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 Testing
The following is going to be a quick guide to Tests/Testing for Hilo High Students (but most of this will apply to any high school student).
The tests discussed below will be:
By the way, Hilo High's College Board or CEEB code is 120015. This code will be requested when taking the SAT, AP and ACT, plus some colleges will request our code when you apply.
1. PSAT: PSAT stands for Preliminary SAT. It's actual full name is the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The PSAT is given once a year in mid-October and is mainly targeted at 10th and 11th graders. Ninth graders can also participate if so desired. The cost is nominal ($5 dollars).
Registration is simple and handled at the school. All you need to do is inform the person in charge of PSAT. This year will be Mrs. Masuhara. Your child should also pick up a study guide with information about the test and some practice items.
PSAT will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2011,
at Hilo High,
8:00am (be here by 7:45am)
The PSAT usually lasts until about 11:30 or so. Also, the National Merit Scholarship aspect of the PSAT is of particular importance to Juniors. While the National Merit Scholarship is relatively small, $5000 max., the recognition and prestige which it provides opens the doors to other scholarships of higher monetary value.
To get into contact with Mrs. Masuhara regarding the PSAT, call the school at 974-4021, ext. 2275 or by email (Click here).
2. SAT Reasoning: This is the main college entrance test used today. In general, I recommend that students with aspirations to attend a four year college take the SAT Reasoning test at least twice. Once in the spring of their junior year and again in the fall of their senior year. Students may take the SAT Reasoning Test as many times as it is offered, though a student's scores will eventually tend to stay in a certain range no matter how many times he or she takes the test.
Registration is handled directly between the College Board (The SAT's publisher) and the student/parents and, today, that happens almost exclusively on-line.
The cost is $49, though there are fee waivers available for those students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. There are some other significant opportunities that come with qualifying for the fee waiver so even if you think you might not qualify, I encourage everyone even close (especially if the family income has gone down with this economy in the past year or two) to apply. Free/Reduced price lunch forms are available at the main office any time the doors are open!
Here is the schedule for SAT Reasoning testing this year. This schedule is set by the College Board and these testing dates extend nationwide.
|
Test Date |
Registration Deadline |
|
Oct. 1, 2011 |
Sept. 9, 2011 |
|
Nov. 5, 2011* |
Oct. 7, 2011 |
|
Dec. 3, 2011 |
Nov. 8, 2011 |
|
Jan. 28, 2012 |
Dec. 30, 2011 |
|
March 10, 2012* |
Feb. 10, 2012 |
|
May 5, 2012* |
April 6, 2012 |
|
June 2, 2012 |
May 8, 2012 |
*Hilo High will host these dates. The other dates
will be held at other schools like Waiakea High, etc.
To register for the SAT, click below:
There is much helpful information there as well. If it is your first time registering, please give yourself at least 20 minutes to set up your account and to take the intial survey. Later registrations, if you choose to take the SAT again, will not take that much time.
And sadly, I have to report the demise of a non-profit organization called College Connections. For the past several years, they had been a source of SAT prep classes which thanks to Hawai'i Community College had been made free to Hawai'i Island students. I've been asked about preparation courses recently and I don't have any available at hand. Heck, I can't even say that you can go to Border's and pick up a study guide even!
There are a lot of resources on the net, some free, some you have to pay for, which I'm sure can help. I don't have enough particular knowledge of them to recommend one over another. You'll have to do some homework.
One place I might recommend that you start is with the College Board themselves. They publish much info including some old test items to pratice on.
In fact, we should be receiving a box of study guides sometime soon. They are free for the asking and will be available in the Counseling Center, Room A-2.
Please see Mr. Carpenter if you have any questions about this! I can be reached by phone at 974-4021, ext. 2239 or to email me, click here!
3. SAT Subject Tests: SAT Subject Tests are specialty areas tests which cover foreign languages and high level subject areas. SAT Subject Tests are offered on the same dates as the SAT Reasoning Tests. These subject tests are usually required by highly competitive nationally ranked colleges. They represent one more way to assess and differentiate between students who achieve at the highest levels. The University of California schools requires SAT Subject Tests in their application process. So do many of the top flight private colleges and universities. Refer to the college's website for specific requirements. For more information on SAT Subject Testing, click here. And, of course, check with Mr. Carpenter if you still have questions.
4. Advanced Placement or AP Testing: Advanced Placement or AP Tests are also published by the College Board. These tests are taken at the end of an Advanced Placement Course offered at the high school. Advanced Placement courses offer students college level coursework with the promise that if they can pass the AP Test at the end of the year, they may earn college credit. For example, a student may take AP English, pass the AP Test with either a 4 or 5 (on a 5 point scale) and would then be eligible to receive credit for college English 100. Of course, not all colleges will accept AP credit so students have to check with their colleges of interest. But even if not, these courses and tests offer college level challenges which will definitely prepare students for the real thing someday. For more information about AP Testing click here. Also, this year, Mrs. Yamauchi (Sophomore Counselor will be handling AP Testing so feel free to contact her by phone at 974-4921, ext. 2246 or by email by clicking here.
