College Corner
Information from the Bellaire High School Counselors' Office
IMPORTANT!
When you register for the SAT/ACT, you must list our high school code or
your scores will NOT be sent to BHS and therefore will NOT be listed
on your transcript!
Bellaire High School Code: 440557
When you register (online or paper) for the SAT/ACT, you may
skip all the questions about your interests and high school courses.
(SAT: Questionnaire, ACT: Student Profile/High School Course Info)
The New SAT
The New SAT will be introduced in March 2005. Math quantitative comparison
problems are out, algebra II problems are in, and there will be no trigonometry
questions. The term, "verbal" is out, and the term, "critical
reading" is in. Analogies are out, to be replaced by shorter reading
passages (in addition to longer reading passages).
The most important change is that the SAT will now require a 25-30 minute
essay, thereby extending the test time to approximately 3 1/2 hours.
ACT
www.act.org
For details about a particular date's Testing Locations, Click Here
The road to college can be a confusing and hectic one. Choosing the right
admissions test to take - SAT or ACT - doesn't have to be. While most colleges
across the country accept scores from either test, the SAT and ACT are significantly
different, and in many ways, they measure different skills. Check with your
guidance counselor and preferred colleges, then use the information below
to decide which test is right for you.
Differences at a Glance:
SAT vs ACT
| SAT | ACT |
| no science section | science reasoning section |
| no trigonometry section | math sections include trigonometry |
| vocabulary emphasized | vocabulary less important |
| non multiple-choice questions included | entirely multiple choice |
| guessing penalty | no guessing penalty |
| no English grammar | English grammar tested |
| math accounts for 50% of your score | math accounts for 25% of your score |
| questions go from easy to hard in most sections | easy and hard questions mixed within sections |
| all your SAT scores reported to colleges | reports scores only from the test dates you choose |
SAT at a Glance
Scoring and Timing
The SAT is a 3 hour exam comprised of 3 verbal sections, 3 math sections
and 1 experimental section which can be either math or verbal. There are five
30-minute sections and two 15-minute sections. You will receive a math and
a verbal score each ranging on a scale of 200 to 800.
Verbal
The SAT Verbal sections include: Analogies, Sentence Completions, and Critical
Reading. You'll need to work around tough vocabulary words in both Analogies
and Sentence Completions. In the Critical Reading section, you'll get four
passages from different subject areas. To answer the questions you'll have
to grasp the author's overall argument quickly and draw relationships between
the details of the passage and its main idea.
Math
The SAT Math sections contain approximately equal proportions of arithmetic,
algebra, and geometry questions, along with some other question types that
require skills like probability and logical reasoning. The SAT is interested
in testing your ability to manipulate information like key facts and formulas
rather than just memorizing them.
The New SAT
The New SAT will be introduced in March 2005. Math quantitative comparison
problems are out, algebra II problems are in, and there will be no trigonometry
questions. The term, "verbal" is out, and the term, "critical
reading" is in. Analogies are out, to be replaced by shorter reading
passages (in addition to longer reading passages). The most important change
is that the SAT will now require a 25-30 minute essay,
thereby extending the test time to approximately 3 1/2 hours.
ACT at a Glance
Scoring and Timing
It will take you 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete the ACT's 4 sections:
English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. Each section is scored on a
scale of 1-36, and you will receive an overall score of 1-36, with each section
weighted equally.
Verbal
The ACT English section gives you a series of sentences and paragraphs
and asks you to identify and correct any grammatical or punctuation errors,
garbled or redundant prose, or stylistic flubs. In the ACT Reading Section,
you'll be given four reading passages followed by questions mostly asking
you to locate facts and verify information.
Math & Science Reasoning
The ACT Math section requires you to know pre-algebra, algebra, and coordinate
and plane geometries. Unlike the SAT, you'll also see trigonometry, the
quadratic formula, and graphs and equations of circles, ellipses, and parabola.
Though the questions are generally straightforward, they will require you
to have memorized a number of concepts and formulas.
On the other hand, the ACT Science section doesn't mean you'll have to memorize the periodic table. Any information you need is provided. What the section really tests is your ability to think like a scientist-draw conclusions from data, grasp the purpose of an experiment, or identify an assumption underlying a scientific theory.
Power Prep - http://www.powerprep.com/
Improving Your Score, VocabMaster, SAT/ACT Tip of the Day
Some other useful sites:
