College Entrance Exams

  • ACT and SAT School Day Exams

    SHS is scheduled to administer the ACT and SAT School Day exams on the following dates:

    ACT School Day (no writing): February 28, 2024  

    SAT School Day (no writing): March 6, 2024

     

    School day testing is open to juniors and seniors that need an SAT or ACT score for college entrance or scholarship consideration. All juniors will take at least one of these exams. Registration information is coming soon, in early December 2023. 
     
    Juniors or seniors can elect to take a one-day school exam free of charge. Students wanting to take both exams must pay an additional fee. *Fee waivers are not available for school school-day exams.
     
    ACT and SAT Accommodation Requests
     
    To request accommodations for the ACT or SAT school day exams, the appropriate consent form must be completed and submitted to SHS by December 1, 2023. Parents should complete this form. Email accommodation questions to Cathy Bradshaw at cbradshaw@ems-isd.net
     
    *Please note that the testing companies approve or deny accommodation requests. If the accommodation request is not approved by the testing company, the student is not eligible to receive accommodations on the SAT or ACT exam. Requests will not be submitted to students that do not provide the required consent form by December 1, 2023.
     
    ACT and SAT National Exam Administrations
     
    College entrance exams may be taken at various locations on Saturdays. Visit the websites below for more information about each test. Students must register and pay for national exams through the testing websites below. Exam fees for national exam administration are the responsibility of the student.
     
    *Fee waivers are available for eligible students for national exam administrations. Eligibility is determined by a student's participation in the free/reduced lunch program. Please click here to request a waiver for the SAT and/or ACT.  Students can receive up to two waivers for each test in high school. The earliest a student can obtain a waiver is their junior year.

    SHS School Code: 446087

    To register for SAT: www.collegeboard.org
    To register for ACT: www.act.org 
     
    For assistance with registration, students can visit the College and Career Center at SHS during their lunch period.
     
    To request an accommodation for the ACT or SAT national exam administration, students must follow the process below for each exam.
     
    ACT 
    • Complete exam registration through the ACT website. When registering, students will select that they are requesting accommodation on the ACT exam. *Please note that the accommodation approval process could take up to 8 weeks. Register for an exam in advance of that time period to allow enough time for the accommodation request to be submitted and reviewed prior to your test date.
    • Once exam registration is complete, students will receive an email from ACT with instructions concerning the next steps in the accommodation approval process. Students must forward the email and complete the required ACT Accommodations Request Consent Form.
    • Students will be notified by ACT if they are approved or denied accommodation. Notification will be provided via the email associated with the student ACT account.
    • The accommodation approval process must be completed every time a student elects to take an ACT exam.

    SAT

    • Prior to registering for testing, complete the required SAT Accommodations Request Form .
    • Students will be notified by the College Board if they are approved or denied accommodation. Notification will be provided via the email associated with the student SAT account.
    • Once students receive notification from the College Board that they have been approved or denied for accommodation use, students must complete registration for the official SAT exam through the College Board website and enter the information concerning the approved accommodations when prompted.
    • The accommodations approval process must only be completed once in high school and will apply to all future tests, if accommodations are approved.

    *Please note that the testing companies approve or deny accommodation requests. If the accommodation request is not approved by the testing company, the student is not eligible to receive an accommodation on the SAT or ACT exam. Requests will not be submitted for students that do not provide the required consent or follow the processes above. The accommodation approval process could take up to 8 weeks. Please plan accordingly.

    Preparing for the ACT and SAT

    Free Study Resources for SAT: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
    Free Study Resources for ACT: https://academy.act.org/
    Additional SAT test vocabulary practice (*EMS ISD is not responsible for information on outside websites.)
     
    Test Requirements for College Admissions
     
    College Entrance Testing (SAT/ACT/TSI) - Many schools are turning to a test-optional policy. Please check your specific college’s policy to determine if testing is required.
    • If you take the SAT or ACT and submit your scores to colleges, those scores could be used as a part of the admissions review process. High scores could help you be more competitive for admissions and scholarship awards. Click below to see how some popular colleges are utilizing SAT/ACT scores. 
    •  
    • Certain scholarships may still require test scores as a part of their award criteria. Do your research when applying for scholarships to make sure you meet all the required criteria. 
    • If you do decide to take the SAT and/or ACT, check out the information below to see what to expect on test day. 
  • Which test to take and when
      
    PSAT/NMSQT
    The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, co-sponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, is an important first step towards college. Test results and their accompanying analysis are valuable tools that can help prepare students for the SAT® and education opportunities beyond high school. The PSAT can be taken in 9th and 10th grade years, but the 11th grade year is the NMSQT scholarship qualifying year.
    Test Date: October 11
    SAT
    The SAT is the benchmark standardized assessment of the critical reading, mathematical reasoning, and writing skills students have developed over time and that they need to be successful in college. Each year, more than two million students take the SAT. Nearly every college in America uses the test as a common and objective scale for evaluating a student's college readiness. It is advised to take the SAT in the spring of the 11th grade year, then again in the fall of the 12th grade year if needed. 
    SHS CEEB code: 446-087 
    ACT
    The ACT® test assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work.  The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science.  The Writing Test, which is optional, measures skill in planning and writing a short essay. It is advised to take the SAT in the spring of the 11th grade year, then again in the fall of the 12th grade year if needed.
    SHS CEEB code: 446-087 
    TSI
    The TSI Assessment is a program designed to help your college/university determine if you are ready for college-level course work in the general areas of reading, writing, and math.
    STAAR
    For information regarding the STAAR, see the TEA STAAR Resources page.
     
     
    EMS ISD is not responsible for the content of sites hosted on outside webservers.

National Test Dates

  • College entrance exams may also be taken at various locations on Saturdays. Regisration for the National Saturday Tests must be done through the individual test vendors site. 

    SHS School Code: 446087

    To register for the SAT click on this link www.collegeboard.org

    National Tests held on Saturdays still available for Spring 2023 include:

    Test Date: March 11  Regisration Deadline: February 10

    Test Date: May 6 Regisration Deadline: April 7

    Test Date: June 3 Regisration Deadline: May 4

    National Test Day costs:

    • SAT with NO Essay - $55

    *Fee waivers are available for eligible students for national exam administrations. Eligibilty is determined by student's participation in the free/reduced lunch program. Please click here to request a waiver for the SAT and/or ACT.  Students can receive up to two waivers for each test in high school. The earliest a student can obtain a waiver is their Junior year.

    To register for the ACT click on the link act.org

    National Tests held on Saturdays still available for Spring 2023 include:

    Test Date: February 11  Regisration Deadline: January 6

    Test Date: April 15  Regisration Deadline: March 10

    Test Date: June 10  Regisration Deadline: May 5

    Test Date: July 15  Regisration Deadline: June 16

    National Test Day costs:

    • ACT with Writing (Essay) - $88
    • ACT with NO Writing - $63

    *Fee waivers are available for eligible students for national exam administrations. Eligibilty is determined by student's participation in the free/reduced lunch program. Please click here to request a waiver for the SAT and/or ACT.  Students can receive up to two waivers for each test in high school. The earliest a student can obtain a waiver is their Junior year.