High School Exams

A guide to helping parents understand the exams of today.High School Exams1

12035ASVAB Test: October 17th. Register in Guidance Office. No Fee.

PSAT Test: October 17th. Register in Guidance Office. Cost is $20.00.(Make checks payable to Ohatchee High School)

SAT Register on-line at www.collegeboard.com

ACT Register on-line at www.actstudent.org (Fee Waivers are available in Guidance Office)2The College & Career Readiness SystemACTs College and Career Readiness System provides a longitudinal approach to educational and career planning through assessment, curriculum support, and student evaluation. Our research-based solutions are designed to help schools, districts, and states prepare every student for college and career by focusing on academic and noncognitive measurement and instructional improvement.

Aligned with ACTs College Readiness Standards and Benchmarks, the College and Career Readiness System encourages student academic and behavioral planning through early identification of educational and career goals in diverse educational institutions nationwide.

ACTs College and Career Readiness System is supported by solutions for planning school improvement, Core Practice Audit and CoreWork Diagnostics.

3EXPLORE, PLAN, and The ACT

EXPLORE is the first part of a testing system that goes on to include PLAN and the ACT.Typically, students take EXPLORE in the 8th or 9th grade, PLAN as 10th graders, and the ACT as juniors or seniors.All three test you in English, math, reading, and science. However, the material tested in each program gets more difficult.This is why the top scores are different.

Program Grade Level Composite Score Range EXPLORE 8 and 9: 1 to 25 PLAN 10: 1 to 32 ACT 11 and 12: 1 to 36

4About the EXPLORE (8th Grade)EXPLORE includes four multiple-choice tests:

Your skills in these subjects will make a big differencein school and, eventually, in your career.

Once you know what each test covers, your EXPLORE test results can show you where you're strong or weak.

SubjectNumber of QuestionsHow Long It TakesEnglish4030 minutesMath3030 minutesReading3030 minutesScience2830 minutes.

5What your EXPLORE Score Report Tells You!The EXPLORE Student Score Report gives information about your knowledge, skills, interests, and plans. You can use this information as you plan your high school coursework and begin thinking about college and work.

Your report tells you how you did on the EXPLORE tests and how your scores compare to those of other students across the nation.

It contains information about your educational and career plans, interests, high school coursework plans, and the amount of help you think you need in seven areas.

6The PLANThe PLAN program helps 10th graders build a solid foundation for future academic and career success and provides information needed to address school districts' high-priority issues. It is a comprehensive guidance resource that helps students measure their current academic development, explore career/training options, and make plans for the remaining years of high school and post-graduation years.

PLAN can help all studentsthose who are college-bound as well as those who are likely to enter the workforce directly after high school.

PLAN serves as the midpoint measure of academic progress in ACT's College and Career Readiness System.

7The ACTThe ACT test is a curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students' academic readiness for college.

The ACT motivates students to perform to their best ability and often results in increased college enrollment, especially for underrepresented students.

Test scores reflect what students have learned throughout high school and provide colleges and universities with excellent information for recruiting, advising, placement, and retention.

To support college and career planning, the ACT career exploration component helps students identify personally relevant career options.

The ACT is the capstone of our College and Career Readiness System. The test uses the same score scale as EXPLORE and PLAN, making the system an effective tool to monitor academic progress and student growth.

8The PSATThe PSAT is a two-hour test given once a year in October. Many students take the PSAT, not only as preparation for the SAT taken in senior year and widely used as a major criterion for college admissions, but also to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Competition.

As with the SAT, the PSAT has separate math and verbal sections and a third section testing English grammar. Each subject is scored on a scale of 20 to 80 and these scores are combined to create the National Merit Scholarship selection index.

Almost all students take the PSAT during their junior year, but many students take the PSAT when they are sophomores to get the feel of the test. However, it is only the scores from the PSAT taken in your junior year that are considered for the National Merit Scholarship competition.

This scholarship competition awards approximately 8,200 scholarships annually. The selection process starts with the choosing of National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists and Commended Scholars. Cutoffs vary from state to state but typically Semi-Finalists score in the top one percent of students in their state and Commended Scholars between the top one to four percent. Most of the approximately 16,000 Semi-Finalists become Finalists, and half of those ultimately receive National Merit Scholarships.9The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are:To receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.

To see how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.

To enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (grade 11).

To help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.

To receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service.

10The SATThe SAT and SAT Subject Tests are a suite of tools designed to assess your academic readiness for college. These exams provide a path to opportunities, financial support and scholarships, in a way that's fair to all students. The SAT and SAT Subject Tests keep pace with what colleges are looking for today, measuring the skills required for success in the 21st century.Click on the link below to watch a great video that explains why You should take the SAT.http://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests/sat

11What does the SAT test?The SAT doesnt test logic or abstract reasoning. It tests the skills youre learning in school: reading, writing and math. Your knowledge and skills in these subjects are important for success in college and throughout your life.

The critical reading section includes reading passages and sentence completions.

The writing section includes a short essay and multiple-choice questions on identifying errors and improving grammar and usage.

The mathematics section includes questions on arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability.

12ASVABThe ASVAB is offered to high school and post-secondary students as part of the ASVAB Career Exploration Program. The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success. The program provides tools to help students learn more about career exploration and planning, in both the civilian and military worlds of work. The ASVAB Career Exploration Program is free of charge to participating schools. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students.

13When do/should I take exams?EXPLORE: 8th GradePLAN: 10th GradeACT: 11th GradeSAT: 11th GradePSAT: 10th and 11th GradeASVAB: 10th- 12th Grade14What fees are involved with the exams?EXPLORE: No Fee RequiredPLAN: No Fee Required ACT: $35.00 (w/out writing portion)$50.00 (plus writing portion)SAT:$50.00Subject Test: $ 12.00-$23.00PSAT: $20.00ASVAB: No Fee Required

15Where do I go to register?EXPLOREAutomatically enrolledPLANAutomatically enrolledACTwww.actstudent.orgPSATSee CounselorSATwww.sat.org/register ASVABSee Counselor16All information found in this PowerPoint came directly from the following websites:

www.act.orgwww.collegeboard.comwww.official-asvab.com

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