College and Career Readiness

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS

Middle School and High School scholars need to begin as early as possible to become familiar with college entrance requirements and to include as many units of English, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign language as possible. College entrance requirements and scholarship criteria vary and some do not accept credits in some courses. Most colleges and universities also require one of two major entrance exams: The American College Testing Program (ACT) and/or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

PSAT/NMSQT

To help students in their college preparation, the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude (PSAT) is given to scholars in grades 8-10 and the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is given early in the junior year. The PSAT portion of this test can be of assistance to students when planning for college. The NMSQT portion is the only way students can compete for National Merit Scholarships or for scholarships given by many companies and associations.

TEXAS SUCCESS INITIATIVE

The TSI Assessment is a program designed to help your institution determine if you are ready for college level coursework in the general areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. This program also will help determine what type of course or intervention will best meet your needs to help you become better prepared for college level coursework if you are not ready. If you are an incoming college student in Texas, you are required to take the TSI Assessment — unless you are already exempt (read below) — to determine your readiness for college-level work. Based on how you perform, you may either be enrolled in a college-level course that matches your skill level or be placed in the appropriate developmental course or intervention to improve your skills and prepare you for success in college-level courses. Visit http://www.tsi.com/ for more information.

ACT

The ACT® test is the nation’s most popular college entrance exam accepted and valued by all universities and colleges in the United States. The ACT is based on what students learn in high school and provides personalized information about their strengths for education and career planning. Find everything you need to know about registration, test prep, scores and more on www.act.org.

SAT

The SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. The goal is to provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. That said, it is just one factor in the admissions decision. Schools also consider your high school GPA, academic transcript, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, interviews, and personal essays. The weight placed on SAT scores in admissions varies from school to school. The SAT exam is offered nationally every year in August, October, November, December, March, May and June.

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