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

According to Richard Ferguson, the chief executive officer at ACT, by offering the Writing Test as an option, ACT hopes to provide a "flexible solution rather than imposing a single approach on all students and institutions."

Colleges and universities make their own decisions about whether to require the results from the ACT Writing Test for admission and/or course-placement purposes. Based on the requirements of the institutions they are considering, students decide whether to take the Writing Test. According to ACT, students will not be required to take a test that they do not need to take, thus incurring unnecessary expense, and institutions will have the freedom to require the tests that best meet their information needs.

To find out which colleges require the writing portion, visit

ACT's Web site .   For 2006-2007, the ACT is offered on:

It's Long. Bring a Snack.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2007 National Association for College Admission Counseling. 

Though most counselors will tell you not to worry too much about preparing for the SAT or ACT—how you perform on the test should, after all, be a reflection of what you've learned in school.

Counselor John Boshoven offers some quick and easy tips for those of you who can't seem to shake the testing-anxiety blues:

"Bring food, plan on the marathon and continue to prep as much as [you] want," he said. "As before, practice, practice, practice."

The fact of the matter is, regardless of writing sections and more advanced math, if you want to go to college, you have to take one of these tests. But the testing experience does not have to rank up there as one of the worst of your lives. And, hey, now that you know what to expect, it may not be as bad as you think. So, before you take the SAT or ACT, try your hand at one of the practice tests, don't let the anxiety get to you, and make sure you rest up the night before the exam.

Oh, and don't forget to bring a snack.