SAT & ACT

Read These Articles to Help you Decide Whether to Take / Retake the SAT or ACT

• Test-Optional Colleges: Complete List of 900+ Schools : Plus an explanation of what "test-optional," "test-blind," and "test-flexible" mean and how to decide whether to submit SAT/ACT scores or not.

• What Are Test-Blind Colleges? Complete List and Explanation

• Which Colleges Don't Require SAT/ACT Scores for 2022-23 Admissions? (newly added this year). Additional information to add to the above articles.

IMPORTANT TEST INFORMATION FOR LAKELAND STUDENTS

• Students can choose to retake the SAT or take the ACT on their own as an additional opportunity to have a higher standardized test score. This is an individual choice and depends on where you plan to apply and what that school’s admission and scholarship requirements are. 

• Many colleges have changed their SAT requirements in the past year or two. Many are “test-optional” now instead of requiring it for admission. Visit individual college websites for their policies. Even if the college does not require SAT scores, students can still submit them for consideration, which, depending on their score, could help them for admission, scholarships and college class placement purposes.  Read above articles for a very good explanation that will answer most of your questions.

• In most cases, you will want to take these tests no later than December so you can receive your scores back by the time colleges need them for application and scholarship consideration.

Prep Scholar's Recommendations:

Submit test scores if:

• Your test scores are strong (at or near the 75th percentiles of admitted students to the school)

• You don't have other strong test scores (AP tests, IB Tests, etc.) to send

• The school still recommends submitting scores if you can

Don't submit test scores if:

• Your test scores are low (Below 50th percentiles of admitted students)

• You're confident other areas of your application (GPA, class rank, extracurriculars, etc.) make up for a lack of test scores

• You have strong test scores from other exams (AP tests, IB Tests, etc.) that you will submit

All LHS Juniors have an opportunity to participate in the Idaho Statewide free SAT testing day each year in April. 

 Juniors or Seniors can take the ACT at their own cost, following their April SAT test date. Many Lakeland students do better on the ACT, which includes a science component. Take both the ACT and the SAT to increase your chances at a higher score. Juniors may also choose to take or retake the ACT and SAT in the fall of their senior year as needed. In order to ensure that colleges have your scores in time for admission and scholarships decisions, you should take these tests no later than December of your senior year, and preferably in the summer or early fall. Look at individual college deadlines when making this decision.

Juniors and Seniors are encouraged to take the SAT/ACT and consider retaking the SAT for a higher score if needed, depending on where they are planning to attend college. Either the ACT or SAT are accepted by most colleges and universities, and they will use the highest of these scores.  Check college or university web sites to determine which college admission tests are accepted and the specific SAT/ACT score requirements. Some colleges are "test-optional" which means they will not require scores for admission, but they may be used for scholarship and/or class placement purposes.

Check to see if your college "superscores." This means that they will take your highest math score and your highest reading score, even if they weren't on the same test date, and will combine them to come up with a higher "superscore."

College bound students should also take the PSAT during October of their junior year. This test lets the students know how they compare to other college bound students as well as giving the students practice in taking the college entrance tests. The PSAT is also used in the determination of National Merit Scholarship Competition.

Study guides for the SAT and ACT are located in the Counseling Center. You can also find practice tests online. 

If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, check with Ms. Paquette about getting a fee waiver for the SAT and ACT.

The Lakeland High School Code is (130525) for test registration

ACT vs SAT: 11 Key Differences to Help You Pick the Right Test