Colleges and universities require the ACT or SAT as part of the admissions process. Most colleges will accept either test. Carefully check your admission information from prospective colleges and universities to verify which test is required for admissions. Plan to complete all of your SAT I and ACT testing during your junior year to be prepared to apply to schools with early deadlines in the fall of your senior year. If the college requires “official” test scores, it will be necessary for you to have the test scores sent directly to the colleges. Both ACT and SAT registration bulletins provide information on how to send “official” test scores.

 

ACT: The ACT covers four content areas. Some students (even high achieving math students) perform better on the ACT. Therefore, it is recommended to take both two SAT and two ACT exams in the spring of the junior year.

SAT I: Reasoning - Take a MINIMUM of two SAT I tests during the junior year. It is important to know the testing requirements for the schools that you plan to apply to in order to determine if the college or university will accept the best combination of scores or your highest test score on any one given test date.

SAT II: Subject - More selective colleges require the SAT II tests as part of the admission process in addition to the regular SAT I scores. SAT II tests are subject tests.  Each subject is one hour in length and you may take three (3) subjects on any given test day. Exams for the SAT I and SAT II tests are given on the same day. Please plan your testing calendar carefully! It is recommended to take the SAT II exams as soon as you have completed the course. 

 

REGISTERING FOR ACT/SAT I/SAT II
Registration for ACT is available at: www.actstudent.org
Registration for SAT is available at: www.collegeboard.com
Be sure to include the school code (143-963) in order for Lutheran High School to receive your scores and include them with your official transcript.

 

SAT and ACT Test-taking Strategies

ACT

• Always guess on ACT. No points will be deducted for incorrect answers. Don’t leave an item unanswered.
• On the ACT, the answer is often hidden in some way. It might be written in a way that students don’t expect – such as .5 instead of ½ .
• REMEMBER THE 1/3 RULE
• You are encouraged to take a MINIMUM of two SATs and two ACTs. Most colleges will accept either test. Of all students who take both tests, one-third do better on ACT, one-third do better on SAT and one-third do about the same.

SAT

• Guess only if you can eliminate one or more of incorrect choices for answers. You will have partial points deducted for wrong answers.
• Early in the set of questions, the obvious answer is usually right.
• Eliminate the obvious on hard questions. On the hard questions (they will appear late in the set), obvious answers are usually wrong. Eliminate these when you guess.
• Look for the fast points in Critical Reading. If you are short on time and can’t read every passage, try to answer the “Vocabulary in Context” questions. These questions have a line reference that you can refer back to without reading the entire passage.

ON THE DAY OF THE TEST

It is important to remember that the test proctor cannot provide any test “tools”. Bring the following with you to the test center:
1. admission ticket
2. photo ID
3. several #2 pencils
4. eraser
5. approved calculator with fresh batteries (see Registration Bulletin for calculator information)
6. dress in layers as the room temperature will vary and you may need a sweater.

7. Mask