If your student is planning on pursuing post-secondary training and educational options, please consider the following general guidelines:
Military Service: requires a transcript and often requires ASVAB testing. Check with a branch recruiter for specific requirements. For a specific description of the ASVAB, click this link: http://official-asvab.com/applicants.htm
2-year colleges: require a transcript and often require either SAT or ACT scores and/or the Accuplacer.
4-year colleges: require a transcript and often require either SAT or ACT scores, though some colleges are test-optional for admission.
Different Testing Options
The Accuplacer:
The Accuplacer is a computerized, adaptive assessment that many colleges use for placement purposes. There are either 4 or 5 sections, depending on the institution. They include reading comprehension, sentence skills, arithmetic, algebra, and writing. The results are immediate, and the test is un-timed. This test is often used to determine whether students are placed in credit-bearing courses or developmental courses (required but not counted for credit). Check with individual institutions for cut-off scores and placement policies. Students must test with the institution requiring the exam.
The SAT
Are standardized tests used by many, but not all, 4-year colleges as a part of the Admission process. All Juniors took the SAT last year at MHS as required by the Maine Department of Education. SAT scores can be forwarded to colleges by the student using his/her Collegeboard.com account. Some colleges will accept a paper copy from the Guidance Office, however, most colleges require an OFFICIAL COPY OF SCORES which can only be accessed through the student’s Collegeboard.com account. Students may register through their Collegeboard.com account if they wish to retake the SAT. It is offered 6 times a year. Please go to www.collegeboard.com/sat for more information.
SAT Subject Tests:
These exams are offered at the same time as the SAT, and students register for them by going to their collegeboard.com account. SAT SUBJECT TESTS ARE USUALLY REQUIRED AT SELECTIVE COLLEGES (i.e. Tufts University, Yale, Colby, etc.). Please don’t register for an SAT Subject Test unless you need to!
You can register for the SAT Subject tests right through your College Board.com account by going to this page: www.collegeboard.com/sat
The ASVAB:
The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students.
For specific programs, additional testing may be required, such as the HOBET (for occupational therapy applicants) or PAX-RN (for nursing applicants) at KVCC.
Please be sure to ask in advance if other testing is needed for specific programs.