Test Prep Resources | WCA College Advisement

Testing Preparation and Testing Information

If you are seeking entrance to any of the United States many colleges and universities, a requirement for admission in almost 100% of non-community college schools is an SAT or ACT test score. College admissions officers will review standardized test scores alongside your high school GPA, the classes you took in high school, letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors, extracurricular activities, admissions interviews, and personal essays.

This Page is designed to provide you with as much information about these tests, as well as resources you can access to help maximize your scores on these exams. It also has resources and information about the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT.

SAT/ACT RESOURCES

PSAT INFO

*Note: Please check the College Counseling calendar. You do not have to register for the school-administered SAT

Register

to take the test

Compare the ACT and SAT tests

ACT includes a Science section
SAT includes one SAT Math Section on which you may not use a calculator

	SAT	ACT
Why Take It	Colleges use SAT scores for admissions and merit-based scholarships.	Colleges use ACT scores for admissions and merit-based scholarships.
Test Structure	Reading Writing & Language Math Essay (Optional)	English Math Reading Science Reasoning Essay (Optional)
Length	3 hours (without essay) 3 hours, 50 minutes (with essay)	2 hours, 55 minutes (without essay) 3 hours, 40 minutes (with essay)
Reading	5 reading passages	4 reading passages
Science	None	1 science section testing your critical thinking skills (not your specific science knowledge)
Math	Covers: Arithmetic Algebra I & II Geometry, Trigonometry and Data Analysis	Covers: Arithmetic Algebra I & II Geometry, Trigonometry, and Probability & Statistics
Calculator Policy	Some math questions don't allow you to use a calculator.	You can use a calculator on all math questions.
Essays	Optional. The essay will test your comprehension of a source text.	Optional. The essay will test how well you evaluate and analyze complex issues.
How It's Scored	Scored on a scale of 400–1600	Scored on a scale of 1–36

Should I Take the ACT or SAT?

Students are increasingly taking both the SAT and ACT . Changes made to the SAT in 2016 have made it easier than ever to prep for both tests concurrently — and earn competitive scores on both!

The best way to decide if taking the SAT, ACT, or both tests is right for you is to take a timed full-length practice test of each type. Since the content and style of the SAT and ACT are very similar, factors like how you handle time pressure and what types of questions you find most challenging can help you determine which test is a better fit.

This section has been reposted from the Princeton Review. For more information about the Princeton Review or to order their resources, click here.

Click above to convert a SAT score to ACT or vice versa

Click Here to Learn What's on the Test

The PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 are highly relevant to your future success because they focus on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education. They’ll measure:

What you learn in high school
What you need to succeed in college

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If you think the key to a high score is memorizing words and facts you’ll never use in the real world, think again. You don’t have to discover secret tricks or cram the night before.

The best way to prepare for the test is to: