GRADING AND ACADEMIC PRACTICES College Admission Tests The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is offered to all students in Grades 9-11. Wicomico County will pay the administration fee for all students in grade 10 who want to participate. Students planning to go to college should take the PSAT in order to become familiar with the SAT format. Participation is optional. PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It is a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. It also gives students a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs. The PSAT/NMSQT measures critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills. The SAT is required for admission by most US colleges and is often used to award scholarships and grants. The test is 2 hours and 14 minutes, not including breaks, and the test consists of: • Reading and Writing: 64-minute section with 54 questions (1 minute 11 seconds per question) • Math: 70-minute section with 44 questions (1 minute 35 seconds per question) The two basic college admission tests are the SAT (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT). Many colleges east of the Mississippi use the SAT, whereas many western colleges prefer the ACT. Students would consult individual institutions to determine the appropriate assessments. The SAT is administered to all students in 11th grade. A student who is considering a service academy must take the SAT I during his or her junior year. Students may also be required or encouraged to take achievement tests in specific areas for certain selective colleges. These achievements tests (SAT II is now called SAT Subject Test) are not offered in March and all tests are not offered each administration. A great deal of additional information may be obtained from www.collegeboard.org . Some students benefit from taking the SAT test more than once. The ACT has four major sections and is curricular based: English, reading, mathematics and science. In addition to a score for each subsection, a composite score that ranges from 1 to 36, with 18 being average, is also reported. The ACT is administered six times per year. Students should register for this test approximately four to six weeks prior to the test’s administration date. Additional information may be obtained at www.act.org. Financial Aid Financial aid for post-secondary education is available. It may be a scholarship granted locally or from a college, university, or trade/technical school. The best source for financial aid is the financial aid officer at the institution your student plans to attend. School counselors can help
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