The SAT and the ACT
Registering
To register for the SAT
go to the College Board webiste. If you do not have an account already, sign up now. Once you have set up your account, you can proceed with the registration.
Things you will need:
- Photo of yourself (can be from Facebook or you can take a picture with your computer camera). You cannot complete the registration without a photo.
- Valid form of payment (fee waivers are available for those who qualify. See your guidance counselor)
- Know if you need the writing portion of the test. Not all colleges will require this section.
To register for the ACT
go to the official ACT webiste. If you do not have an account already, sign up now. Once you have set up your account, you can proceed with the registration.
Things you will need:
- Photo of yourself (can be from Facebook or you can take a picture with your computer camera)
- Valid form of payment (fee waivers are available for those who qualify. See your guidance counselor)
- Know if you need the writing portion of the test. Not all colleges will require this section.
Practice
Practice for the SAT
There are two great ways to practice for the SAT: Khan Academy and the SAT Daily Practice App.
Khan Academy and the College Board recently teamed up to provide FREE and unparalleled access to SAT practice. You can link you College Board and Khan Academy accounts to get personalized practice based on your existing PSAT or SAT scores.
The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. It has two main features: a daily question and instant practice test scoring. You can do a full length practice test and take a picture of your answer sheet. The app will then score your practice test on the spot! You can use this method to find out what your weak areas might be, and then go practice those sections on Khan Academy's website!
Practice for the ACT
There are also several ACT prep materials available to help you prepare and improve your ACT scores:
This site includes a few practice options ranging from free study guides to various streaming events. Additionally, there is a paid Online Prep program. If you qualify for free or reduced lunch and used a fee waiver to register for the ACT, you can access this Online Prep program for FREE.
Scoring and Results
The SAT:
Each section of the SAT is scored on a range of 200 to 800, giving a maximum possible score of 1600. There is NO PENALTY for wrong answers on the SAT. On the new SAT, there are a variety of sub scores that give insight onto what specific areas you excel in or what may need improvement. Your scores can be found online through your College Board accout. The scores are typically made available around a month after your test date.
The ACT:
The ACT score that will matter most for college is your composite score, or an average of the scores you got on each of the four individual sections of the ACT. The composite score ranges from 1 to 36. Since the composite score is just an average of the four sections, you could not do as well on one section and still end up with a high composite score. Your ACT score can be found online through your ACT Web Account. It typically takes at least two weeks for your scores to be posted online.
Reporting your Score:
Both the SAT and ACT offer the option to send your scores through their respective online portals. However, this can sometimes require you to pay for your test scores to be sent. Most colleges will accept your test score results off of your official high school transcript. Be sure to check and see if the colleges you are interested in will accept your test scores off of your transcript.
Upcoming Test Dates
Test Date
Register By
Test Date
Register By
SAT
2016
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October 1 September 1
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November 5 October 7
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December 3 November 3
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2017 -
January 21 December 21
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March 11 February 10
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May 6 April 7
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June 3 May 9
ACT
2016
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September 10 August 5
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October 22 September 16
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December 10 November 4
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2017 -
February 11 January 13
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April 8 March 3
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June 10 May 5
