College Entrance Exams
There are several college entrance exams that you may be required to take based on your choice of college or university. A brief description of each is provided below. Check with each university you plan to apply to in order to find out what their requirements are. High School Exit Exam The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) It is recommended that sophomores and juniors take the PSAT to familiarize themselves with the test. Taking the PSAT allows students to receive their scores and test questions, and thereby learn their test-taking strengths and weaknesses. The PSAT is NOT a college admissions exam, so it poses no risk to a student's future admissions prospects. PSAT scores also qualify juniors for the National Merit Scholarship. For more information, or to take a quick practice test, visit the College Board's PSAT website. SAT I Reasoning (SAT I) Each section is scored on a scale of 200-800 and is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. The test is administered several times a year. For more information, visit the College Board's SAT I website. SAT Subject Tests (SAT II) Many colleges require or recommend one or more of the Subject Tests for admission. Used in combination with other background information (your high school record, scores from other tests like the SAT I, teacher recommendations, etc.), they provide a dependable measure of your academic achievement and are a good predictor of future performance. For more information, visit the College Board's SAT II website. For practice tests, visit the College Board's Learning Center, where you can also find test taking tips. ACT Assessment
Required College Entrance Examinations Tests
All students beginning with the Class of 2006 must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order to receive a high school diploma. The untimed test mandated by the State of California tests student competency in Reading, Writing, and Math. For more information, visit the state's website at:http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/cahsee
The PSAT is a practice SAT exam offered once a year in October. It is a multiple-choice test that measures basic verbal, mathematical reasoning, and writing abilities for standard academic performance in college. It consists of three sections, verbal (lasting 50 minutes), mathematical (lasting 50 minutes), and writing (lasting 30 minutes). The test measures the student's ability to reason with facts and ideas rather than a simple recitation and recall of facts. PSAT scores are good predictors of a student's performance on the SAT.
The SAT, is a three-hour and forty-five minute test that measures crital reading and mathematical reasoning skills and writing ability students have developed over time. Many colleges and universities use the SAT as one indicator among others-class rank, high school GPA, extracurricular activities, personal essay, and teacher recommendations-of a student's readiness to do college-level work. SAT scores are compared with the scores of other applicants, and the accepted scores at an institution, and can be used as a basis for awarding merit-based financial aid.
Subject Tests, are each and hour long and are mostly multiple-choice tests. They measure how much students know about a particular academic subject and how well they can apply that knowledge. The 22 Subject Tests that include a variety of disciplines. If Math is to be taken, it must be Math II.
The ACT Assessment is designed to assess high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The tests cover five skill areas: Writing, English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. For more information, visit the ACT website. They also have good information on planning for college, and thinking about future careers.
