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SAT and ACT Exam Information

Standardized Tests
 
Every secondary school has its own system of grading. Therefore, it is a difficult task for a college to compare the students at Alexander Hamilton with an applicant from another school in another city or state. Standardized tests give the college common criteria to use for comparing the applicants.
 
Every college has its own requirements for standardized tests. You must check with the colleges you will be applying to in order to know which standardized tests you will need to complete your application requirements.
 
There are a few basic points to keep in mind where standardized tests are concerned:
  • Plan to take the SAT I or ACT twice, once in the Spring of junior year and at least once in the Fall of your senior year.
  • The Alexander Hamilton code is 331840.
  • Scores are returned about four to six weeks after the test date
  • Not all tests are given at all test centers. The Collegeboard website provides all information on test dates and centers.
  • You can take either a SAT I or SAT II on a given day, but you cannot take both on the same day.
  • There is no quick way to develop the skill of reading and understanding material. You can improve your reading ability through habitual reading of all kinds of materials.
  • Preparation courses are valuable in helping students to become familiar with the test format. Our school offers SAT preparation during the school day. Test anxiety may be lessened as the student learns better test techniques.
 
Basic Differences between SAT and ACT
  • The ACT includes a science reasoning test; the SAT does not.
  • The ACT math section includes trigonometry.
  • The SAT tests vocabulary much more than the ACT.
  • The SAT is not entirely multiple choice.
  • The SAT has a guessing penalty; the ACT does not.
  • The ACT tests English grammar; the SAT does not.
 
PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Qualifying Test)
All juniors should take this test in the Fall of their Junior year. Many sophomores take the PSAT to familiarize themselves with the format of the test. It gives the student a rough estimate of his/her future SAT scores and points out the student’s strengths and weaknesses so that further preparation may raise future scores. The NMSQT Selection Index (twice the verbal score plus math score) determines the minimum score to receive national recognition for National Merit Scholarship
 
SAT I (Scholastic Aptitude Test)
This test is designed to measure verbal and mathematical reasoning. It should be taken in junior year and again in senior year. It is a required test for admission to many colleges since it is used to supplement the secondary school record.
 
SAT II (Subject Test)
SAT II’s are designed to test the level of knowledge of a student in a particular academic discipline. Each SAT II test is one hour long on a specific subject. It is generally a good idea to take an SAT II upon completion of the subject. Highly selective colleges usually require or recommend specific subject tests. Some colleges consider them as factors in the admissions; others use them to place students in the appropriate level of work when they enroll. SAT II’s are given in the following subject areas:
 
  • AMERICAN HISTORY
  • GERMAN
  • BIOLOGY
  • HEBREW
  • CHEMISTRY
  • ITALIAN
  • ENGLISH COMPOSITION
  • LATIN
  • EUROPEAN HISTORY (WORLD CULTURES)
  • SPANISH
  • FRENCH
  • MATHEMATICS (LEVEL I AND II )
 
****Be sure to determine specific admissions testing criteria for the colleges you are applying to.
 
ACT (American College Testing Program)
This standardized test is usually accepted in lieu of the SAT I. It is the student’s responsibility to check if the ACT is accepted at a particular school. It is a
multiple choice test score reported on a scale of 1 to 36 for each individual test portion and on a composite average. The four curriculums measured include English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science Reasoning.