COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS

The ACT is a standardized aptitude test similar in content and importance to the SAT. Both tests are accepted and looked upon favorably by a lot of colleges and universities. The ACT is multiple choice and has sections in English, Math, Reading, and Science. Like the SAT, there is an optional Writing section. Each section is scored on from 1-36, and the final score is generated as the average of all four subject areas. Students who opt to take the Writing Test will receive a Subject-Level Writing Score and an ELA score, which is the average of the scores received from English, reading, and writing)

How to Register: 

All juniors are automatically registered for the April ACT at Lane Tech.  If you wish to retest, then you will need to register on your own at act.org. 

Fee waivers are available if you qualify for free/reduced lunch - please CLICK HERE to request one. 

The PSAT (which stands for Preliminary SAT) won’t count towards your college admissions applications, but it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship. This means that some of the highest scoring students may win scholarship money, so while you shouldn’t stress out about the PSAT, you certainly shouldn’t ignore it either. Instead, use the PSAT as practice for the SAT and ACT and one of the starting points on your college admissions journey.

How to Register:  

Lane administers the PSAT to all Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors in October.

The SAT is one of the most commonly required college entrance exams. This test has three sections: Reading, Writing and Language; Math; and an optional essay section. Each section is scored from 200-800, meaning students can score anywhere from 400-1600 on the whole test (the optional essay is scored separately).  

How to Register: 

You will need to register on your own at collegeboard.org.  

Fee waivers are available if you qualify for free/reduced lunch - please CLICK HERE to request one. 

It is recommended that you test in your junior year. Advantages to testing in your junior year:

• • • You've probably completed the coursework corresponding to the test material.

    • You'll have your test scores and other information in time to help you plan your senior year. (For example, you may decide to take an additional class in an area in which your test score was low.)

    • Colleges will know of your interests and have your scores in time to contact you during the summer before your senior year, when many of them are sending information about admissions, course placement, scholarships, and special programs to prospective students.

    • You'll have information about yourself and the schools you're considering prior to your campus visits, making your visits more focused.

    • You'll have the opportunity to retest if you feel your scores don't accurately reflect your abilities in the areas tested.

Many students test twice, once as a junior (spring) and again as a senior (fall). You should definitely consider retesting if you had any problems during testing, such as misunderstanding the directions, running out of time, or not feeling well.

You may also want to consider retesting if you don't believe that your scores accurately represent your abilities, especially if you see a discrepancy between your SAT scores and your high school grades, or if you have completed coursework or an intensive review in the subject areas included in the SAT since you tested.

If you test more than once, you determine which set of scores are sent to colleges or scholarship programs. SAT reports scores from only one test date per report.

SAT and ACT Fee waivers are available if you qualify for free/reduced lunch - please CLICK HERE to request one. 

Nope! Colleges do not have a preference between these two tests and treat them equally in terms of admission. 

In Illinois, all juniors must take the ACT as a graduation requirement. The ACT is offered at Lane during the school day in April. Some students may score better on the SAT than on the ACT. It is a good idea to take both (even if they are just practice tests), to determine if the SAT highlights a student’s abilities better.  Learn more about the differences HERE. 

Would you like to know what your score would be on the other test? CLICK HERE to view ACT/SAT Concordance

We encourage students to take advantage of the four free scores ACT and SAT provide when registering for the exam, and consider sending them to colleges where they are more certain of admission (though colleges will consider the highest overall score that is sent to them). College Board does allow students to send the free scores within nine days of taking the SAT (before students receive the scores, but it allows the student to see how the test felt). Some colleges/universities require students to send all of their test scores, so sending them ahead of time can save families money.

If students qualify for a test fee waiver, College Board allows for unlimited SAT score fee waivers and ACT allows for 20 score fee waivers (after students receive their scores).