WHAT IS THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARHIP PROGRAM?

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM?

I GET ASKED THIS ALL THE TIME. IN A NUTSHELL, IT IS A SCHOLARSHIP OFFERED FOR STUDENTS WHO SCORE INCREDIBLY WELL ON THE PSAT. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECOGNITION OFFERED SUCH AS FINALIST, SEMIFINALIST, ETC. YOU CAN EASILY GOTO WWW.NATIONALMERIT.ORG AND THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION AT THEIR WEBSITE.

ONE GREAT THING TO KNOW IS THAT THE PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP HAVE NO BEARING ON GETTING INTO COLLEGE. ALL COLLEGES WILL USE YOUR SAT OR ACT SCORES; THEY DO NOT USE YOUR PSAT OR PLAN SCORES. NOW IT CERTAINLY DOES NOT HURT AT ALL TO DO WELL ON THE PSAT AND GET THIS SCHOLARSHIP OR SOME TYPE OF RECOGNITION - SURELY COLLEGES WILL NOTICE THAT AND IT COULD HELP. HOWEVER, DOING VERY WELL ON THE ACT OR SAT CAN EVEN PRODUCE MUCH BIGGER SCHOLARSHIPS FROM COLLEGES. IN OTHER WORDS, COLLEGES ABSOLUTELY DEPEND UPON YOUR SAT OR ACT SCORES, NOT PSAT SCORES OR PLAN SCORES. AS POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE, APPROXIMATELY 8,400 STUDENTS WILL GET SOME TYPE OF SCHOLARSHIP. PLEASE SEE THEIR WEBSITE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

I WANT TO MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT EVEN IF YOU DO A PERFECT SCORE ON THE PSAT AND GET A NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP YOU STILL MUST TAKE THE ACT OR SAT OR BOTH AND DO VERY WELL ON THOSE TO ASSURE ADMISSIONS TO YOUR PARTICULAR COLLEGE. MANY STUDENTS FALSELY THINK THAT IF THEY DO WELL ON THE PSAT THEN ALL IS DONE. NO.

SHOULD I LEAVE THE ANSWER BLANK OR NOT?

WOW I GET ASKED THIS QUESTION ALMOST EVERY DAY. HERE IS THE ANSWER.

ON TESTS SUCH AS THE SAT I, SAT II, & THE SSAT YOU WOULD WANT TO LEAVE QUESTIONS BLANK THAT YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT THE ANSWER IS OR YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME AND DON'T HAVE TIME TO ANSWER IT. FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE SAT EVERY 4 QUESTIONS THAT YOU LEAVE BLANK THAT YOU KNOW YOU WOULD HAVE MISSED COULD GIVE YOU AN EXTRA 10 POINTS ON YOUR SCORE. THAT IS A LOT. SO THIS IS A POINT EARNING STRATEGY. IF YOU CAN ELIMINATE A COUPLE OF THE ANSWER CHOICES AS BEING INCORRECT, THEN YOU CAN MAKE A GUESS IF YOU WANT TO OR YOU CAN JUST LEAVE IT BLANK.

HOWEVER, DON'T ABUSE THE BLANK RULE! DON'T LEAVE A QUESTION BLANK JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE DOING IT!!! I WOULD SAY THAT YOU SHOULD AS A RULE OF THUMB ONLY LEAVE BLANK ABOUT 10-20% OF THE QUESTIONS AT THE MOST. SO BASICALLY YOU CAN LEAVE BLANK AT MOST 1 OUT OF EVERY 5 QUESTIONS ROUGHLY. PREFERABLY LEAVE BLANK ONLY 1 OUT OF EVERY 10 QUESTIONS OR SO.

ON THE ACT, ISEE TEST, GMAT, AND GRE DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING BLANK. BY GUESSING THE ANSWER YOU MIGHT JUST GET IT CORRECT. IF YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME OR ABSOLUTELY DON'T KNOW A QUESTION MAKE A GUESS.

WHEN IS IT TOO LATE TO TAKE THE ACT OR SAT?

WHEN IS IT TOO LATE TO TAKE THE ACT OR SAT?

