Most colleges and universities require you take either the SAT or ACT at least once and submit the scores as part of the admission process.

Juniors should usually consider taking the SAT for the first time in March, May, or June of the Junior year.

Seniors who were not satisfied with the previous test score should consider taking the SAT for a 2nd time in the fall of senior year. There is always a test date in October, November, and December.

The SAT is offered several times a year at a number of locations in the Pittsburgh area.

For information on registering for the SAT or for a list of dates and test sites, please view the College Board website here: http://sat.collegeboard.com/register 

The ACT is a standardized exam similar to the SAT in that it attempts to quantify a student’s ability in a number of different subject areas such as math, reading, and science. The ACT differs from the SAT in the matter content, style of questions, and scoring scale. Almost all colleges and universities will accept the ACT in place of the SAT.

Many students who take the SAT and are not satisfied with their score are able to score better on the ACT as a result of the different style and content of the questions asked, however, this is not always the case.

For information on registering for the ACT or for a list of dates and test sites, please view the ACT website here: http://www.actstudent.org/ 

Very selective colleges and universities sometimes also require these exams in addition to taking either the SAT or ACT. These tests differ from the SAT and ACT in that the Subject Tests focus on one particular subject matter (such as Chemistry, U.S. History, or French) rather than on a broad series of content matter like the SAT and ACT.

The SAT Subject Tests are offered by the College Board, the same company that offers the SAT. More information about these exams can be found here: http://sat.collegeboard.com/why-sat/topic/subjectTest/why-take-sat-subject-tests 

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