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There are three entrance exams that a student may take for college acceptance. In most cases, at least one is required. High scores will almost certainly contribute heavily to acceptance and perhaps scholarship opportunities. The PSAT is taken to quality students for early acceptance and scholarships.

PSAT/NMST "The Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a co-sponsored program by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test™. It also gives you a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs.

The PSAT must be taken the junior year of highschool and is used to assess skills and prepare for taking the SAT exam. However, you may take the examination during the sophomore year.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures:

critical reading skills
math problem-solving skills
writing skills"

Resource: CollegeBoard.com

SAT I

The SAT I is often called the reasoning test because it challenges critical thinking skills in mathematics and verbal skills. This test is usually taken the first time during the junior or senior year. The test may be taken multiplse times - and scores usually improve with each consecutive test. The SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 (for math and verbal).

The SAT I will be changing as of March 2005. According to CollegeBoard.com, some of the changes to the SAT include:

A student-written essay
Analogies eliminated
Shorter reading passages added
New content from third-year college preparatory math
Quantitative Comparisons eliminated

CollegeBoard.com is a resource for low-cost preparation materials for the new exam.


Resource: CollegeBoard.com

SAT II

The SAT II examinations are subject tests. Occassionally a college will require that these tests be taken. There are 22 tests in all.

Resource: CollegeBoard.com

ACT The ACT is America's most widely accepted college entrance exam. It assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work.

The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The Writing Test, which is currently optional (available Feb 2005), measures skill in planning and writing a short essay. Some colleges may begin requiring the writng test. The ACT exam may be taken over to attempt to raise scores. The test is given 6 times a year.

Resource:ACT Assessment