EXCELLENT QUESTION HERE. I GET ASKED THIS ALL THE TIME. IN GENERAL, YOU CAN TAKE THE ACT OR SAT'S UP UNTIL AND INCLUDING DECEMBER OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL UNLESS YOU ARE APPLYING FOR EARLY DECISION OR EVEN EARLY ACTION. IN FACT, YOU MIGHT CAN EVEN TAKE THE ACT AND OR SAT'S INTO JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR. THE GENERAL RULE WOULD BE YOU MUST HAVE THE SCORES INTO THE COLLEGES OF YOUR CHOICE BEFORE THEY MAKE THE FINAL ADMISSION DECISION. YOU CAN CHECK THAT DATE ON ANY COLLEGE WEB SITE. SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU TOOK THE DECEMBER ACT OR SAT AND GOT THE SCORES BACK AND THEY ARE GOOD AND YOU WANT TO SEND THEM THEN YOU WOULD ASK THE ACT OR SAT TO RUSH THOSE SCORES ELECTRONICALLY THE COLLEGES YOU WANT TO SEND THEM TO. THAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH THE ACT WEB SITE (WWW.ACT.ORG) OR THE SAT WEB SITE (WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.COM).

IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION YOU MUST CHECK WITH PARTICULAR SCHOOL YOU ARE APPLYING TO AS FAR AS HOW LATE YOU CAN TAKE THESE TESTS. IN SUMMARY, YOU CAN TAKE THE ACT AND SAT'S AS LATE AS DECEMBER OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL. YOU MAY NEED TO RUSH THE SCORES ELECTRONICALLY THE COLLEGES OF YOUR CHOICE (IF THOSE SCORES ARE GOOD AND YOU WANT TO SEND THEM). YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO SEND IN ANY SCORES THAT ARE LOWER THAN THE SCORES YOU ALREADY HAVE.

LIST OF COLLEGES THAT SUPER SCORE THE ACT

LIST OF COLLEGES THAT SUPER SCORE THE ACT:

*REMEMBER SUPER SCORING THE ACT MEANS THAT A COLLEGE WILL TAKE YOUR HIGHEST ENGLISH, MATH, READING, AND SCIENCE SCORES ON THE ACT FROM ANY DATE AND RECALCULATE A "SUPER SCORE" BASED ON THE HIGHEST SECTION SCORES FROM ANY TEST. NORMALLY A COLLEGE WOULD JUST TAKE YOUR HIGHEST COMPOSITE SCORE BUT SUPER SCORING WILL USUALLY ADD A POINT OR TWO TO SOME STUDENT'S SCORES.

**THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. THE BEST THING TO DO IS CHECK WITH THE PARTICULAR COLLEGE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN. THE MOST EXPEDIENT WAY OF DOING THIS WOULD BE TO EMAIL THEIR ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT OR DIRECTLY TELEPHONE THEIR ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT. YOU CAN GET THE EMAIL ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS OF ANY UNIVERSITY FROM THEIR WEBSITE OR VIA A SEARCH ON GOOGLE.

***THIS LIST IS CHANGED CONSTANTLY. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF ACCURACY IMPLIED OR STATED IN THIS DOCUMENT. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. COLLEGES CHANGE THEIR MINDS ALL THE TIMES, AND AS I SAID BEFORE IT IS BEST TO DOUBLE CHECK WITH YOUR PARTICULAR COLLEGES' ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT. I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL COLLEGES AND GOTTEN DIFFERENT ANSWERS FROM DIFFERENT PERSONS IN THE SAME ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT!! SUPER SCORING THE ACT IS A NEW THING AND SHOULD CATCH ON MORE AS TIME GOES ON.

