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College Prep Testing
Standardized tests are an increasingly controversial part of the college admission process. Some colleges no longer require the SAT for admission consideration and many colleges have become SAT-optional, allowing candidates the flexibility to choose whether to submit or not to submit SAT results. Institutions that require standardized tests use them as a means to compare an applicant to other college-bound seniors in the country. Most colleges realize that different students and groups of students have different testing profiles and will take those into account. The schools that utilize test scores the most are large universities at which a score might make the difference between an accept or deny. Most other colleges, including some of the most selective colleges, accept students with a broad range of scores.
It is the student's responsibility to be aware of test registration deadlines and the testing requirements of the colleges to which he/she will apply and to request that College Board send your SAT results to colleges directly from the testing service.
Raleigh Charter’s CEEB code is 343-230 and will
be needed for all test registration forms and college applications. Students should give this
number when requested on forms so that scores will be sent to RCHS.
RCHS’ rigorous academic program develops the
verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities measured by the SAT I exam and provides the curricular
knowledge assessed by the SAT II exams. The College Board provides very good practice materials at
no cost in its booklets, Taking the SAT I Reasoning Test and Taking the SAT II Subject Tests. The
ACT’s Preparing for the ACT Assessment furnishes similar preparation. The ACT and College Board
web sites also have useful information.
Bookstores and libraries generally carry
more extensive books and software for independent preparation. Generally, the best preparation
is to work hard in academic courses and to do extensive outside reading, including summer reading.
Some students find test preparation courses helpful. Scores generally go up, tutored or not,
twenty to thirty points with each repeat test. Studies have shown, however, that the average
score increase after a preparation program generally does not exceed fifty points, and sometimes
students show declines. Studies also reveal that the math score responds more readily to specific
tutoring than the verbal score because the verbal score is more a measure of acquired language
background and reading completed over a long period of time.
Remember, standardized tests don’t claim
to assess motivation, creativity, artistic skills, athletic abilities, kindness, decency, integrity,
sense of humor and other human qualities that colleges take into account when admitting students.
In life, these qualities should be more important than another 50 points on the SAT.
SAT Program
SAT I
The SAT test date and fee schedule can be found here.
Students generally
should take the SAT I in March and/or May of the junior year and, if
necessary, again in the fall of the senior year. Regardless of how many
times a student takes the SAT I, the colleges will receive all of the
scores; the student will not be allowed to choose which scores to send.
Most institutions will focus on a student’s best verbal score, best math
score, and best writing score even if they are achieved on different
testing days.
Practice Made Easy
Daily Practice for the SAT
Have you practiced for the new SAT on your mobile devices? Check out the new daily SAT practice app. With a different question every day, students can prepare for the test even when they're crunched for time. SAT II Subject Tests
As a general rule
students planning to apply to selective colleges should take three SAT
II Subject Tests by the end of the junior year. Each curriculum-based
test is one hour long; as many as three tests may be taken in one sitting.
Teachers and counselors can provide guidance as to appropriate subject
tests.
Students may take
as many SAT II Subject Tests as they please during their high school
years and place their scores on hold. This option, known as score choice,
allows a student to take a Subject Test without concern about its impact
on college admissions. Unlike the SAT I, the college does not automatically
receive all SAT II scores. Most students will release their three highest
scores; especially strong testers may choose to send more than three
scores. It is imperative, however, that a student release Subject Test
scores in a timely fashion—it generally requires 6 weeks for an institution
to receive the scores from the College Board once a student makes the
request. This consideration is particularly important for Early Action
and Early Decision applicants.
For more information
about the SAT I and II programs and to register online, visit www.collegeboard.com.
ACT Program
North Carolina requires students to participate in the ACT while in high school. RCHS administers the practice version of the ACT, called the PreACT (formerly the PLAN), to all tenth-grade students in the fall and the ACT to all eleventh-grade students in the spring. There is no cost for students to take either of these tests, and participation is required for all students in those grades by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
This testing program
is used mostly by colleges in the South and Midwest but almost all schools
will accept this test in place of the SAT I. Students receive a score
for each subject-related test (English, mathematics, social studies and
science) as well as a composite score that ranges from 1 to 36. ACT scores
are generally comparable to SAT scores, and the college counselors can
make the correlation.
PSAT/NMSQT
RCHS will administer the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) for all tenth and eleventh graders in October each year. Students do not register directly with the testing service to take the PSAT. Instead, each student will pay a nominal fee to RCHS and the school will in turn register the student for testing. This nearly 3 hour practice
SAT measures the verbal, math, and writing skills that students have
developed and allows them to take part in the Student Search Service,
thereby receiving mail from participating colleges and universities.
Colleges do not receive score results.
The PSAT/NMSQT represents
the first step in the National Merit Scholarship process. The National
Merit Selection Index (twice the verbal score plus the math score) is
determined annually for juniors. The minimum score necessary to receive
national recognition varies from year to year and from state to state.
In December students
will receive a Score Report which includes personalized feedback on test
questions and an “Improve Your Skills” section. Because the test is normed
for the academic preparation of juniors, 9th and 10th-graders should
not be alarmed if their scores are lower than anticipated.
For more information,
visit www.collegeboard.com or www.nationalmerit.org.
Non Standardized Testing
Non-standardized testing
is helpful to those who have a diagnosed and properly documented learning
disability or physical handicap. The ACT and the College Board offer extended
time or untimed testing for those who qualify. Students who believe they
qualify for such testing should meet with Ms. Cherveny for specific information
about registration and testing plans.
Fee Waivers
Fee waivers are available
to juniors and seniors for the ACT, the SAT I, and SAT II exams. Students
who believe they may qualify because of demonstrable economic need should
check with the College Counseling Office as soon as possible. An ACT or SAT
fee waiver may qualify a student for an application fee reduction or waiver
at various colleges. Such a waiver also makes a student-athlete eligible
for a waiver of the NCAA clearinghouse fee.
Advanced Placement (AP) Program
This program enables
students to challenge themselves with college level work, demonstrate
their expertise to admission committees, and possibly earn college credit
or waivers from introductory courses. Scores range from a low of 1 to
a high of 5. Each college has its own criteria for granting credit, normally
a score of 3 or better. RCHS offers 20 Advanced Placement Courses. The
examinations are given in May at the end of an Advanced Placement course
or at teacher recommendation. Teachers and the college
counselors can provide additional information.
The AP Exam Schedule on collegeboard.com
Link to AP preparation
material provided by CollegeBoard.com
Dear AP Students and Parents:
Can you believe it? Advanced
Placement (AP) Exams will be given during the first two weeks of May! Please
be sure to pay careful attention to exam times and locations, items to bring
and, as a result of missing classes on the day of AP Exams, making up any
missed work with your teachers prior to the exams. This last step is perhaps
even more critical than the AP Exams themselves.
Students should dress comfortably, plan to walk, carpool or be dropped off and picked up and arrive 30 minutes early to exams to allow for parking and finding the correct room for your scheduled exam. Procedures dictate that students arriving late to an exam (after it has begun) will not be admitted and will not be able to make up the test. All exams require about 3 hours to complete, and some may require 4 hours. All morning exams begin at 8:30am and afternoon exams begin at 1:00pm. There will be no early dismissal from the test site for students who finish early as students can be dismissed only after the allotted testing time of three hours has elapsed. While students generally conduct themselves well during testing, it is important to note AP policy which states that disruptive behavior such as talking during the exam will be dismissed from the exam after one warning. If the disruptive behavior persists, s/he will be dismissed from the exam and a report will be sent to Educational Testing Services (ETS). What to Bring to the Exam
What NOT to Bring to
the Exam
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