Many questions regarding the SAT and the ACT recur from the perspective of tutors. Parents and students alike seek to be better informed as the tests change over time. Here are some of the questions we at Cornerstone Learning receive most often and the answers we can best provide:

Question 1: What are the SAT and the ACT?

Answer 1: The ACT and the SAT are both standardized tests that have been developed specifically for applications into colleges and universities in the United States. Over the past two decades, the tests have been slowly merging their standardization methods so that most of the nuances between the two have slowly diminished.
Now, the two are more or less identical with some notable exceptions. The SAT has a math section that is not multiple choice and requires gridding the answers. The ACT has a science section that requires students to have some understanding of scientific concepts outside of test materials.

For the most part, students can take the test they prefer. Most colleges now accept either one. Ultimately, a student ought to take the test that best reflects his/her abilities and GPA measured against which universities he/she chooses to apply.

Question 2: When should I look to take the SAT/ACT?

Answer 2: Most students look to complete their ACT or SAT early in their Junior year of high school. This allows for time to learn the necessary higher skills, while balancing against college application timing. Public schools in the greater Portland area often have free, scheduled ACT tests in late April. Students looking for early admission, or who may have very high expectations for their scores, need to begin sooner.

Question 3: How many times should I take the test(s)?

Answer 3: There is no limit to how many times one may take the tests. Tests typically have fees associated with them, which usually run in the $45-$100 range (ACT feesSAT fees) depending on your options for reporting and when you register. Essentially, a student should take the test as many times as he or she needs to attain the scores desired. Getting the timing correct around test dates and personal schedules can be arduous, so we recommend beginning early.

Question 4: How will colleges look at my scores?

Answer 4: Colleges have chosen to assess scores individually by school. Some schools accept the SuperScore, an aggregate of the student’s best scores in each section over every test. Other schools look at Highest Sitting, the highest score of a test taken on a single test day. Methods for score acceptance can usually be found on each school’s admissions page.

Sometimes, the college looks exclusively at what gets submitted by the student. Because of this, we highly recommend that students and parents look together at each school policy regarding test scores before submitting applications for admission.

Question 5: How much preparation should I dedicate to studying?

Answer 5: Student knowledge is an aggregate, meaning that every year a student learns more, those new pieces of knowledge have built upon previous knowledge. In this sense, students have already begun preparing. However, the SAT and ACT are specifically designed to be tricky. Knowing some of the formating beforehand will always be advantageous for students over those who do no prep.

Students often feel that they can get away with little to no prep for the tests. This may work for some students, but the reality is that most do not test at their GPA level without review. Anyone can increase scores with some strategy and practice. For a student to attain maximum points, we recommend a minimum of 10 weeks of study. This allows time to practice testing strategy, fill in missing content, and become familiarized with common traps/tricks that may show up on the tests.

Question 6: When can I see my score from the test?

Answer 6: Each test date has an associated release date for scores. Check College Board for direct information regarding your test date. Those who register an account with CollegeBoard.org will be able to obtain score before those who choose to wait for their paper scores via postal mail.

The usual timeline runs a bit less than one month. For example, in 2017, the October 1st test day for the SAT releases scores to colleges beginning October 26th and students can log in to view scores as early as October 27th.