ALBION COLLEGE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
AMHERST COLLEGE
BARNARD COLLEGE
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY (WACO)
BELOIT COLLEGE
BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE
BOSTON COLLEGE
BOWDOIN COLLEGE
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
BROWN
BRYN MAWR COLLEGE
BUTLER UNIVERSITY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM (I.E. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA @ ___)
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
COLBY COLLEGE
COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY (NOT DEPAUL)
DUKE UNIVERSITY

ECKERD COLLEGE
ELON UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

GEORGIA TECH
HAMILTON COLLEGE
HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE
HAVERFORD COLLEGE
HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
HENDRIX COLLEGE
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE
KENYON COLLEGE
LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY IN MARYLAND
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE
MIT (MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY)
MILSAPS COLLEGE
NCAA CLEARINGHOUSE
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (NYU)
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY
PURDUE UNIVERSITY

PITZER COLLEGE
POMONA COLLEGE
REGIS UNIVERSITY
RENSSELEAR POLY TECH

ROSE-HULMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SPRING HILL COLLEGE
ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY

SUNY BUFFALO

TOWSON UNIVERSITY
TRINITY COLLEGE (CT)
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS - FAYETTEVILLE
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO - BOULDER
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
UNIVESITY OF GEORGIA

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA - LAFAYETTE
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA - CHAPEL HILL

UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND
UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE - KNOXVILLE
UNITED STATES MILITAIRY ACADEMY WEST POINT

USAFA (UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY) COLORADO

USNA (UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY) ANNAPOLIS

USMMA (UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY)

USCGA (UNITED STATES COAST GUARD ACADEMY)

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY - ST. LOUIS (WUSTL)
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
WHEATON COLLEGE
XAVIER UNIVERSITY

SHOULD I FINISH ALL THE QUESTIONS ON THE ACT OR SAT I?

SHOULD I FINISH ALL THE QUESTIONS ON THE ACT OR SAT I?

NOT IF YOU MUST RUSH. I HAVE DONE MANY, MANY STUDIES ON THIS AT MY OFFICE. STUDENT'S GENERALLY WILL GET A BETTER SCORE IF THEY DON'T RUSH JUST TO FINISH THE TEST. FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY ON THE ACT MATH SECTION (WHICH HAS 60 QUESTIONS AND 60 MINUTES TO FINISH THEM IN) YOU RUSH JUST TO GET TO QUESTION 60 SO YOU CAN SAY YOU FINISHED THE SECTION. MORE THAN LIKELY, YOU WILL MISS LOTS OF QUESTIONS DUE TO CARELESS ERRORS. GOING JUST A LITTLE BIT SLOWER CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR SCORE. LET'S SAY YOU GET TO QUESTION 50 AND MOST EVERY SINGLE QUESTION YOU DID YOU GOT CORRECT BECAUSE YOU TOOK THE TIME YOU NEEDED TO GET IT CORRECT, THEN YOU GUESSED THE LAST 10 AND GOT 2 MORE CORRECT. A SCORE OF 52 OUT 60 ON THE ACT MATH IS AWESOME (AROUND 30)! MORAL OF THE STORY; DON'T RUSH.

HOW DO I FIND OUT IF A UNIVERSITY GIVES THE RESIDUAL ACT OR SAT?

HOW DO I FIND OUT IF A UNIVERSITY GIVES THE RESIDUAL ACT OR SAT?

ALL YOU DO IS GO TO THEIR WEBSITE AND DO A SEARCH ON "RESIDUAL ACT" OR "RESIDUAL SAT". IF YOU CANNOT LOCATE IT THAT WAY JUST CONTACT THEIR ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT BY TELEPHONE.

YOU CAN USE WWW.GOOGLE.COM OR ANY SEARCH ENGINE TO FIND THE UNIVERSITIES WEB SITE IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE IT.

WHAT IS A RESIDUAL ACT OR SAT?

WHAT IS A RESIDUAL ACT OR SAT?

SOME UNIVERSITIES OFFER WHAT IS CALLED A "RESIDUAL ACT OR SAT". NOW, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THE RESIDUAL ACT OR SAT IS ONLY GOOD TO BE TAKEN AT THAT PARTICULAR UNIVERSITY AND THE SCORE YOU GET ON IT CANNOT BE USED ANYWHERE ELSE EXCEPT AT THE UNIVERSITY YOU TOOK IT AT? WHY DO THEY DO THIS? WELL THEY DO THIS SO THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE VERY CLOSE TO MEETING THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL'S ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS CAN HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET IN. RESIDUAL TESTS ARE USUALLY OFFERED ONCE A MONTH, AND THEY ARE SUPPOSEDLY JUST A PREVIOUSLY GIVEN ACT OR SAT THAT WAS NOT TERRIBLY HARD (THAT IS THE RUMOR ANYWAY).

