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College Admissions Testing and Course Placement
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ACT AND SAT TEST REGISTRATION
National test dates occur on Saturdays. There are some test centers who have Sunday testing for students who need to test on that day due to religious practices. ACT has test dates in July, September, October, December, February, April, and June. The SAT has test dates in August, October, November, December, March, May, and June.
The deadline to register for national test dates usually falls one month before the date of the test.
Students will need to upload a picture during the registration process.
Students should make sure to include the PTHS School Code 182-085 when they register so that we recevie their scores to put on their transcript.
One fee waiver junior year and one fee waiver senior year are available to qualifying students. See your school counselor for details. A fee waiver only covers the basic cost of the test and not late fees. If a student does not show up on the test date, they waiver is still considered used.
Students with documented disabilities or English language learners may be eligible for testing acccommodations. See your counselor for information about how to apply for accommodations. The determination of whether a student receives testing accommodations on the ACT or SAT is at the sole discretion of ACT and SAT.
If you plan to play college athletics, remember to choose the NCAA and/or NAIA to receive your ACT scores. NCAA and NAIA only accept scores directly from the testing agency, not the ones listed on your transcript.
Go ahead and choose colleges where you want your scores sent. You might miss deadlines by waiting or have to pay extra to have the scores sent later.
The ACT is a test used for college admissions, dual credit placement and eligibility, and college course placement. The ACT contains four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. National test dates occur on Saturdays seven times each year. Students must register for the test through the ACT website. The state ACT for juniors (provided for free) occurs in March/April during the school day. The registration for the state ACT is done at school, not on the ACT website. ACT recommends students take the test for the first time during spring of their junior year because of the curriculum covered on the test. There is an optional ACT writing test, but students only need to take the writing test if their college requires it.
The SAT is another type of college admissions test. The test contains reading, writing and language, math sections, and an optional essay portion. Some colleges do require the essay. Visit the website for more information and to register for the test.
Many students and parents wonder which test is better for college admissions. This article breaks down the contents of each test.
The (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized test that is a practice version of the SAT given in October each year. Students may take this test for a small fee in their sophomore or junior year. Students may also opt in to receive information from colleges and scholarships. During the junior year, PSAT scores determine eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Competition and other recognition programs.
CERT (College Equipped Readiness Tool)
Starting in 2019-2020 school year, both the students in 10th and 11th grade will take a practice ACT from CERT. They receive scores and feedback on what skills they need to improve to earn a higher score on the ACT. Students will receive a log in where they can get feedback on every question they answered and video tutorials based on their individual needs.
Khan Academy is a FREE test prep resource tailored to your student. Create an account, and use for test prep or help with your regular classes.
You will find step by step math tutorials on this site that will help prepare for the math section of the Compass test. The Compass test is used for placement in college math classes.