay to send your test scores-it’s approximately $12 to send scores. If you know what colleges you want to send scores to BEFORE you take the test then you can choose four colleges to send scores to for free.
So…I don’t have SAT or ACT scores I like and it is fall of my senior year…Should I wait to apply to college until I get better scores? It really depends. As a general rule you have a better chance of getting into a college THE EARLIER YOU APPLY. But if your test scores are TOO low you may not get accepted anyway. The best thing to do is to plan ahead and complete all of your testing by your Junior year. But if this is not possible then discuss your specific scores and college applications with your counselor because this question sometimes needs to be answered on a case by case basis.
*The 16 public Universities in North Carolina are as follows:
UNC Chapel Hill (the flagship school and the most well known) North Carolina State Winston-Salem State University North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina Central University UNC Pembroke UNC Asheville UNC School of the Arts UNC Wilmington UNC Greensboro East Carolina University Western Carolina University Appalachian State University Elizabeth City State University Fayetteville State University UNC Charlotte
**If you are a first-generation college going student (meaning neither parent graduated from a 4-year college in the United States, then you can apply to be part of the TRIO program. See Ms. Hollis in Room 247 or here is her contact information and you can email her: LaQuetia R. Hollis Talent Search Counselor – Olympic Community of Schools Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc. 4301 Sandy Porter Rd. Charlotte, NC 28273 980.343.3800 ext. 4006170 school 704.975.5045 direct 980.343.1111 fax [email protected] email
SAT testing dates: Test Date Normal Registration Late Registration Score Release
Mar 9, 2019 Feb 8, 2019 Feb 22, 2019 Mar 28, 2018
May 4, 2019 Apr 5, 2019 Apr 19, 2019 May 23, 2018
Jun 1, 2019 May 3, 2019 May 17, 2019 June 20, 2018
Anticipated Future dates Aug 29, 2019 Oct 5, 2019 Nov 2, 2019 Dec 7, 2019 March 14, 2020 May 2, 2020 June 6, 2020
ACT testing dates: Test Date Deadline Late Deadline Score Release*
Feb 9, 2019 Jan 4, 2019 Jan 18, 2019 Feb 19; Mar 5, 2019
Apr 13, 2019 Mar 8, 2019 Mar 22, 2019 Apr 23; May 7, 2019
June 8, 2019 May 3, 2019 May 17, 2019 June 18; July 2, 2019
July 13, 2019 June 14, 2019 June 21, 2019 July 23; Aug 6, 2019
Anticipated Future dates Sept 7, 2019 Oct 26, 2019 Dec 7, 2019 Feb 8, 2020 April 18, 2020 June 13, 2020 July 18, 2020