College Readiness Assessments
College Admission Testing- What's your Plan?
ACT, SAT, PSAT, TSI, not to mention, EOC...there are quite a few tests that students take in high school to prepare and assess them for college readiness.
PSAT
All 10th-11th grade students take the PSAT in October in order to prepare them for the College Admissions tests they will take in their junior year.
All students who took the October PSAT at VHS should receive their scores by mid December.
Understanding PSAT Scores & College Testing
Check out the Workshop Series for previous webinars on understanding PSAT Scores and College Testing.
Accessing Your PSAT Scores
Students can log into their College Board accounts by going to:https://studentscores.collegeboard.org/home.
They should click Add Scores. In the Matching Tool, it is essential that the information in their account matches what they entered on their answer sheet. For example, if they put “Elizabeth” on their answer sheet and “Beth” in their account, their scores will not load. If they need to change their name, they must call Customer Service. All other changes can be made right in their account.
If that still doesn’t populate the scores, the student will be prompted to indicate which test they’re missing and put in their unique access code to assist the match. Students must click on 2015 score administration. If they are selecting 2016, it will not register for the fall PSAT.
If you are having trouble accessing the student account with College Board, you can call their help center at 866-433-7728.
Tools to understand PSAT Scores
Understanding your PSAT/NMSQT Score Report: Encourage students to watch this video to learn all about the new reports.
Understanding Your Scores: This page is a good resource for students and parents, particularly for understanding percentiles.
SAT
SAT Prep with Khan Academy
College Board has partnered with Khan Academy to provide valuable SAT test prep resources. Here are just a few of the features and benefits:
It's free!
It's personalized! Students can access personalized test prep material based off their previous PSAT scores.
It's interactive! Students can practice problems, see examples, and watch helpful videos and tutorials.
It's practical! Students can print practice tests and have them scored, giving you valuable feedback on areas of improvement.
College Board Information for Parents
Parents.collegeboard.org: Resources and webinars for parents
padres.collegeboard.org (en Espanol)
TSI
Please see the VHS College & Career Center Website for information on the TSI Assessment and Exemptions.
Resources
Leander ISD Partners with a program called More Than a Teacher for test prep help.
This presentation by More Than A Teacher explains PSAT, SAT, and ACT scores and preparation for each.
PSAT Test Scores and Understanding College Admissions Testing
Recommended Timeline
Students often take a PSAT in the fall of their 10th and 11th grade years then take the SAT and/or ACT beginning in the Spring of their Junior years. See a recommended timeline HERE on More Than a Teacher's resource page.
SAT or ACT?
We recommend students take both the ACT and SAT during their Junior year so they can compare scores and see which test is a best fit for them. We encourage students to choose the test on which they scored higher and felt confident, then do some test prep, and retake that exam.
For a comparison of PSAT, SAT, and ACT scores check out the comparison chart HERE on More Than a Teacher's resource page.
Test Prep
Leander ISD partners with More Than A Teacher, a test prep company that offers preparation courses on our campus.
*There are many test prep agencies, books, websites, and apps out there that also maybe a best fit for your student!