College Entrance Exams
Many ELP students and/or their parents are ready to discuss ACT/SAT testing sooner than junior year. If you are interested in learning more about these standardized tests, including dates of administration, costs and preparation materials, you may want to explore the following websites.
ACT materials: http://www.act.org/
PSAT and SAT information: https://www.collegeboard.org/
Occasionally ELP students in grades 9-10 take the ACT and/or the SAT for a baseline score. We recommend that students complete their first ACT and/or SAT without any advance preparation. This allows a student to identify areas of relative strength and weakness, and to more efficiently prepare for the test in the junior year.
The PSAT is a pre-SAT exam taken in October of the junior year and offers entrance into the National Merit Scholarship Program for those scoring in the top 1-2%. We recommend targeted preparation for this exam, as students may only report the score from this single opportunity to compete for National Merit.
What constitutes a "good score" on the ACT or SAT?
There is no one answer for that question. Many college scholarships have a minimum score, which is usually in the high 20s or low 30s on the ACT. Comparable SAT scores would range from around 1250 around 1400. However, most college entrance and scholarship requirements are a combination of ACT/SAT, GPA, class rank and high school coursework, so those with lower assessment scores can compensate with higher values in other areas.
Should I take the test "with writing"?
Some universities and colleges require the "with writing" score but many do not, so there may be an advantage to completing the "writing" version of the exam. Double check the list of colleges that you are interested in to verify their requirements.
Should I take the ACT or SAT?
Most colleges will accept either an ACT or SAT score, so there may not be a need to take both assessments. It used to be common that Midwestern schools wanted ACT and the SAT was preferred on the coasts and in the south, but many colleges have changed their policies. Explore university/college websites for more information about policies from specific institutions.
An additional note regarding standardized testing
The norms for the ACT and SAT are for college-bound juniors and seniors. Most younger students will not have completed the entire range of coursework juniors and seniors have, so students and parents should be prepared for a lower score than on past standardized exams.
Example: an 9th grader scoring 99% on Iowa Assessments may only score 75% on an ACT. This is normal, since the student is being compared to those 3 or 4 years older, and the 9th grader probably hasn't taken Trigonometry or Chemistry yet. A student's score may increase the second time he/she takes the ACT/SAT, simply because of experiencing more coursework.
Also, some students see a small increase in score the second time due to being more familiar with the assessment. Familiarity may lead to increased scores or decreased scores, depending upon a student's anxiety level.
