High school students prepare for ‘high stakes’ ACT, SAT tests
Jennifer Yates, left, works with teacher Kirstin Swagman at Huntington Learning Center on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008 as she prepares for Saturday’s SAT test. Yates is a senior at Reno High School.
Anxiety fills the halls of many Reno high schools in coming weeks as students prepare to take their American College Test (ACT) and Scholastic Aptitude Test examinations.
“Those tests are high stakes tests,” Susie Rusk, the counselor coordinator for the Washoe County School District, said. “There’s a feeling that ‘this test is going to determine my life.’”
Testing tips from various test preparatory officials:
- Take a timed practice test besides the PSAT.
- Take the exam as early as possible to have opportunities to repeat the test and a better chance of applying early to a college
- Visit the testing site before test day and pack a bag that includes a silent watch, number 2 pencils and a snack.
- Guess if you do not know the answer to an ACT multiple choice question.
- If you cannot eliminate one wrong answer on the SAT multiple choice, skip the question. If the answer is wrong, a student will be penalized a quarter point.
After taking an SAT preparatory course, Reed High School senior Evan Pritsos, 17, said he is less nervous about taking the exam on Oct. 4 but doesn’t undermine its importance.
“It’s probably the most important test I will take to date,” Pritsos said. “(Because) it’s one of the major factors that colleges look at to whether they will accept you or not.”
The ACT is divided into four multiple-choice subject tests: English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning. Test scores range from 1 to 36.
The district’s composite average score dropped from 22.3 in 2007 to 22 this year. Math stayed the same at 22.2.
The SAT consists of three major sections: critical reading, mathematics and writing. Each section receives a score on the scale of 200 to 800 and total scores are calculated by adding up scores of the three sections.
Last year, the district had average scores of 514 for critical reading, 520 for math and 493 for writing, said Sandi Foster, a district coordinator.
Rusk said colleges sometimes use ACT and SAT scores as a way to make sure a student has taken rigorous courses and is prepared for college-level courses. “The test score can kind of confirm if a student has been exposed to a rigorous curriculum,” Rusk said.
She added that the single best predictor of how students will scores depends on the sum total of their grades and the rigor of their courses.
“If you haven’t taken geometry or intermediate algebra, it doesn’t matter what else you’ve done, you don’t know the material,” Rusk said.
Kristen Campbell, national director of college prep programs, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, suggests students take timed practice exams to prepare for test day.
“It’s like training for a marathon you have so many long runs, by the time you actually get to the marathon, your body is ready,” Campbell said.
For the writing portion of the SAT, Campbell also recommended “taking a position in the essay and backing it up with specific examples.”
“What we recommend is students take a couple of minutes up-front to create an action plan and also make sure to leave a couple minutes at the end to make your conclusion,” Campbell said. “You want to make sure you leave the reader with a great impression of you and often that conclusion leaves that impression.”
Anita Hara, director/owner of Huntington Learning Center, said students begin preparing for the exams as juniors to give themselves adequate time. She strongly suggests this plan of action if the student is enrolled in a time consuming sport in the spring of their junior year.
“We want to help students (but) it’s really difficult when they come to us a week before the test,” Hara said.
For place of test, costs and registration visit www.actstudent.org for the ACT and www.collegeboard.com for the SAT. For Students with Disabilities please call 319-337-1332 for the ACT and 609-771-7137 for the SAT.
ACT 2008-09 Testing Dates
- Oct. 25, 2008
- Dec. 13, 2008
- Feb. 7, 2009
- April 4, 2009
- June 13, 2009
SAT 2008-09 Testing Dates
- Nov. 1, 2008
- Dec. 6, 2008
- Jan. 24, 2009
- March 14, 2009
- May 2, 2009
- June 6, 2009
ACT 2007-08 averages
| Washoe County | Nation | |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 22 | 21.1 |
| English | 21.3 | 20.6 |
| Math | 22.2 | 21 |
| Reading | 22.4 | 21.4 |
| Science | 21.5 | 20.8 |
SAT 2007-08 averages
| Washoe County | Nation | |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 514 | 502 |
| Math | 520 | 515 |
| Writing | 493 | 494 |
Total tested: 1084.
This article appeared originally in Reno Gazette-Journal.
