PSAT/SAT/ACT
Sophomores, juniors, and seniors: Check your mail for a list of all dates that the SAT and ACT tests will be administered during the this school year. That letter, sent the week of September 10, is also posted outside of room 112; you can also reference SAT dates on collegeboard.com at your convenience.
PSAT and NMSQT: What you need to know
The PSAT/NMSQT will be offered at Blackhawk in October.
All sophomores and juniors are advised to take the PSAT. The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test projects your ability to succeed in college and beyond. Along with your scores, the PSAT offers transparent diagnostic feedback to better address your strengths and weaknesses for the higher stakes of the SAT.
Additionally, juniors taking the PSAT will automatically be entered in the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) competition. Since 1955, the National Merit Scholarship Program has recognized students of outstanding academic promise, issuing commendations and financial awards. You can learn more about the test and its reward program here.
SAT: What you need to know
The SAT is an aptitude test, and it (or the ACT) is required to apply to nearly every degree-granting institution. It is offered seven times a year, and is scored out of 1600; that figure is evenly divided between critical reading and math. More on the exam itself can be found here.
It’s very hard to answer the question, “Is this a good SAT score?” Different postsecondary institutions — even different schools within institutions — have different requirements and expectations regarding performance on SATs. Your best course of action is to look at the admissions guidelines for your school(s) of interest.
Preparing for the SAT is not a one-size-fits-all operation, but recent graduates have recommended:
- Mr. Fecich’s SAT preparation course
- Penn State Beaver’s SAT review course
- Khan Academy’s robust online materials
ACT: What you need to know
The ACT is an achievement test, and it measures what you’ve learned so far in your academic career. While the questions are more straightforward, the pace of the test is much faster. It also includes a science component absent from the SAT. Additionally, a number of colleges and universities offer automatic full-tuition scholarship according to composite ACT scores (see College Readiness 101 for more details).
Most of your ACT prep takes place in the curricular classroom at Blackhawk, but you can find abundant test preparation materials in room 112 or online at the following places:
Next steps
Gifted support offers a wide range of PSAT/SAT/ACT preparation materials, including books, sample tests, vocabulary-building exercises, and software (like Vocabulary Synapse, which you can access remotely, but not on a mobile device).
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