1. College Admissions Testing Iona Prep College Readiness Night November 18 th, 2015

2. College Admissions Testing Workshop SAT ACT General Info / Timeline Prep Courses and Tutors SAT Subject Tests

3. What Are Colleges Looking For? Transcript, transcript, transcript Test scores Student essay Letters of recommendation Extracurricular activities Explanation for drop in grades

4. SAT vs ACT

5. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Developed in the 1920’s Major changes over 90 plus years Re-centering 1990’s Essay added 2000’s March – The Redesigned SAT

6. Why the Change? 2013 College Board announces the redesign to “better meet the needs of students, schools and colleges”

7. Video Announcement of the Re-designed SAT David Coleman – President of the College Board https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvz61GD0ej0

8. SAT Market Share at Iona Prep 2015 vs. 2005 Graduating Classes 2005162 SAT 14 ACT 2015 185 SAT 123 ACT

9. Major Structural Changes

10. Redesigned SAT - Content Changes Words in Context: Not obscure vocabulary Command of Evidence: Students will interpret evidence from sources Essay Analyzing a Source: The essay involves explaining how the author builds an argument to persuade an audience Math That Matters Most: Essential areas of math: Problem Solving and Data Analysis; the Heart of Algebra Problems Grounded in Real-World Contexts: Questions grounded in the real world; related to college, work, and career U.S. Founding Documents and the Great Global Conversation: Passages from founding documents No Penalty for Guessing: Penalty removed for wrong answers

11. https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/

12. The ACT – www.actstudent.org

13. Basic ACT Information  Achievement test not an Aptitude Test  Has components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science and Writing Test  Optional Writing section  No penalty for wrong answers  Provides Sub-scores

14. Test Content English75 questions45 minutesMeasures standard written English and rhetorical skills. Mathema tics 60 questions60 minutes Measures mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of grade 12. Reading40 questions35 minutesMeasures reading comprehension. Science40 questions35 minutes Measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences. Optional Writing Test 1 prompt40 minutes Measures writing skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses. Description of the ACT The ACT consists of four multiple-choice tests: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The ACT with writing includes the four multiple-choice tests and a writing test.writing test

15. The ACT National Test Dates in the U.S. Test DateRegistration Deadline(Late Fee Required) September 12, 2015August 7, 2015August 8–21, 2015 October 24, 2015September 18, 2015September 19–October 2, 2015 December 12, 2015November 6, 2015November 7–20, 2015 February 6, 2016*January 8, 2016January 9–15, 2016 April 9, 2016March 4, 2016March 5–18, 2016 June 11, 2016**May 6, 2016May 7–20, 2016 *

16. Which Test is Easier? There is no research to validate that any group of students perform “better” or “worse” on one college entrance exam over another Like the ACT, the redesigned SAT is an achievement test Both companies claim their test provides a deeper understanding of college readiness

17. General SAT/ACT Information Students may take the SAT, ACT and SAT Subject Tests more than once Colleges will typically take the best scores a student submits Not every college will “Super Score” The student requests official scores from the ACT/SAT companies

18. Timeline Juniors PSAT results coming in January Consider test prep options soon Spring 2016 - ACT/SAT Fall 2016 - Retake ACT/SAT College Applications Due Sophomores PSAT results coming in January Continue to build a strong transcript October 2016 – PSAT Spring 2017 – ACT/SAT Fall 2017 – Retake ACT/SAT College Applications Due

19. Prep Courses and Tutors 1. What is the best strategy for my son? 2. When should preparation start? 3. Where can I find a list of courses and tutors?

20. Iona Prep Website

21. Listing of Prep Courses and Tutors

22. SAT Subject Test Selective colleges ask for these Approximately 85% do not It’s about the breadth and depth of student’s knowledge These are in addition to the SAT One hour exam; all multiple choice questions 20 Exams / 12 Language Exams Who is a likely candidate for this test? Honors average = 92 First semester GPA = 92 Interest in subject is high Test Dates and Subject Dates can find Register at http://sat.collegeboard.org/register http://sat.collegeboard.org/register

23. SAT Subject Tests Website

24. Mr. Quirolo’s SC Binder for Parents

25. SAT Subject Tests: School by School

26. Iona Prep School Counseling Department Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions, comments and concerns.