VISTA HIGH SCHOOL GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
COLLEGE ADMISSION TESTS COMPARISON

 

ACT-American College Test

Website: www.actstudent.org

Company: American College Testing Program

Accepted By: Most 4-year colleges

Test Fee: $29.00, with Writing, $43.00

Measures: How much students have learned

Sections: English (usage/mechanics, rhetorical skills)
Math (pre-algebra, algebra 1, geometry, trigonometry) Calculators may be used.
Reading (prose, fiction, social studies, humanities, natural sciences) Science Reasoning (biology, earth, chemistry, physics) and writing.

Recommended : Spring, Junior year, December of senior year is latest test date for 4-year colleges*

SAT Reasoning Test

Website: www.collegeboard.com

Company: Educational Testing Service

Accepted By: Most 4-year colleges

Test Fee: $41.50

Measures: Reasoning abilities

Sections:

--Verbal (critical reading, analogies, sentence completion)
--Math (Mostly algebra 1 and geometry.)
--Calculators may be used, ten questions require student produced (grid-in) answers
--Writing (essay and multiple choice)

Recommended: --Spring, Junior year
--Cannot take SAT I same day as Subject Tests
--December of Senior year is latest test date for four year colleges*

Subject Tests

Website: www.collegeboard.com

Company: Educational Testing Service

Accepted By: UC requires two from two different subject areas and selective private colleges may require three. If math chosen, UC requires level 2.

Test Fee: $18.00 basic test fee plus $8.00 per test (some tests are more)

Measures: Knowledge in the subject area

Sections: 22 different subjects, can take up to 3 on one test date (Not all tests given on all dates)

Recommended: --Spring (not senior year) after highest level class in that particular subject.
--Language listening tests are only given in November.
--Cannot take Subject Test on the same day as SAT Reasoning Test.

 

* Some colleges require November testing deadline. Check with each school
*Our School Code is 053675

Note: CSU Mentor SAT Code is 3594 (Will cover all CSU Campuses student applies to using CSU Mentor)