HERE IS A LINK TO A GREAT WEB PAGE THAT EXPLAINS MORE IN DETAIL ABOUT RESIDUAL TESTS:
http://www.eduers.com/sat/act_residual.htm

SHOULD I REGISTER TO TAKE THE ACT WITH OUR WITHOUT WRITING?

SHOULD I REGISTER TO TAKE THE ACT WITH OUR WITHOUT WRITING?

GOSH THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. YOU ALWAYS REGISTER TO TAKE THE ACT WITH WRITING NO EXCEPTIONS WHATSOEVER! ALL COLLEGES WANT TO SEE THE ACT WITH WRITING. PERIOD. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE TAKEN THE ACT, YOU MUST STILL TAKE IT AGAIN WITH WRITING. ALL WITH WRITING MEANS IS THAT THERE IS AN ESSAY ON THE TEST. MOST ALL COLLEGES NOW (2010) ARE LOOKING MORE CLOSELY AT THE ESSAY. PLUS, A GOOD ESSAY CAN IMPROVE YOU OVERALL ACT SCORE.

SO YES ABSOLUTELY ALWAYS ALWAYS TAKE THE ACT WITH WRITING!! NO EXCEPTIONS!

WHICH TEST THE ACT OR SAT IS BETTER TO TAKE IF YOU GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

WHICH TEST THE ACT OR SAT IS BETTER TO TAKE IF YOU GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

EXCELLENT QUESTION. I CAN THAT FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS, IT WOULD BE THE ACT. THE ACT IS VERY MUCH LIKE THE TAKS TEST THAT THESE KIDS TAKE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL. SO, THEY ARE VERY EXPERIENCING ALREADY WITH TAKING A TEST THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE ACT. MANY OF MY PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY LIKE THE ACT BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE THE TAKS TEST. I BELIEVE MANY OTHER STATES HAVE SIMILIAR TESTS LIKE THE TAKS.

SOME IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS ARE ASKING TO SEE ALL YOUR TEST SCORES!

SOME IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS ARE ASKING TO SEE ALL YOUR TEST SCORES!

THIS IS A NEW DEVELOPMENT; THERE WILL BE MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW. ONE OF MY VERY BEST CLIENTS HAS POINTED OUT THAT THE STANFORD WEB SITE STATES THE FOLLOWING:

"Stanford, on the other hand . . .

“Applicants must self-report and submit all SAT scores OR all ACT scores. After you decide which testing agency will send your scores, applicants cannot elect to use the College Board's Score Choice or elect to "hide" any scores with either testing agency”

SO IT LOOKS LIKE PRINCETON WANTS A STUDENT TO SUBMIT ALL THEIR SCORES? WHICH IS VERY UNUSUAL. MORE ON THIS IN A FEW DAYS. I AM CONTACTING SEVERAL RESOURCES TO FIND OUT MORE.

WHY DID MY SON/DAUGHTER DO SO POORLY ON THEIR VERY FIRST ACT/SAT AND SO MUCH BETTER ON THE SECOND ONE?

WHY DID MY SON/DAUGHTER DO SO POORLY ON THEIR VERY FIRST ACT/SAT AND SO MUCH BETTER ON THE SECOND ONE?

