Getting Ready for the SAT or ACT

Test Day Tips:

Eat breakfast: you need to keep going for hours.

Bring No. 2 pencils and an eraser: no mechanical pencils or pens.

Bring your admission ticket and approved ID:(check the websites to be sure of the right kind.

Remember to bring your calculator, complete with fresh batteries.

Dress comfortably: be ready for a room that's cooler or hotter than outside.

Read all directions carefully.

Pace yourself: don't take too long on any one question.

For more tips, go to www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org.

Getting familiar with the college admission tests and practicing can improve your score. So can hard work in your regular high school classes. Go to the websites of the SAT and ACT for more information about the tests and for practice tests:

Test preparation courses and books are available, at various costs, both locally and online. You may be able to find free courses through your school counseling office or college access resource center. One free online test prep program is at www.number2.com. The public library may also provide a free online test preparation program that includes the SAT and ACT.

You must register for the SAT, ACT, and other standardized tests. Look for registration materials in your counseling office or register online at www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org. These tests have costs: both the SAT and the ACT with Writing cost a little over $40. You may be eligible for a fee waiver, however. Ask your counselor or college access advisor and check on fee waivers at the websites.

You must name colleges when you register for the ACT or SAT. These are the schools that will receive your scores as part of the application process. Name all the schools you think you might apply to, even if you're not sure: better extras than not enough. (If you are taking a test as practice, of course you need only have scores sent to yourself at your school.)

Choose a testing date and location from the list provided with your registration materials. Be sure to circle it on your calendar, inform your family, and arrange transportation on test day. Both the ACT and SAT begin at 8 AM. You should be there at least fifteen minutes early. If you're not familiar with the testing place, make a practice run ahead of time to be sure you know how to get there.

If you have learning differences or disabilities you can take these tests in different forms or with more time allowed. Check the websites for more information.