FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS ONLY

ACT vs. SAT

WHEN?

• TAKE the SAT & ACT by

end of 11th Grade

• RETAKE the one you scored highest by 1st semester of SENIOR YEAR

PREPARATION?

• Make a Strong “B” in English 1, 2, and 3 • Make a Strong “B” in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2• PASS HSAP• Enroll in ACT/SAT Prep by Junior year, either at school or

via S.C. Virtual Schools• Request Practice Tests from Guidance• Checkout Study Guides from Media Center

Test SectionsACT

• English

75 questions• Mathematics

60 questions• Reading

40 questions• Science

40 questions• Optional Writing Test

1 prompt (TAKE WRITING AT LEAST ONCE)

Plus Writing Total Testing Time: 3 1/2 hours

No Writing Total Testing Time:

3 hours

SAT• Critical Reading

-Sentence Completion 19 questions

-Passage Reading

45 questions • Math - Multiple Choice

44 questions

-Student-produced with no answer choices

10 questions• Writing -Multiple Choice

-Essay Writing

Total Testing: 3 hours 45 minutes

How much does it cost?

ACT

•ACT No Writing $36.50

•ACT Plus Writing $52.50

Students on Free/Reduced Lunch may get up 2 fee

waivers

SAT

SAT $51.00

Students on Free/Reduced Lunch

may get up 2 fee waivers

THINGS TO KNOW

ACT

• Know the Directions ahead of time

• Do the EASY QUESTIONS FIRST

• Use logic on more difficult questions, there’s always one ridiculous answer you can cross off

• Circle answers in test booklet first, then transfer all answers to the scantron

• Tests English Grammar• Includes Science Section• Includes Trigonometry• ANSWER EVERY QUESTION,

THERE IS NO PENALTY FOR GUESSING

SAT

• Know the Directions ahead of time• Do the EASY QUESTIONS FIRST• Use logic on more difficult questions,

there’s always one ridiculous answer you can cross off

• Skip questions that you really can’t answer, no points are deducted if an answer is left blank

• Pace yourself

• Emphasis on Vocabulary• Broken into more sections• Easier questions are usually at the

beginning of the section; only exception is passage reading questions

• ¼ POINT IS SUBTRACTED FOR WRONG ANSWERS TO MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

SCORING & GUESSING

*Only SAT penalizes wrong answers

* You get 1 point for every correct answer

* You get ¼ point taken off for most incorrect answers

• ACT DOES NOT penalize for wrong answers

• DO NOT LEAVE ANY ANSWERS BLANK

ACT DATES

ACT TEST DATES DEADLINE LATE DEADLINE

• October 26, 2013 September 27, 2013 Sep. 28 - Oct. 11• December 14, 2013 November 8, 2013 Nov. 9 – 22• February 8, 2014* January 10, 2014 Jan. 11 – 24• April 12, 2014 March 7, 2014 March 8 – 21• June 14, 2014 May 9, 2014 May 10 – 23

ACT English Section

OVERVIEW

USAGE/MECHANICS Punctuation (13%) Grammar and Usage

(16%) Sentence Structure (24%)

RHETORICAL SKILLS Strategy (16%) Organization (15%) Style (16%)

STRATEGIES1. Skim the paragraph (find the

tense, tone, topic)2. Ask yourself 3 things:

Does it belong?Does it sound like proper

English? Does it make sense?

3. When in doubt, take it out (Is it too wordy? Usually take out commas and punctuation.)

4. Choosing the shortest answer, is usually correct a 3rd of the time

5. Don’t be too influenced by the answer, if the answer choice is much longer it’s usually not the answer

6. Be comfortable with NO CHANGE; this choice is correct approx. 20% of the time; about 15 answers should be NO CHANGE

USAGE/MECHANICSPunctuation (13%). Questions in this category test your knowledge of the conventions of internal and end-of sentence punctuation, with emphasis on the relationship of punctuation to meaning (for example, avoiding ambiguity, indicating appositives).Grammar and Usage (16%). Questions in this category test your understanding of agreement between subject and verb, between pronoun and antecedent, and between modifiers and the word modified; verb formation; pronouncase; formation of comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs; and idiomatic usage.Sentence Structure (24%). Questions in this category test your understanding of relationships between and among clauses, placement of modifiers, and shifts in construction.RHETORICAL SKILLSStrategy (16%). Questions in this category test how well you develop a given topic by choosing expressions appropriate to an essay’s audience and purpose; judging the effect of adding, revising, or deleting supporting material; and judging the relevancy of statements in context.Organization (15%). Questions in this category test how well you organize ideas and choose effective opening, transitional, and closing sentences.Style (16%). Questions in this category test how well you choose precise and appropriate words and images, maintain the level of style and tone in an essay, manage sentence elements for rhetorical effectiveness, and avoid ambiguous pronoun references, wordiness, and redundancy.

