College and Career Planning 101

PSATWhen: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 7:50 to 10:30Where: Testing in your homeroomWhy: practice for the SAT and National Merit

ScholarshipHow do I prepare: Go to -

www. Collegeboard. Com/quickstartCreate an account or sign in to your college board

accountAnd enter the “online access code” from last

year’s PSAT

NAVIANCE

SAT vs. ACTSAT ACT TYPE:Reasoning, Problem Solving, Aptitude TestSample Question: What is your view of the

claim that something unsuccessful can still have some value?

CONTENT: Math- Algebra 1, Geometry & Algebra 2Reading- Sentence completion, short & long

reading passages, reading comprehension

Writing- An essay, questions related to: grammar, usage, & word choice

FORMAT: Begin with 25 minute essay, alternate

randomly from math, reading and writing in 10-25 minute sections

SCORING:Each section is 200-800 points, 2400 is the

highest score.There is a guessing penalty.

TYPE:Knowledge, Curriculum, Achievement TestSample Question: In your view, should high schools

become more tolerant of cheating? CONTENT: Math- Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry and TrigonometryReading- Four passages: Prose Fiction, Social

Science, Humanities and Natural ScienceEnglish- GrammarScience- Charts & ExperimentsWriting- Optional, but cannot be used in place of the

SATs if not completed at most institutions FORMAT: Begin with and alternate randomly between 60

minute sections of Math, Reading, Science, or English, complete with optional 30 minute writing section

SCORING:Each subject is scored 1-36 and averaged to create

a composite score, 36 is the highest possible score

There is no guessing penalty.(At some institutions ACT scores can be used in

place of SAT & SAT subject tests)

WHEN SHOULD I TEST?

Students take the PSAT in October of their sophomore and junior years (during the school day) and have the opportunity to take SAT/ACT practice tests through the PTO sophomore and junior year

Students should take the SAT and/or ACT during the 2ND Semester of junior year

Statistics show students often see an improvement in their score from the first testing to the second, but not generally on a third testing unless some sort of prep is completed

HOW DO I REGISTER?

PSATs: GVHS registers all 10th and 11th grade students for this test. The test is taken in October during the school day.

SAT: Students register online (collegeboard.com)

ACT: Students register online (actstudent.org)

JUNIOR MEETINGSJunior parent/student night will be held on Thursday, November 10th.

Parents are invited to junior meetings

Junior meetings will begin after junior parent student night (Mid-November)

Junior meetings will cover the college or career process

What can I do now to prepare for the college process?

GPA/Rigor most importantTake the PSAT seriously and use

your results to prep for taking the SAT

Take a practice ACTSign up for college visits/ visit a

variety of collegesBuild your resume/ take a leadership

role/ volunteer

Questions???