Testing

Recommendations for the Class of 2025

• We recommend that students take the SAT and/or ACT. Taking the test will put the ball in your court. You can then choose how YOU want to proceed.

• Students who are enrolled in Pre-Calculus or Calculus find the most success with Fall testing in Junior year. Students who are enrolled in Algebra II as Juniors are generally most successful in the Spring.

• If you have scores, you can decide later if you want to send those tests to each college - or apply test optional. The decision to send scores can be made by college - e.g. send to Rutgers, don't send to NYU. It's not all or nothing

• Most test optional schools are receiving around 50% of their applications without test scores, and are accepting at about the same rates.

• When looking at average test scores: 1) college website is the best resource; 2) be sure to look at data from the entering Class of 2023 od 2024 only. Scores have increased, on average, by about 100 points at most schools since schools have gone test optional; 3) try google, e.g. "Rutgers admitted student profile". This will often get you what you are looking for.

Test Optional and Test Blind

Test Optional - Students can choose to submit SAT/ACT scores, or not. It's up to the student.

Test Blind - Scores are not considered, even if submitted. The UC's are test blind, as are a few other schools.

Test Flexible - They'll take other tests - but they really want test scores. 

A reliable list of test-optional schools: FairTest.org (the most reliable source is always the college itself)

Check the college websites carefully to see their policies, and to make sure that there are no caveats (like scores are required for Nursing, or for Honors consideration, etc.). Sign up on the school's mailing list to be sure you receive the announcement as soon as it's made.

Who is NOT test optional? The entire Florida and Georgia public college and university systems. Georgetown. Purdue. University of Tennessee. MIT, Cal Tech, Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown. The military academies. 

If I test, do I have to send my scores? Not if it's test optional.

Students who have very strong scores should send them, and they will continue to provide another piece of information for the admission office.

If I don't send scores, will my transcript matter more? Yes, as will everything else. The information on your transcript, though (not just your GPA), will be the only information the school has about you. If that's strong - this can be helpful for you. If it's not as strong as you'd like, you might consider whether your test scores would be more helpful.

SAT vs ACT

Not sure which exam to take? This blog has a good chart comparing the two. When in doubt, do a practice test for both. What are you more comfortable with? You'll need to work faster on the ACT, but many students find the questions more straightforward. Other students find themselves too rushed, or don't want to take a Science section.

It's up to you!

SAT - ACT Conversion -- see which scores are equivalent

SAT Registration Information

Register at: http://sat.collegeboard.org

Students who do not have a College Board account should create one using a personal email address. Also, be sure to use your full, legal name!

Register early for best odds at your preferred testing site!

ACT Registration Information

Register at: http://www.actstudent.org

HHS is not an ACT Testing site. The nearest test site is typically Bridgewater-Raritan HS.