Junior Workshop Senior year and Beyond NSHS Counseling Dept.

What are College Entrance Exams? College entrance exams are assessments that colleges and/or universities use such as SAT or ACT along with your GPA, extracurricular activities, and high school involvement to determine if you are accepted into their institution of higher learning.

SAT 101 The SAT is a multiple- choice pencil and paper test used as a college entrance exam Nearly every college or university in U.S. uses SAT scores to measure a student’s college readiness skills. The SAT takes approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete, including three short breaks.

SAT Scoring SAT scores range from 400 to 1600 points The lowest possible score you can get is 400 The highest possible score is 1600 The score that says you are college ready is 1000 and above!!!!!!

When should I take the SAT? According to College Board, "Most students take the SAT during the spring of their junior year of high school. Many students choose to take the SAT a second time in the fall of their senior year after becoming familiar with the test day experience.” Junior Year & Senior Year

SAT Registration Dates- Register on or before the following 2017 SAT Test Dates SAT Registration Dates- Register on or before the following April 7th , 2017 May 9th , 2017 SAT Test Dates * May 6th ,2017 June 3rd ,2017

SAT Prep & Sample questions http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice https://twitter.com/SATQuestion?cbmRefId=twitterLink

ACT 101 The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests. The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions The test takes 2 hours, 55 minutes (without essay) 3 hours, 40 minutes (with essay)

ACT Scoring Your overall score and each individual test score (English, Math, Reading, Science) range from 1 (low) to 36 (high). The overall score is the average of your four test scores, rounded to the nearest number.

ACT Registration Dates- Register on or before the following 2017 ACT Test Dates ACT Registration Dates- Register on or before the following May 19th, 2017 ACT Test Dates June 10th ,

Side by Side Comparison SAT ACT When is it administered? Seven times per year Six times per year Is there a penalty for wrong answers? No How is the test scored? 400-1600 per section, added together for a combined score. 1-36 for each test, averaged for a composite score. A 36 is the highest possible composite score. What is the test structure? Math, reading, writing and language. Essay is optional. (Many school require the essay). Four-test exam: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. An Experimental section is added to tests on certain dates only, and is clearly labeled experimental; the Writing Test (essay) is optional. What is the test content? Math: up to 9th grade basic geometry and Algebra II. Science: none. Reading: sentence completions, short and long critical reading passages, reading comprehension. Writing: an essay, and questions testing grammar, usage, and word choice. Math: up to trigonometry. Science: charts, experiments. Reading: four passages, one each of Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, and Natural Science. English: stresses grammar; an optional essay. Need more information? Educational Testing Service (ETS) (609) 771-7600 www.ETS.org The College Board www.CollegeBoard.com ACT, Inc. (319) 337-1000 www.actstudent.org

ACT Prep & Sample questions http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/ http://www.act.org/mobileapps/

Graduation Plans: Foundation PLUS Endorsement(s)-26 credits 4 credits in English 4 credits in Math 4 credits in Science 4 credits in Social Studies 2 credits in World Language or Computer Programming 1 credit in Physical Education 1 credit in Fine Art .5 credit in Health 5.5 credits in Electives

Graduation Plans: Distinguished Level Of Achievement- 26 Credits 4 credits in English 4 credits in Math- Algebra 2 must be one of the math credits 4 credits in Science 4 credits in Social Studies 2 credits in World Language or Computer Programming 1 credit in Physical Education 1 credit in Fine Art .5 credit in Health 5.5 credits in Electives

5 Endorsements Students can graduate with one or more STEM- Science, technology, engineering and math Business/Industry- Arts, Business, Hospitality and Tourism Public Services- Education and Training, Health Science, Human Services Arts/Humanities- Social Studies, World Languages, Fine Arts Multidisciplinary Studies- Allows a student to select courses from the curriculum of each endorsement area and earn credits in a variety of advanced courses from multiple content areas.

Senior Profile Available from Ms. Langley in the counselor’s office or online: Senior Profile used for recommendation letters (college and scholarship letters) Parent and student portions need to be completed

Applying to College: www.applytexas.org www.commonapp.org www.dcccd.edu

Dual Credit/AP Scores: Send scores to colleges

Paying for College: Fafsa The FAFSA must be filled out for Financial Aid. Register for pin numbers NOW! One for parent and student required. Home - FAFSA on the Web-Federal Student Aid Keep all logins and passwords in an organized place. FAFSA needed for 4 year schools, Community Colleges and sports scholarships.

fafsa Apply starting October 1st-- Taxes from prior year are accepted. Deadline for FAFSA: March 1st Applicable for many larger Universities Check your school’s FAFSA deadlines Must be done as early possible for sports scholarships All Colleges/Community Colleges have Financial Aid offices that can help you and your family fill out the FAFSA forms (no matter what school you plan to attend

TASFA The financial aid website for students who are not US Citizens AIE - TASFA Application Student I-20 number will be needed for registration. All students can register for financial aid. All Colleges/Community Colleges have Financial Aid offices that can help you and your family fill out the TAFSA forms (no matter what school you plan to attend).

Scholarships- Free Money!! Download App- Scholly www.weirdscholarships.net www.fastweb.com www.scholarships.com www.scholarshipexperts.com

asvab Military Interest/Career Inventory Sign up to test Testing Date: October 19th ASVAB Career Exploration Program :: See Mrs. Schneider

Military Army- www.goarmy.com Navy- www.navy.com National Guard- www.nationalguardenlist.com Marines- www.marines.com Airforce- www.airforce.com

Unsure about College or Military Unsure about College or Military? Companies that will hire high school graduates: Austin Bridge & Road- www.austin-ind.com/bridge- and-road Aire Dynamics- www.airedynamics.com TD Industries- www.tdindustries.com

Questions????? All contents from this power point was retrieved from The College Board Resource Guide, ACT Resource Manual and “ Official ACT to SAT (New 1600 and old 2400) conversion charts,” 2016 2017-2018 Educational Planning Guide