New Admission Tests: What to Take, and When to Take Them (for teens)

So, you've seen the movie, The Perfect Score. You (or most likely your parents) have read countless articles in Newsweek USA Today about the latest SAT and the new, optional ACT writing test. You're wondering what your next step should be in this unknown world of testing, right?  Well, the good news is that we've made it through more than the first year of the new tests! So we now have some idea as to what you can expect from the tests and how to use them to your advantage. Naturally, it will take some time for both students and colleges and universities to get into a rhythm with the new tests; but the more you know, the better you can prepare. and

Before the stress overtakes you, however, zero in on the facts. Remind yourself that admission test scores are only one of many factors that influence college-admission decisions. And read on to learn more about the new tests; to find out when and if and what you should take; and how to better prepare yourself for the next chapter of admission testing, and, well, your life.

SAT and ACT: The Basics

The new SAT—with writing, critical reading and mathematics sections—is in its second year.

The one-hour writing section is the latest addition to the test. It has two parts:

• Write an essay by taking a position on an issue and using reasoning and examples to support your position (25 min.)
• Answer multiple-choice questions that ask you to identify sentence errors, improve sentences, and improve paragraphs (35 min.).

Since many colleges and universities do not require the writing score, you should research the schools you're interested in before you begin to prepare for the test.

The SAT math section includes topics from third-year college-preparatory math—exponential growth, absolute value, functional notation, and negative and fractional exponents. Quantitative comparisons from the old SAT are no longer part of the test.

The final piece of the puzzle is the critical reading section (previously known as the verbal section); this section includes short and long reading passages from a variety of texts. Though analogies were eliminated, sentence-completion questions remain.

The perfect score is 2400 (as opposed to 1600); and the exam houses three sections, each scored on a 200 to 800 point scale.

The test takes three hours and 45 minutes to complete, including an unscored 25-minute variable section. The 2006-2007 test dates are:

• October 14
• November 4
• December 2
• January 27
• March 10
• May 5
• June 2.

The College Board will also offer Sunday administrations the day after each Saturday test date for those students who cannot test on Saturday for religious reasons. The October Sunday Test will be held on October 22 to avoid conflict with Jewish holiday Simchat Torah.

Visit the College Board's Web site for more SAT info.

In early 2005, ACT also changed its test by adding a 30-minute Writing Test as an optional component to the ACT Assessment, for students testing within the U.S. who are applying to college. The ACT Writing Test complements the English Test.