Content Covered by the ACT English Test

MATH SectionOverview

The ACT Mathematics Test

Four scores are reported for the ACT Mathematics Test: a

total test score based on all 60 questions, a subscore in the following:

Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra based on 24 questions, Algebra/Coordinate Geometrybased on 18 questions,Plane Geometry/Trigonometry based on 18 questions

Strategies

Avoid misfit answers that are completely different than the others, rule out ridiculous answersUse your calculatorChoose your own numbers when you have variables in the question, pick a number to meet the problemWork word problems backwards, always start with choice “C” to help you determine if you need a larger or smaller numberNever pick an answer that repeats a # already in the problem

Reading Section

READ, READ, READ There will be 4 complex passages

each about 750 words, mixed difficulty

Don’t get bogged down in details of passage

Mark up your passage Look at the main idea 1st sweep - Do a 20-30 second

review. Read the first par., read 1st and last sentence of each subsequent par. and read last par. Look for major characters, setting, topic, and discipline being discussed

2nd sweep - Read from start to finish. Mentally summarize each par. Draw inferences as you read, mark examples, mark comparisons and contrasts

CONTENT

Social Studies (25%)

Natural Sciences (25%)

Prose Fiction (25%)

Humanities (25%)

Content Covered by the ACT Reading Test

Social Studies (25%). Questions in this category are based on passages in the content areas of anthropology, archaeology, biography, business, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology,and sociology.8

Natural Sciences (25%). Questions in this category are based on passages in the content areas of anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, geology, medicine, meteorology, microbiology, natural history,physiology, physics, technology, and zoology.

Prose Fiction (25%). Questions in this category are based on intact short stories or excerpts from short stories or novels.

Humanities (25%). Questions in this category are based on passages from memoirs and personal essays and in the content areas of architecture, art, dance, ethics, film, language, literary criticism, music, philosophy, radio, television, and theater.

Content Covered by the ACT Science Test Data Representation (38%). This format presents graphic and

tabular material similar to that found in science journals and texts. The questions associated with this format measure skills such as graph reading, interpretation of scatterplots, and interpretation of information presented in tables.

Research Summaries (45%). This format provides descriptions of one or more related experiments. The questions focus upon the design of experiments and the interpretation of experimental results.

Conflicting Viewpoints (17%). This format presents expressions of several hypotheses or views that, being based on differing premises or on incomplete data, are inconsistent with one another. The questions focus upon the understanding, analysis, and comparison of alternative viewpoints or hypotheses.

Writing Section

OVERVIEW

The ACT Writing Test is a 30 minute essay test thatmeasures your writing skills

You are asked to write in response to a question about your position on the issue described in the writing prompt, you may choose either side or adopt a different point of view.

Two trained readers will score your essay, each giving it a rating from 1 (low) to 6 (high). The sum of those ratings is your Writing subscore.

The test consists of one writing prompt that will define an issue and describe two points of view on that issue.

STRATEGIES

Take a few minutes to plan your essay before writing

Prewrite in the Writing Test Booklet, then refer back to it as you write your essay on the lined pages

Explain your point of view clearly and logically

Before time is called- Correct any mistakes in grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling. Do NOT write in the margins

the satWRITING SECTION

Length: 60 minutes Score: 200-800Content: Grammar, Usage, Word Choice

Item Types: Multiple-Choice Questions (35 minutes); Student-Written Essay (25 minutes)

The SHORT ESSAY measures your ability to:– Organize and express ideas clearly– Develop and support the main idea– Use appropriate word choice and sentence structure

You will be asked to develop a point of view on an issue, using reasoning and evidence, based on your own experiences, readings, or observations, to support your ideas.

The essay will be scored by trained high school and college teachers. Each reader will give the essay a score from ONE to SIX (SIX is the highest score) based on the overall quality of the essay and your demonstration of writing competence.

The MULTIPLE-CHOICE writing questions measure your ability to:– Improve sentences and paragraphs– Identify errors (such as diction, grammar, sentence construction, subject-

verb agreement, proper word usage and wordiness)

the satCRITICAL READING SECTION

Length: 70 minutes (Two 25-minute sections, one 20-minute section) Score: 200-800

Content: Critical reading and sentence-level readingItem Types: Reading Comprehension, Sentence Completions, and Paragraph-

Length Critical Reading The Critical Reading Section includes short reading passages along with the

existing long reading passages. Analogies have been eliminated, but sentence-completion questions and passage-based reading questions remain.

• Sentence Completion questions measure your: – knowledge of the meanings of words – ability to understand how the different parts of a sentence fit logically together

• The reading questions on the SAT measure a student's ability to read and think carefully about several different passages ranging in length from about 100 to about 850 words. Passages are taken from a variety of fields, including the humanities, social studies, natural sciences, and literary fiction. They vary in style and can include narrative, argumentative, and expository elements. Some selections consist of a pair of related passages on a shared issue or theme that you are asked to compare and contrast. Such material can be followed by two to five questions that measure the same kinds of reading skills as are measured by the questions following longer passages. The following kinds of questions may be asked about a passage:

– Vocabulary in Context: These questions ask you to determine the meanings of words from their context in the reading passage.

– Literal Comprehension: These questions assess your understanding of significant information directly stated in the passage.

– Extended Reasoning: These questions measure your ability to synthesize and analyze information as well as to evaluate the assumptions made and the techniques used by the author. Most of the reading questions fall into this category. You may be asked to identify cause and effect, make inferences, recognize a main idea or an author's tone, and follow the logic of an analogy or an argument.

the satMATHEMATICS SECTION

Length: 70 minutes (Two 25-minute sections, one 20-minute section)Score: 200-800

Content: Number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics, probability, and data analysis

Item Types: Five-choice multiple-choice questions and student-produced responses

Strategy: For math questions without answer choices (grid answers), fill in your best guess; no points are subtracted for wrong answers as they

are in all other question types.

The SAT includes expanded math topics, such as exponential growth, absolute value, and functional notation, and place greater emphasis on such other topics as linear functions, manipulations with exponents, and properties of tangent lines.

Important skills formerly measured in the quantitative comparison format, such as estimation and number sense, will continue to be measured through the multiple choice and student response (grid-in) questions.

Can I use a calculator?– Yes. Students can continue to use a four-function, scientific, or

graphing calculator. The College Board recommends that students use a calculator at least at the scientific level for the SAT, although it's still possible to solve every question without a calculator.

Let’s find out how much you know!

If I plan to start at a two year technical school, and then transfer to a four year university, I must take the SAT or ACT.

You would take the COMPASS test instead—you do not need to take the ACT or SAT if you are doing

the 2 + 2 program!

• A good ACT score to aim for is 27- that is at the 90th percentile & one of Palmetto Fellow’s requirements; for LIFE, 24 is considered a qualifying score.

• College admission standards vary. For example, USC Columbia average 24-29 & Clemson average 28; College of Charleston’s average 23-27.

• BUT, remember, the higher your score, the greater possibility for admission and $cholars$hips!!!

A good score to aim for on the ACT to make myself eligible for general college admission and some scholarships is 21 – 23.

A good score to aim for to make myself eligible for general college admission and some scholarships.

• A excellent SAT score to aim for is 1200- & one of Palmetto Fellow’s requirements; for LIFE, 1100 is considered a qualifying score.

• College admission standards vary. For example, USC Columbia average 1120-1280 & Clemson average is 1160-1310; College of Charleston’s average is 1060-1220.

• BUT, remember, the higher your score, the greater possibility for admission and $cholars$hips!!!

There are no advantages to taking the SAT or ACT more than once.

• ACT research shows that of the students who took the ACT more than once:

55% increased their composite score on the retest22% had no change in their composite score on the retest 23% decreased their composite score on the retest

• SAT research shows thatSubstantial increase is most likely IF you scored lower, say

400-600 in a section. Substantial increase is unlikely IF you scored in the 700s the

first time around.Students rarely, if ever, benefit from taking the SATs three

times.

• The only requirement for LIFE for a 2 year college is a final GPA of 3.0!

• For a 4 year college (LIFE)—choose 2 of the 3: 3.0 GPA, top 30%, 1100 SAT or 24 ACT;

• Palmetto Fellows – choose one combination below:1200 SAT or 27 ACT w/top 6% & 3.5 GPA SAT 1400 or ACT 32 and 4.0 GPA

I will need a qualifying ACT/SAT score for state scholarships, for both 4 year universities and 2

year technical colleges.

WHICH ONE?ACTSAT

COMPASS

SEE YOUR COUNSELOR TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION!