Long Beach Cal SOAP
College
Entrance
Exams
Recommended Testing Schedule
Have all tests completed by end of 11th
grade.
 You should not be taking any exam for the
first time as a 12th grader.
 Fall 12th Grade

– Retest as needed
– December test date last time to test for UC
admission
– Some CSU’s have an October test deadline
FAQ’s
Fee Waivers available from school
counselor or outreach staff
 What to Bring on Test Day

– Admission Ticket
– Calculator
– No. 2 Pencils
– Photo ID
– Watch (to keep pace)
– Drink or snacks (for your break)
FAQ’s
Multiple choice scores available online
about 3 weeks after test date
 Colleges & Scores

– CSU: best scores from multiple test sittings
– UC: best scores from a single test sitting
– Choose colleges when you register
– Add additional colleges (for a fee) after you’ve
taken the test
– SAT or ACT with Writing Required for CSU
and UC Admission
ACT FAQ’s


Testing Schedules
Test Date
Registration Deadline
Late Registration
9/10/2011
8/12/2011
8/13/2011 – 8/26/2011
10/22/2011
9/16/2011
9/17/2011 – 9/30/2011
12/10/2011
11/11/2011
11/12/2011 – 11/18/2011
2/11/2012
1/13/2012
1/14/2012 – 1/20/2012
4/14/2012
3/9/2012
3/10/2011 – 3/23/2012
6/9/2012
5/4/2012
5/5/2012 – 5/18/2012
Basic Fees
– ACT (no writing) = $34.00
– ACT + Writing = $49.50
– Late Registration, Location Change, Date Change = additional
fees
SAT FAQ’s

Testing Schedules
Date
Subject Test Available
Registration Deadline
Late Registration Deadline
11/5/2011
Yes
10/7/2011
10/21/2011
12/3/2011
Yes
11/8/2011
11/20/2011
1/28/2012
Yes
12/30/2011
1/13/2012
2/10/2012
2/24/2012
4/6/2012
4/20/2012
3/10/2012
5/5/2012

Yes
Basic Fees
– SAT = $49.00
– SAT Subject Test
 Basic Fee = $22.00
 Language with Listening Test = $22.00 each
 All other Tests = $11 each
– Late Registration, Location Change, Date Change = additional fees
What’s the difference between the
SAT I and the SAT II?

SAT I Reasoning Test
– Analytical skills
– Problem solving ability

SAT II Subject Tests
– Knowledge based
Problem Solving Question
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
How many positive integers
less than 1,000 are divisible by
2 or 5 or both?
400
500
540
600
700
Knowledge Based Question
The Emancipation Proclamation declared slaves in
which of the following areas “forever free”?
(A) All areas of the United States
(B) All areas of the Confederacy
(C) Areas in border states loyal to the union
(D) Confederate areas still in rebellion
(E) Areas in states controlled by Union forces
What’s the difference between
SAT I and ACT?
SAT
 Content
– Math
– Critical Reading
– Writing

ACT
 Content
–
–
–
–
–
Scoring Range
– 200-800 per section
– 2400 max score

Math
English
Reading
Science
Writing (optional)
Scoring Range
– 5 sub scores


4 core areas
English/Writing
– 1 composite score
– 1-36 scale on sub & composite
scores

Scoring Process
– Wrong answer penalty

Scoring Process
– No wrong answer penalty
How are test scores used
in college admissions?
University of California
 SAT I or ACT w/Writing
Cal. State University
 SAT I or ACT
– Highest Total Score

– SAT I: use Reading
and Math scores only
– ACT: writing not
required
SAT II Subject Tests
– Two Highest Individual
Test Scores

Weight of scores in
admission decision
varies by campus

Scores are only
applicable if your GPA
is below 3.0
What is a good ACT score?
Score Scale = 1-36
 Average Score for California Students =
22

What is a good SAT score?
Each section on 200-800 scale
Total Maximum Score = 2400
Average Score = 500 per section
500 x 3 = 1500
SAT Scoring Process

Wrong answer penalty
– ¼ point deduction for each wrong answer

Score Calculation
#correct – (.25 x #incorrect) = raw score
Raw score is then converted to scaled score
ACT Scoring Process

No Wrong Answer Penalty
SAT Strategy
You should NEVER run out of time

Answer Easy level questions first
– Circle off questions you feel 95% sure you got
correct

Mark all medium and hard questions
M = medium
H = hard
X out questions you absolutely have no
idea how to answer
 Answer Medium level questions
 Answer Hard level questions

SAT Strategy
Should you guess on medium or hard questions?
 Answer or make best guess at medium
questions (if you have eliminated two or more
answer choices)
 Only go back to hard questions if there is time
 YOU WILL MOST LIKELY HAVE A FEW BLANK
ANSWER BUBBLES IN EACH SECTION

ACT Strategy

Answer easy questions first
– Circle off questions you feel 95% sure you got correct

Mark all medium and hard questions
M = medium
H = hard




Go back and answer all medium questions – if you don’t
know the answer GUESS
Go back and answer all hard questions – if you don’t
know the answer GUESS
Last 2 minutes of each section: FILL IN ALL BLANK
ANSWER BUBBLES.
DO NOT LEAVE ANY QUESTIONS BLANK!
Writing &
English
Writing
(test of standard written English)

Essay
– 2 page, handwritten
essay

Multiple Choice
– Editing and
proofreading skills
Writing & English
Multiple Choice
Questions
Microsoft Word
Green & Red Corrections
Types of Questions
SAT
 Sentence Error
Recognition
 Sentence Error
Correction
 Paragraph Error
Correction or
Improvement
ACT
 Usage/Mechanics
 Rhetorical Skills
 Above types of
questions presented
together within a
short passage
ESSAY
The Essay
Students will be asked to write a short
essay that requires them to take a position
on an issue and use examples to support
their position.
 Persuasive Essay

– Subjective
– Must contain logical reasoning and factual
information in order to defend your position
Your essay will be scored on…
Organization
 Development of ideas
 Supporting examples
 Sentence structure
 Word choice

Scoring Directions to Readers






Read quickly
Read entire essay before scoring then score
immediately
Read supportively
Ignore handwriting quality
Ignore length of essay
Understand that grammar is not an overriding
factor
You can base your essay on…
What you have learned in school
 What you have read in and outside of
school in literature, science, or other areas
 Current events
 Your extracurricular and outside activities
 Your observations and own experiences

25 Minute Essay

2-5 minutes organize

15-18 minutes of actual writing

2-5 minutes review
READING
Strategies for Reading Passages

Slower Readers
– Read questions first
– Answer questions out
of context
(vocabulary)
– Read passage if there
is time
– Answer questions that
need context

Faster Readers
– Skim questions first
– Read passage
– Mark answers as you
read
Need to Study Vocabulary
The Princeton Review Hit Parade
abstract
aesthetic
alleviate
ambivalent
apathetic
auspicious
benevolent
candor
cogent
comprehensive
contemporary
conviction
diligent
dubious
eclectic
egregious
exculpate
florid
gratuitous
hackneyed
idealize
impartial
imperious
inherent
innovative
inveterate
laudatory
maverick
mollify
novel
obdurate
objectivity
obstinate
ornate
ostentatious
paramount
penitent
pervasive
plausible
profound
prosaic
quandary
rancorous
spurious
stoic
superfluous
tenuous
timorous
transitory
vindicated
MATH
SAT Math
SAT
ACT
 Number and operations  Pre-Algebra
 Algebra and functions
 Elementary Algebra
 Geometry and
 Coordinate Geometry
measurement
 Intermediate Algebra
 Data analysis, statistics,  Plane Geometry
probability
 Trigonometry
Sample “Easy” Math Question
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
How many positive integers
less than 1,000 are divisible by
2 or 5 or both?
400
500
540
600
700
Pre Algebra
What is 4% of 1,110?
 What is the total cost of 2.5 pounds of bananas
at $0.34 per pound and 2.5 pounds of tomatoes
at $0.6 per pound?
 If 537 to the 102nd power were calculated, it
would have 279 digits. What would the digit
farthest to the right be (the ones digit)?

Elementary Algebra
For all x, (x+4)(x-5)=?
The relationship between temperature
expressed in degrees Fahrenheit (F) and degree
Celsius © is given by the formula F=9/5C + 32.
If the temperature is 14 degrees F, what is the
degrees C?
 If a<-1, which of the following best describes a
general relationship between a3 and a2?


Int Algebra
If x+y=1, and x-y=1, then y=?
 Amy drove the 200 miles to New Orleans at an
average speed 10 miles per hour faster than her
usual average speed. If she completed the trip
in 1 hour less than usual, what is her usual
driving speed, in miles per hour?
 If (⅜)ⁿ = √(⅛)ⁿ, then n=?

Yes,
you may use a
calculator.
ACT
Science Reasoning
ACT Science Reasoning

The Science Test measures the student’s
interpretation, analysis, evaluation,
reasoning, and problem-solving skills
required in the natural sciences. The test
is made up of seven sections, each of
which consists of some scientific
information (the stimulus) and a set of
test items. The scientific information is
conveyed in one of three different
formats.
Science Content
The Science section consists of seven passages,
each with 5-7 questions. The questions ask
students to interpret graphs/charts/tables,
understand experiments, and comprehend
scientific discussions. The Science section does
not presuppose a significant science background
in any area.
Science Content

Data Representation This format presents graphic and
tabular material similar to that found in science journals and
texts. The questions associated with this format measure skills
such as graph reading, interpretation of scatterplots, and
interpretation of information presented in tables, diagrams, and
figures.

Research Summaries This format provides descriptions of
one or more related experiments. The questions focus on the
design of experiments and the interpretation of experimental
results.

Conflicting Viewpoints This format presents expressions of
several hypotheses or views that, being based on differing
premises or on incomplete data, are inconsistent with one
another. The questions focus on the understanding, analysis,
and comparison of alternative viewpoints or hypotheses.
Calculators may
NOT be used
on the Science
test.
SAT II Subject Tests
2 Tests From
2 Different Subject Areas

English
– Literature

History
– U.S. History
– World History

Math
– Level 1
– Level 2

Science
– Biology E/M
– Chemistry
– Physics

Languages
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Modern Hebrew
Italian
Latin
French
French w/Listening
German
German w/Listening
Spanish
Spanish w/Listening
Chinese w/Listening
Japanese w/Listening
Korean w/Listening
Recommended Study Guides
Long Beach
Cal SOAP
http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students/calsoap/