Taken during Freshman year during the school day
Given at SHHS in the Fall semester
Great practice/preparation for the ACT test
Allows students to experience a standardized testing environment
College/Career planning through an interest inventory given before the test
Students will get their score report, & test booklet back
Taken during Sophomore year during the school day
Given at SHHS in the Fall semester
Great practice/preparation for the ACT test
Allows students to experience a standardized testing environment
College/Career planning through an interest inventory given before the test
Students will get their score report, & test booklet back
Typically taken during Junior and/or Senior year
Spring semester the state of Kansas pays for all Juniors to take the ACT, this test will be during the school day
Taken other than the free date during Junior year, the National Test dates are select Saturdays throughout the year at various locations
Students must create a MyACT account
The PSAT is the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholars Program (NMSQT), only when taken during the student's Junior year. When students take the PSAT/NMSQT test their Freshman or Sophomore year it does not qualify for National Merit Scholars Program but is a great opportunity to practice the test.
7,400 National Merit Scholarships of three types and approximately 1,200 Special Scholarships will be awarded every year; these 8,600 awards will have a combined value of more than $43 million. A complete list of corporate and college who participate in the National Merit Program may be found at http://nationalmerit.org/Merit_Sponser_Leaflet.pdf.
What are my Chances?
1.5 million students take the PSAT every year, about 50,000 receive some sort of National Merit recognition, such as Commended Scholar, Semi-Finalist, Finalist, or National Achievement Scholar. The top ½ of 1 percent who take the test become National Merit Scholar Finalists, the top 3% are recognized as Commended or Semi-Finalists. This is based on the high score in your state for the year, so winning scores change from year to year, winning scores in Kansas have typically been around 220.
Test Details
Cost is typically around $20, PSAT?NMSQT is given once per year in October, given during the school day.
See Mr. Skaggs for more information.
ACT | SAT | PSAT |
|---|---|---|
English | Reading | Reading |
Math | Math | Math |
Reading | Writing and Language | Writing and Language |
Science | No Science | No Science |
Writing (optional) | Writing (optional) | No Writing |
Scoring | Scoring | Scoring |
SAT Test Prep: http://www.chegg.com/test-prep/sat
ACT Test Prep: http://www.chegg.com/test-prep/act
The ACT, SAT, & PSAT websites have free materials available and links are above.
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library has testing materials for practice.
Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other book stores have books available for purchase at your cost.
Sylvan Learning Center has tutoring sessions available at your cost. More information can be found at this link: http://www.sylvanlearning.com/prep/act-test-prep