THE ANSWER TO THIS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS; THE FIRST TIME YOU DO ANYTHING NEW IN LIFE IT CAN BE NERVE WRACKING, ESPECIALLY AT TEST THAT LONG! THE ACT AND OR THE SAT IS THE LONGEST, MOST IMPORTANT TEST A CHILD WILL TAKE IN HIGH SCHOOL OR GRADE SCHOOL! SIMPLY PUT, IT CAN BE VERY STRESSFUL. I HAVE SEEN MYSELF VERY STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN ON A FIRST TEST. I HAVE SEEN SOME OF MY VERY BEST STUDENTS NOT DO WELL ON THEIR FIRST TEST AND SOME OF MY STRUGGLING STUDENTS DO VERY WELL ON THEIR FIRST TEST. AGAIN THAT IS WHY YOU TAKE A TEST AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO SEE HOW YOU DO IN A REAL WORLD SCENARIO ON THE REAL DEAL. SINCE ALL COLLEGES PRETTY MUCH WILL ALLOW YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR HIGHEST SCORES AND TAKE THE TEST AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT, WHY NOT TAKE THE ACT OR SAT I AS SOON AS IS VIABLE (I WOULD SAY THE EARLIEST TO TAKE EITHER TEST IS DECEMBER OF YOUR JUNIOR YEAR - BEFORE THEN YOU JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH COURSE WORK TO DO WELL)? MANY STUDENTS TELL ME THAT THEY WERE EXTREMELY NERVOUS ON THEIR FIRST TEST AND THAT WHEN THEY TOOK IT A SECOND OR THIRD TIME THEY WERE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE AND KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT. I OFTEN TELL PARENTS DON'T WORRY AT ALL WHAT YOUR CHILD GETS ON THEIR FIRST TEST. IF THEY DO WELL HURRAY THEY ARE DONE! IF NOT, TAKE IT AGAIN AND DO BETTER. ONE MORE TIME, THE FIRST TIME YOU TAKE THESE TESTS IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME YOU TAKE A TEST OF SUCH LENGTH.

THE SUPER GOOD NEWS IS THAT ALMOST EVERY SINGLE STUDENT I HAVE TUTORED THAT NEEDS TO TAKE THE TEST A SECOND TIME DOES BETTER ON THE SECOND OR THIRD TEST. THEY ALMOST UNIVERSALLY DO BETTER THAN THEY DID ON THE FIRST TEST! I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A STUDENT GO IN THERE AND TAKE A REAL WORLD TEST FOR SEVERAL REASONS. FIRST WOULD BE THAT IT IS GREAT EXPERIENCE. SECOND WOULD BE THAT IT CAN GIVE US VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR TUTORING. THIRD WOULD BE THAT IT CAN HELP ALLEVIATE THEIR ANXIETY WHEN THEY TAKE IT A SECOND TIME. FOURTH WOULD BE THAT SOME STUDENTS DO WELL ON THEIR FIRST TEST (EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT FULLY READY TO TAKE IT) AND THEY ARE FINISHED WITH TUTORING WHICH SAVES MY CLIENTS MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CAN YOU TAKE THE ACT AND OR SAT I AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT TO?

I HAVE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION MANY TIMES. RIGHT NOW, AS OF 2010 JANUARY, YES YOU CAN TAKE BOTH TESTS AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE. HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE THING THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST DO CORRECTLY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS!!!

YOU MUST NEVER SEND SCORES FROM THE ACT OR SAT I TO COLLEGES UNLESS YOU ARE DONE WITH ALL YOUR TESTING AND YOU KNOW YOUR HIGHEST SCORES. THEN YOU SIMPLY CONTACT EITHER TEST ORGANIZATION AND HAVE THEM SEND THAT ONE SCORE THAT IS YOUR BEST AND IT LOOKS LIKE TO COLLEGE THAT YOU JUST TOOK THE TEST ONE TIME AND DID SUPER!!!!! IF YOU SEND ALL YOUR SCORES COLLEGES CAN SEE HOW MANY TIMES YOU TOOK THE TEST AND THIS MAY NOT LOOK AS WELL AS SENDING JUST ONE GREAT SCORE. NOW SOMETIMES YOU DO HAVE TO SEND ALL YOUR SCORES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SUPER SCORING. THAT IS FINE.

BOTH THE ACT AND MORE RECENTLY THE SAT DO RIGHT NOW ALLOW YOU TO HAVE CONTROL OVER WHAT COLLEGES SEE OF YOUR SCORES. YOU CAN PICK WHICH TESTS YOU WANT THEM TO SEE, AND ON THE SAT I YOU CAN EVEN PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH TESTS BY DATES YOU WANT THEM TO SEE (THIS IS CALLED "SCORE CHOICE" AND YOU CAN SEE A BETTER EXPLANATION OF THIS AT:

http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-score-choice

YOU CAN ALSO DO THIS FOR THE ACT. DON'T WORRY IF YOU HAVE ACCIDENTALLY SENT SOME SCORES TO SOME COLLEGES ALREADY. IT IS NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL, BUT IT IS A SMALL ADVANTAGE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO USE. THEORETICALLY COLLEGES SHOULD NOT CARE ABOUT SEEING HOW MANY TIMES YOU TAKE THE TEST SINCE THEY PICK THE HIGHEST SCORE BUT MOST PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY FEEL IT IS BETTER JUST TO SHOW THEM ONE GOOD SOLID SCORE. I AGREE.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE SAT I OR SAT II (SUBJECT TEST)?

THE ABSOLUTE EASIEST WAY TO REGISTER FOR THE SAT I OR THE SAT II SUBJECT TEST IS TO DO IT ONLINE. YOU CAN GOTO WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.COM AND DO THIS. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO MAKE UP A USER NAME AND A PASSWORD. THEN THE SITE WILL LEAD YOU THROUGH THE ENTIRE REGISTRATION PROCESS. BEWARE! THE FIRST TIME YOU REGISTER YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS FOR COLLEGES. PLEASE DO THIS. I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND IT TAKES A LONG TIME BUT IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

YOU CAN ALSO REGISTER BY OBTAINING A REGISTRATION HANDBOOK FROM YOUR COLLEGE COUNSELOR. THEN YOU CAN FILL OUT EVERYTING YOURSELF AND MAIL IT IN. I DO BELIEVE THAT DOING IT ONLINE IS BEST; IT WILL CAUSE MUCH LESS PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE.

THE SAT I IS THE TEST THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE FOR ADMISSIONS TO COLLEGE. IT IS ALSO CALLED THE "SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST". THE SAT II TEST IS THE SUBJECT TEST. IT HAS MANY DIFFERENT ONE HOUR TESTS THAT YOU CAN TAKE TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR MASTERY OF CERTAIN SUBJECTS THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN IN HIGH SCHOOL. SOME COMPETITIVE COLLEGES REQUIRE 2 OR 3 SAT II SUBJECT TESTS. SOME COLLEGES WILL WAIVE THE SAT II SUBJECT TEST REQUIREMENT IF YOU MAKE A CERTAIN SCORE ON THE SAT I OR ACT. IT IS BEST TO CHECK WITH THE PARTICULAR COLLEGES YOU ARE INTERSTED IN.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE ACT?

THE ABSOLUTE EASIEST WAY TO REGISTER FOR THE ACT IS TO DO IT ONLINE. YOU CAN GOTO WWW.ACT.ORG AND DO THIS. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO MAKE UP A USER NAME AND A PASSWORD. THEN THE SITE WILL LEAD YOU THROUGH THE ENTIRE REGISTRATION PROCESS. BEWARE! THE FIRST TIME YOU REGISTER YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS FOR COLLEGES. PLEASE DO THIS. I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND IT TAKES A LONG TIME BUT IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

YOU CAN ALSO REGISTER BY OBTAINING A REGISTRATION HANDBOOK FROM YOUR COLLEGE COUNSELOR. THEN YOU CAN FILL OUT EVERYTING YOURSELF AND MAIL IT IN. I DO BELIEVE THAT DOING IT ONLINE IS BEST; IT WILL CAUSE MUCH LESS PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE.

WHAT ARE THE TWO SCORES I JUST RECEIVED FROM THE ACT? WHICH ONE IS CORRECT??

I KNOW VERY WELL THAT THIS CAN BE VERY CONFUSING. THE ACT WILL INITIALLY POST A SCORE ON THE INTERNET (WWW.ACT.ORG) THAT IS A COMPOSITE SCORE OF YOUR ACT THAT YOU JUST TOOK WITHOUT THE ESSAY BEING INCLUDED!!!!! THEN, SHORTLY THEREAFTER THEY WILL POST ANOTHER COMPOSITE SCORE WITH THE ESSAY INCLUDED. THE SECOND SCORE IS NOW REALLY THE ONE THAT COLLEGES SEEM TO BE USING. GENERALLY THE ESSAY CAN BRING YOUR ENTIRE ACT SCORE UP OR DOWN BY ONE POINT (IT RARELY BUT SOMETIMES CAN DO MORE). SO YOUR FIRST SCORE YOU SEE FROM THE ACT IS WITHOUT THE ESSAY. IT IS GENERALLY WITHING +1 OR -1 OF YOUR FINAL TRUE ACT SCORE. THE SECOND SCORE IS THE ACTUAL SCORE. YOU CAN ALWAYS OBTAIN YOUR ACT SCORE ROUGHLY TWO WEEKS AFTER YOU TOOK THE ACT ONLINE AT WWW.ACT.ORG.

