Testing

PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10

In October, the PSAT will be offered to 10th and 11th grade students at PCHS.  This test requires about 3 hours (testing and data fill-out). Testing will be on (date TBD) in the high school gym or in a classroom, depending on the number of students who take the test.

PSAT/NMSQT

These letters stand for the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.  The PSAT is the first step to enter scholarship competitions conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.  Each year, some 1.6 million high school students enter the competition; 50,000 are recognized for their academic accomplishments and potential; and 8,700 win Merit Scholarship awards or Special Scholarships for college undergraduate study. (Special Scholarships are provided by corporate sponsors for students who meet their criteria and are high performers in the competition, but not Finalists.) To be eligible, students must be enrolled full time as a high school student, be a citizen of the United States or a permanent U.S. resident, and take the PSAT as a junior.  If you take the PSAT as a sophomore, your score does not count toward scholarship competitions but it is a good pretest for taking the PSAT and the ACT/SAT as a junior.  The students who will benefit from taking the PSAT are:

  1. Those with a GPA of 3.5 or better – to be considered for scholarships.
  2. All 11th Since the State of Michigan has now changed the free college entrance exam from ACT to SAT (given to juniors in the spring of 2019), the PSAT would be an excellent prep exam to take.
  3. Juniors who are trying for the National Merit Scholarship.

In April, the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th graders took the SAT and PSAT as part of the MME (Michigan Merit Exam) which was paid for by the State of Michigan.  The PSAT given this fall provides another opportunity for 10th and 11th graders to take a pre-college entrance exam but is not paid for by the State of Michigan.

The cost for the PSAT is $18. Sign up and pay in the office by TBD.   The test will be administered at PCHS on TBD.

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS

            Juniors considering college after high school should take either the ACT or SAT.  Both tests are accepted as college admissions tests, however, the SAT will be given for free to 11th graders in April as a one-time service paid for by the State of Michigan.

ACT

            All Juniors who are intending to enroll in a college or university must take a college entrance exam.  The ACT tests students in English, Math, Reading and Science.  The ACT also offers an optional writing test.  The writing test is scored separately and the results do not affect the student’s ACT composite score.  Visit the ACT website at www.actstudent.org to find out which colleges and universities require or recommend taking the writing test.  Many students take the ACT more than once to achieve a higher score for college entrance or for scholarship guidelines.  If you plan to take the ACT on a national test date, the fee is $50.50 without Writing and $67.00 with Writing.  The following ACT National Test dates for this school year (2018-2019) are:

            September 8                Registration deadline August 12

            October 27                   Registration deadline September 28

            December 8                 Registration deadline November 2

            February 9                  Registration deadline January 11

            April 13                       Registration deadline March 8

            June 8                          Registration deadline May 3

            July 13                         Registration deadline June 14

ACT PREPARATION

            Each year students ask how to prepare for the ACT Assessment.  Without a doubt, the best preparation is to take as many courses as possible in the Math, Science, and English areas.  In addition, there are the following options for students:

  1. Work through the ACT preparation booklet that can be downloaded from the ACT website or there are copies available at the high school. This booklet has a complete test included that you can time yourself and work through the test to see which areas you need to pace yourself to complete the section on time.  It also has the answers and explanations.  One of the preparations for the ACT is to know what to expect and how to answer the questions.  This booklet is free, often not used, but one of the best preparations.
  2. Sample test questions are also available on the ACT website. Sign up to receive “Question of the Day” practice questions.
  3. ACT Online Prep and The Real ACT Prep Guide are available for purchase on the ACT website. These can be ordered at ACT’s website www.actstudent.org.

 SAT

            The SAT tests students in Reading, Writing and Language, and Math. Visit the SAT website at collegereadiness.collegeboard.org to find out more information and to sign up.  If you plan to take the SAT on a national test date, the fee is $47.50 without the Essay and $64.50 with the Essay.  To be eligible for the National Merit Scholarship Program, be sure to put the code 0085 on your registration form so that your SAT scores are sent to the NMSP.   The following SAT National Test dates for this school year (2018-2019) are:

            August 25            Registration deadline July 27

            October 6            Registration deadline September 7

            November 3        Registration deadline October 5

            December 1        Registration deadline November 2

            March 9              Registration deadline February 8

            May 4                  Registration deadline April 5

            June 1                 Registration deadline May 3

SAT PREPARATION

            The best way to prepare for the SAT is through the Khan Academy which offers free access for online test practice.  Through the College Board, Michigan students will have access to this free service.  Visit the College Board website at www.collegeboard.org or go directly to the Khan Academy website at www.khanacademy.org. There are 4 official full-length practice tests, plus study and test-taking tips. Practice questions, short quizzes and instant feedback are also part of this free service.