The SAT I and the ACT are national tests which colleges use as part of the admission process. High school students usually take these in the spring of their junior year, or the fall of their senior year.  Some students even take a test more than once, in an effort to improve their score.  Most colleges accept either the SAT I or the ACT test, so you do not have to take both.  But some colleges seem to "prefer" one test over the other. See your counselor for information about the tests and for registration materials.  Be careful about registration deadlines.

The practice test for the SAT, called the PSAT,  will be given Saturday,October 18th, and the practice test for the ACT, called the PLAN, will be given Saturday, November 15th. The PSAT is designed for juniors, and the PLAN is designed for sophomores.  See your counselor for information about these preliminary tests.  Also see the websites below, and sophomore class reminders, and junior class reminders.

Some colleges require one or more of the SAT II subject tests.  If you may be applying to one of these colleges, consider taking that subject test just after completing the high school course you took in that subject.  Timeing this so that it fits with any other testing is crucial.  Be sure to see your counselor about this.

PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE : ACT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines

PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE: SAT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines

HELPFUL INTERNET LINKS:

1. ACT HOMEPAGE
2. SAT HOMEPAGE
3. SAMPLE ACT TESTS
4. THE PRINCETON REVIEW:  Test preparation assistance.
5. KAPLAN'S TESTING RESOURCES:  Test preparation.
6. TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE:  TOEFL programs and services
7. HILL-MURRAY HS: Very nice orientation to SAT-ACT preparation.
8. TESTPREPREVIEW.COM: A new site offering free practice tests for ACTs and SATs.
9. NUMBER2.COM: New (March 2005) ACT/SAT prep site. Very user friendly.
10. SPARKNOTES.COM: A new site by Barnes and Noble for ACT, SAT and AP test preparation.
11. FAIRTEST.ORG: A list of colleges that do not use SAT I or ACT scores in admissions decisions.
12. WWW.STUDYGUIDEZONE.COM: Another site offering SAT and ACT preparation help.
13. MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY: Surprise! They have lots of resources for test prep!
14. CONDITIONS FOR GETTING EXTENDED TESTING TIME ON THE ACT/SAT: An interpretation.