THE ESSAY ON THE ACT

RECENTLY IN 2010 THE ESSAY ON THE ACT HAS BECOME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. WHEN THE ACT FIRST PUT THE ESSAY IN ITS TEST, COLLEGES SEEMED TO LOOK AT THE OLD COMPOSITE SCORE (THE COMPOSITE SCORE WITHOUT THE ESSAY). NOW THEY ARE LOOKING AT THE COMPOSITE SCORE WITH THE ESSAY! THE ESSAY HAS THE POWER TO BRING YOUR ENTIRE COMPOSITE SCORE UP OR DOWN AT LEAST A POINT, IF NOT MORE. THE ESSAY SCORE IS INTEGRATED WITH THE ENGLISH SUBSECTION SCORE AND CAN BRING YOUR ENGLISH SCORE UP OR DOWN BY SEVERAL POINTS THEREBY AFFECTING YOUR OVERALL ACT COMPOSITE SCORE. SO YES THE ACT AND THE SAT I ESSAY ARE VERY IMPORTANT. DO YOUR BEST; DO NOT BLOW THEM OFF!

SHOULD I TAKE BOTH THE ACT AND THE SAT I ?

I BELIEVE I HAVE ADDRESSED THIS SOMEWHAT BEFORE, BUT LET ME MAKE IT VERY CLEAR. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE BOTH THE ACT AND THE SAT I. HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO A VERY COMPETITIVE COLLEGE TAKING BOTH TESTS WILL ABSOLUTELY HELP IN YOUR GAINING ADMISSIONS TO ANY COLLEGE, ESPECIALLY A COMPETITIVE COLLEGE. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PERSONNEL LOVE TO SEE A STUDENT WHO SCORES WELL ON BOTH THE ACT AND THE SAT I. THAT IS VERY WELL RESPECTED AND INDICATIVE TO THEM OF GREAT INTELLECTUAL ABILITY. HOWEVER, YOU SHOULD ONLY SUBMIT SCORES FROM BOTH TESTS IF YOU DO WELL ON BOTH TESTS AND IF YOUR TEST SCORES ON BOTH TESTS ARE SIMILAR. YOU NEVER WANT TO SUBMIT A SCORE THAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD. YOU DO NOT WANT TO SUBMIT BOTH AN ACT AND SAT I SCORE IF THE SCORES DIFFER GREATLY. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS! A GREAT CONTRAST BETWEEN SCORES CAN BE INTERPRETED NEGATIVELY. WE NEVER WANT TO KNOWINGLY LET A COLLEGE SEE ANY WEAKNESS WE HAVE!

WHY AM I GETTING SO MUCH MAIL FROM COLLEGES RIGHT NOW? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

MOST PSAT SCORES ARE REPORTED TO COLLEGES. IN FACT, THERE USED TO BE A BOX YOU COULD CHECK ON THE PSAT TO RELEASE YOUR PSAT SCORES TO PROSPECTIVE COLLEGES. THAT IS A GREAT IDEA TO DO THAT. COLLEGES WILL START SENDING YOU BASIC MAIL BASED ON YOUR PSAT SCORES AND OR GPA. THE MAIL INITIALLY DOES NOT SIGNIFY IN ANY WAY A POSSIBLE ADMISSIONS TO THAT SCHOOL. IT JUST MEANS THAT THIS MIGHT BE A SCHOOL YOU COULD POSSIBLY GET INTO IN THE FUTURE IF YOU END UP MEETING ALL THEIR ADMISSIONS CRITERION. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE INITIAL MAIL YOU GET FROM COLLEGES IS ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL GET INTO THAT PARTICULAR COLLEGE. IT IS JUST SOMETHING FOR YOU TO CONSIDER AT THIS POINT. I KNOW THE COLLEGE MAIL YOU GET CAN BE VERY EXCITING, BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE REALITY OF IT.