5. ACT: The ACT is essentially the same as the SAT Reasoning Test in function. It is a test that gives colleges a score which they can use to help determine admission eligibility. The ACT is simply a different company's version. I liken it to Coke vs. Pepsi. Though they are similar in function, there are some important differences. (And btw, as far as I know, there is only one small, engineering college in socal that does not accept the ACT, but always do your homework and check with the colleges you are applying for to be sure.)
It has been said the the ACT tests content more similar to what students have had in their classes, while the SAT, as a "reasoning" test, relies more on how make their way through the information provided in the test itself.
Also, the SAT penalizes students for guessing. For every wrong answer, students are charged a quarter point penalty, so students should not guess on the SAT unless they can rule out one or more possible answers. The ACT does not penalize for guessing so a student would help their chances at a better score by answering all questions even if they are not sure.
There are more subtle differences, but suffice to say, some students will do better on one over the other. I suggest that for students who are seeking admission into highly competitive colleges, they should take both the SAT and ACT.
Students may register and/or find out more about the ACT by clicking on the link. And, as mentioned earlier in the SAT section, the ACT organization also provides fee waivers for low income students. The dates for the ACT are as follows:
| Test Date |
Registration Deadline |
|
Sept. 10, 2011 |
Aug. 12, 2011 |
| Oct. 22, 2011* |
Sept. 16, 2011 |
| Dec. 10, 2011* |
Nov. 4, 2011 |
|
Feb. 11, 2012 |
Jan. 13, 2012 |
| April 14, 2012* |
March 9, 2012 |
|
June 9, 2012 |
May 6, 2012 |
*Hilo High will host these dates.
Other schools may host other dates, but not as many as the SAT.
6. Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery or ASVAB: The ASVAB is the military's main tool for determining eligibility for service and for deciding what the MOS or Military Occupational Specialty area will be. The ASVAB will provide information about a student's aptitude in broad areas such as Verbal Skills, Math Skills, Science and Technical Skills. Ultimately, the score which matters most for military acceptance is the Military Entrance Score or AFQT. You can check the Military page on this site for the specific AFQT or as they are often abbreviated QT scores required by the various branches.
Of course, there is no obligation to enlist in the military by taking the ASVAB and Hilo High has chosen to disallow the release of ASVAB scores to recruiters. Students and parents must specifically authorize their release should they so desire.
Since the ASVAB has such a long track record and so much research has been done to make it an effective career planning tool, military or not, I recommend that students take it. The ASVAB will not only tell you your academic strength, but will also suggest specific career pathways that match your personal aptitudes. Not to mention that since this is a product of the Federal Government, there are tremendous resources behind it. We have the option of having an interpretation session following the release of the test results in which students can help student understand their results and put them in touch with internet resources in line with their career aptitudes.
The ASVAB is given quarterly each year. There is no fee to take the ASVAB. Students may take it as many times as they like, though the military will accept only the most recent ASVAB scores. So if a student happens to score quite high, recruiters will recommend that students refrain from taking the ASVAB again unless absolutely necessary.
Test Date
|
Registration Deadline
|
Sept. 28, 2011
|
Sept. 26, 2011
|
Dec. 6, 2011
|
Dec. 2, 2011
|
Feb. 29, 2012
|
Feb. 24, 2012 |
May 1, 2012
|
April 26, 2012
|
Preference is given to 11th and 12 graders. Lower classmen may be accepted on a standby basis. So long as we can seat all of the 11th and 12th graders, we will then fill seats with others. Interested students should come to the Counseling Center (Room A-2) and see Aunty Jan, Miss Rachel or Mr. Carpenter to register.
7. Compass Test: The Compass Test is the placement test used by the UH system community colleges, including Hawai'i Community College, for English, Writing and Math placement. Other colleges on the mainland also use the Compass.
Virtually all colleges use some type of assessment testing to determine whether a new student is ready for college level English and sometimes Math.
For Hawai'i Community College, to take the Compass Test, one must apply to the college first. Only after applying and obtaining a UH system ID number, can a student then set an appointment with the college testing center to take the Compass.
The test is taken completely on computer, but make no mistake, this is not a "gimmie". Too many times we have seen students, high school diploma in hand, go to HCC only to find that they do not have the basic Language Arts and Math skills to pass the compass. Doing poorly on the compass means that students must take remedial courses (which they still have to pay college tuition for) in order to boost their skills so that they may eventually work their way to English 100, Math 100 or their vocational programs equivalent. It's sad but true.
Don't be that guy! Pay attention in class...you have to develop the skills necessary to pass the Compass. Simply graduating high school is not enough!
The same people who publish the ACT also publish the Compass Test. Here's a link for information from them about the Compass Test. There are other third party sites and books to learn more about the Compass. For more information, simply Google "Compass Test" and you will find lots of sites with information and offers to help. Look them over but I would advise not sending any of them money. If you want a study guide, they are either on the web for free or can be had cheaply from bookstores.
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Testing