College Admissions Tests
ACT or SAT
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Cost of Attendance in Indiana for
2012-2013 academic year
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IU
Purdue
Ball State
USI
VU
Ivy Tech
UE
$18,888
$20,278
$16,868
$15,000
$12,936
$3,334
$40, 566
Tuition/Fees, & Room/Board
Tuition/Fees, & Room/Board
Tuition/Fees, & Room/Board
Estimated cost for 2012-2013
Tuition/Fees, & Room/Board
Tuition only (30 hours)
Typical annual cost for 2012-2013
2
High Test Scores =
Scholarship $
Indiana University Excellence Scholarship
Award:
$9,000 per year
School:
Indiana University
Major:
Any
Criteria:
Students with SAT score of 1350 (CR & MATH) or above or ACT composite of 31 or
above and a minimum GPA of 3.8, will receive an IU Excellence Scholarship at the
time of admission.
Deadline: Must have complete application file to IU by November 1, 2012.
Indiana University Prestige Scholarships
Award:
$3,000 per year
School:
Indiana University
Major:
Any
Criteria:
Students with SAT score of 1250 (CR & MATH) or above or ACT composite of 28 or
above and a minimum GPA of 3.7 will receive an IU Prestige Scholarship at the time
of admission.
Deadline: Must have complete application file to IU by November 1, 2012.
What is the SAT/ACT?
College Admission Tests
 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) by
CollegeBoard
 American College Test (ACT) by ACT

Why take the SAT/ACT?

Critical in Admission and Scholarship
decisions
 Colleges will be looking at course selection,
grades earned, GPA, Class Rank, and TEST
SCORES when making admissions decisions
 Any 4-year institution will require SAT or ACT
scores (Check w/other schools) & some
scholarship programs
 Only objective way for colleges to evaluate
student’s readiness for college-level work
SAT vs. ACT
SAT
Critical Reading
 Math
 Writing (Essay makes up ~30% of total
writing score.)
 Average score is about 500 on each
section of the test
 Each section is scored on the 200-800
scale, where 200 is lowest and 800 is
highest

SAT (cont.)
For each correct answer, the student
earns one point
 For a wrong answer to a multiple-choice
question, the student loses ¼ point.
 No points are deducted for unanswered
questions or for wrong answers to math
student-produced response questions
(not multiple-choice).

ACT
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English
Math
Reading
Science
Writing (Optional, but required by many
colleges)
ACT (cont.)
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Average Composite Score (21.0)
*The composite score is an average of the four test scores (Eng, Math,
Reading, & Science)
Each test is scored on the 1-36 scale,
where 1 is lowest and 36 is highest
 All questions multiple-choice
(except Writing Test)

When do I take the SAT/ACT?
Spring of Junior Year
 Allows enough time to test again and
still meet deadlines
 Some admission and scholarship
decisions are made in Early Fall
 Most universities will tell you to take
SAT/ACT during the spring of your
junior year

What does it cost?
SAT - $50.00 (Late Registration $27.00)
 ACT - $35.00 (Late Registration $22.00)
 ACT Plus Writing - $50.50

How do I register?
Online (preferred) or Paper-Pencil
 www.collegeboard.org (SAT)
 www.actstudent.org (ACT)
 Limited registration materials available
in the guidance office
 Barr-Reeve School Code: 152395

Additional Registration
Information

Select four institutions you wish to
receive your scores (May request more
than four, but requires extra fee.)

Must include high school code 152395
or we will not receive your test scores
(Could delay college application
process)
Additional Registration
Information (cont.)

If you are a 21st Century Scholar or
Project Aspiree student, ask about fee
waivers

Students with disabilities may be eligible
to receive accommodations; Must fill out
form (See Mrs. Sward)
Additional Registration
Information (cont.)

Students planning on registering with the
NCAA Clearinghouse MUST request all ACT
and SAT scores be reported directly to
NCAA. (Code 9999)

If you plan on taking the ACT, check to see if
your college requires the optional Writing
portion
Additional Registration
Information – NEW!!
You MUST provide an acceptable photo
in order to register.
 You will be turned away if your photo
does not meet the requirements.
 Can use school picture – let me, Mrs.
Graber, or Mr. Cummings know. We
will email it to you in an attachment.

Understanding Deadlines…
2012-2013 SAT DATES
TEST DATE
REGULAR
REGISTRATION
DEADLINE
LATE REGISTRATION
DEADLINE
May 4
April 5
April 19
June 1
May 2
May 17
Understanding Deadlines
(cont.)…
2012-2013 ACT DATES
TEST DATE
REGULAR
DEADLINE
LATE
DEADLINE
April 13
March 8
March 22
June 8
May 3
May 17
When to arrive and what to
bring to the Test Center:
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Arrive no later than 7:45AM; Testing usually
completed by 1:00pm
Photo Admission Ticket
Acceptable Photo Identification
(Has to have name and recognizable photo)
Two No. 2 Pencils and a soft eraser (NO
PENS OR MECHANICAL PENCILS)
Acceptable Calculator
What NOT to bring in the
testing room:
Cell phone, iPad, iPod, pager, PDA, or
other digital/electronic equipment
 Scratch paper
 Notes, books, dictionaries
 Compass, protractor, ruler
 Highlighter
 Portable listening device
 Camera
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A word on cell phones….

Cell phone use is prohibited
 If their phone makes any noise or a student is
seen using a cell phone (even during breaks),
the student may be dismissed immediately,
his/her scores canceled, and the device may
be confiscated.
 Also applies to any other digital/electronic
equipment (iPod, iPad, laptop, etc.)
A word on cell phones (cont.)..
Testing staff has right to deny
admission to anyone in possession of a
cell phone or other prohibited electronic
device.
 DON’T BRING IT!
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Admission Tickets

Students can print their Admission Tickets
from the testing center’s website
 Students who provide an email address will
also receive an Admission Ticket by email.
 No one will gain entry to testing room
without an Admission Ticket
Acceptable Identification

Acceptable photo identification in English is
required
 Identification must be current, recognizable
and bear the student’s name exactly as it
appears on the student’s Admission Ticket
Acceptable Identification
(cont.)

A Driver’s License IS an acceptable form of
identification.

A Social Security Card, Credit Card, Parent’s
Driver’s License, Hunting License, Birth
Certificate are NOT acceptable forms of
identification.
Test Taking Tips

Answer easy questions first (usually at the
beginning of the section)
 Make educated guesses (Rule out one or
more choice)
 Skip questions you really can’t answer – on
the SAT no points are deducted if an answer
is left blank
 Limit your time on any one question
Test Taking Tips (cont.)
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Keep track of time
Use your test booklet as scratch paper
Mark the questions you skipped and want to
return
Check your answer sheet to make sure you
are placing your answers correctly
Make sure you use a No. 2 pencil
Be sure to fill in/erase entire circle
Test Taking Tips (cont.)
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Guessing on the ACT:
Because there is no penalty for guessing on
the ACT multiple-choice tests, it is to the
student’s advantage to answer every
question. A student’s raw score on each
multiple-choice test is simply the number of
correct responses.
How to Prepare
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The best way for students to prepare for the
SAT is by taking challenging courses and by
reading and writing as much as possible.
PSAT My College Quickstart
ACT Prep Booklets available in guidance
office (practice tests w/answers)
www.number2.com;
www.March2Success.com
www.highfivescholarships.com
How to prepare (cont.)
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Test Day Simulator: an interactive sneak peek
inside an SAT administration
(sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-test-day-simulator)
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Answers imagined: a creative exploration of
answers to SAT practice questions
(sat.collegeboard.org/practice/answers-imagined)
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Why SAT: What students and families need to
know about the SAT
(sat.collegeboard.org/why-sat)
How to prepare (cont.)
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Free Official Online Practice Test: a free, official
online practice test with automatic scoring
features based on The Official SAT Online
Course
(sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-practice-test)
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SAT Study Plans: individualized study plans
based on a student’s stage in the test-taking
process
(sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-study-plan)
Questions?