Tests and Assessments
PSAT/NMSQT
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It’s typically taken in your Junior year (because Juniors are eligible to be named National Merit Scholars), but many people take it in their Sophomore year, too.
The PSAT is terrific practice for the SAT Reasoning Test, and also lets you identify areas where your skills might need strengthening. It’s structured like, and covers the same type of material as, the SAT: critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills, and writing skills. It measures skills you’ve learned to use over your lifetime, not specific facts from a class, one course, or a single year.
Taking the PSAT also gives you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain early access to college and career planning tools.
ACT/SAT Comparison
Taking the SAT or ACT offers the chance to prove what you know. Students may take the SAT or ACT in the spring of their junior year, and if they choose, they can take it again in the fall of their senior year. This allows plenty of time to receive scores before college applications are due.
What’s The Difference Between The SAT and the ACT? In many cases, your choice of which exam to take, and which scores to ultimately submit, will be based on your personal exam-style preferences.
Here’s a link for a side-by-side comparison of SAT and ACT scores.
Visit the CollegeBoard website to sign up for the SAT, take a practice test, or for more information. Visit the ACT website to sign up for the ACT, take a practice test, or for more information. If you think that you may be eligible for a fee waiver, please visit the College & Career Center.
Visit the CollegeBoard website to sign up for the SAT, take a practice test, or for more information. Visit the ACT website to sign up for the ACT, take a practice test, or for more information. If you think that you may be eligible for a fee waiver, please visit the College & Career Center.
Want ACT Prep Tips? Watch this YouTube video
Want to start preparing now? The College & Career Center has SAT and ACT prep manuals available to borrow, or try out some of these FREE online practice materials:
- Khan Academy (link your Khan Academy account to your CollegeBoard account to get personalized study materials!)
- Naviance Test Prep (click here for instructions)
Chegg Practice site:
SAT Test Prep: http://www.chegg.com/test-prep/sat
ACT Test Prep: http://www.chegg.com/test-prep/act
LCC Placement Testing
If you are considering attending Lane Community College post-high school, or if you are seeking college credit for courses taken while still attending high school, you’ll need to take the Lane Community College Placement Tests. There are a variety of placement tests available, but usually the term “placement tests” refers to the reading, writing assessments, and math skills.
To practice for the placements, check out these sites:
Math Review Sheets
Study Strategy Links
Explanation of How Accuplacer Exams Work
LCC Disability Resources
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Although the ASVAB is best known as a military entrance exam, it is also commonly used as a career exploration exam. The program provides tools to help students learn more about career exploration and planning, in both the civilian and military worlds of work.
The ASVAB CEP is made up of three components:
- ASVAB: The aptitude test estimates your performance in academic and vocational endeavors.
- FYI: The interest inventory measures your work-related interests.
- OCCU-Find: A career catalog with activities to help you put a plan together.
High school students in grades 10-12, and first and second year post-secondary school students can participate. Participation in the CEP is voluntary, but the future is mandatory. So, be ready!
How it Works
ASVAB CEP helps you figure out what you’re good at, what is important to you, and the jobs that match your skills and interests. After you take the test you will participate in a series of activities to help you understand your scores, yourself, and your options.
Test of English As A Foreign Language (TOEFL)
The TOEFL is a Test Of English As A Foreign Language, and it evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand the English language as it’s read, written, heard, and spoken in the university classroom setting. It give you, as well as the colleges and universities at which English is the primary language of instruction, the confidence that language will not be a barrier to your success. Because it measures a combination of skills, you’ll be asked to demonstrate a variety of skills together. For example, you may read a passage or listen to a lecture, and then write about what you learned. This comprehensive exam is required by many institutions only if you are an international student or are not a permanent resident of the United States, AND English is not your first language. As with all entrance requirements, check with your college or university to see what their preferences are. Register for TOEFL test.