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Preparing for college entrance exams
Preparing for college can be strenuous at times, and having to take entrance exams can add to the pressure your students are feeling. A systematic, commonsense approach to preparing for the ACT and SAT, however, will ensure that your students get accepted to the colleges they have selected. Four-year colleges and universities use these exams to determine applicants' academic achievement and potential. Test scores also serve as criteria for numerous financial awards. Read the answers to some popular questions about these tests so you and your students will know the score when it comes to entrance exams.
Should my students take the ACT or the SAT?
Some colleges prefer one exam; most colleges accept either, however. Check to see which test the school prefers. If your students haven't yet decided on a specific college, it may be a good idea for them to take both exams.
If the college accepts both exams, your students should choose the one that will most favorably reflect their abilities. Students can register for the ACT at www.actstudent.org and for the SAT at www.collegeboard.com; both sites offer free online test questions to give students a preview of the real tests.
What is on the tests?
The ACT is made up of:
- English (45 minutes)—75 questions relating to five prose passages (punctuation, usage and grammar, sentence structure)
- Math (60 minutes)—60 questions covering algebra, geometry, and trigonometry
- Reading (35 minutes)—40 questions that require students to draw conclusions from four prose passages representative of reading required in college freshman courses
- Science (35 minutes)—40 questions that require students to analyze sets of scientific information (earth science, physical science, and biology are covered)
- Optional writing (30 minutes)—one prompt that asks students to write an essay explaining their point of view on a given issue
The SAT Reasoning Test is made up of:
- Writing (60 minutes)—one 35-minute section (multiple-choice questions) and one 25-minute section (student-written essay); questions cover grammar, sentence structure, and word usage
- Critical Reading (70 minutes)—two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section; questions cover reading comprehension and sentence completion
- Math (70 minutes)—two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section; questions cover algebra, geometry, statistics, probability, and data analysis
How can I help my students in preparing for the ACT and SAT?
Encourage your students to take college-preparatory courses throughout high school. Students who succeed in advanced English, math, science, and social studies generally do well on both the ACT and the SAT. Sit down with your students and review prior test results. If your students have taken the ACT or SAT before, you may request detailed score reports for an extra charge and help them learn from the mistakes they made on prior tests.
Sally Wood is a freelance writer and editor from Marionville, Missouri. She worked as a high school counselor in the Aurora R-VIII School District in Aurora, Missouri, from 1980–2000.
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