The college counselor at St. Croix Country Day School can be of assistance to the student in determining which examinations should be taken for each particular college or university, but it is the responsibility of the student to make certain they register themselves for those examinations.

All Sophomores and Juniors are urged to take the PSAT/NMSQT in mid-October. Juniors are also take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT 1) in May and two to three achievement examinations (SAT II) the following June. Those intending to apply to schools requiring the ACT will take those examinations in June or in the fall of their senior year.

With the exception of the PSAT/NMSQT any of the assessment and/or achievement examinations may be retaken during the year or during the following year. Mrs. Nurse assists the students in determining which, if any, of the examinations should be repeated.

St. Croix Country Day School, as a part of the student's permanent record, automatically sends all scores to the colleges. Students who retake examinations do not have the choice of sending only their better scores. (Since it is the policy of most colleges to record only the better scores, it would serve the Seniors well and seem that students have little to lose by retaking examinations if they feel that their scores do not accurately reflect their ability and achievement.)

When registering for examinations, students may elect to indicate on the registration form certain schools to which they would like to have their scores sent. Most schools insist upon receiving the scores directly from the College Board, but will accept the scores as they are recorded on the St. Croix Country Day School transcript for admissions consideration.

Occasionally, a student will take one or more achievement examination before the junior year. This is normally done at the suggestion of the counselor because of the particular strengths and interests of the t. A student should participate in the Advanced Placement Program (APP) of the College Board only with the expressed recommendation of his teacher.

REGISTRATION

PSAT/NMSQT: College Entrance Examination Board Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test - Cost: $18.00.

A test of two sections (verbal and mathematical) similar in nature to the SAT with scaled scores, from a low of 20 to a high of 80, given for each section; for the National Merit Scholarship competition, a Selection Index is reported which is obtained by doubling the verbal score and adding the math.

Juniors are advised of the test date and are given literature, which describes the test and gives practice exercises. Scores attained on this test in the junior year are used by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to determine semi-finalists and commended students in the National Merit Scholarship competition and the National Achievement Scholarship competition.

Students do not pre-register for this examination.

SAT I & II: College Entrance Examination Board Scholastic Assessment Test

SAT I: A multiple choice test of verbal and mathematical ability; the verbal section consists of sentence completion, analogies, and reading comprehension; mathematics is restricted to material taught in Algebra I and 2, and Geometry. Scaled scores reported for the verbal and mathematical sections range from a low of 200 to a high of 800.

SAT II: Achievement examinations in fourteen areas as follows: American History, Biology, Chemistry, English Composition, World History, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Literature, Mathematics, Level I, Level II, Level IIC (calculator), Physics. Scores are reported on the same scale as the SAT I. Students have the option of taking from one to three exams during a testing session.
Students are advised by the school of approaching test -dates and are given registration blanks to complete well in advance of the closing date. Students can also register on line in the school's computer lab or at home at www.collegeboard.com

Every student who registers for the exams receives a booklet with descriptions of the tests and with sample questions.

The school can advise students of the proper tests to take and when to take them but cannot register students for the tests. Completion of the necessary forms is the responsibility of the student.

AP: Teachers of courses satisfying the description of the Advanced Placement Program discuss the examinations with their students and make recommendations to the students and to the counselor regarding the advisability of the students writing the exams. Only students enrolled in AP courses are encouraged to take the AP exam.

It is the responsibility of each student to make the final decision about taking the exams. Tentative registration is done in late March, but students do not formally register for the examinations until the day of the test.

ACT: American College Testing Assessment Program

A test of four sections (English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning) designed to measure the level of educational development; standard scores, from a low of 1 to a high of 36, are reported for each subtest as well as a composite score which is the average of the subscores.

Most colleges St. Croix Country Day School students routinely investigate require the SAT I the ACT. All juniors are required to take the A CT's which are administered at the school in June The normal time for taking the ACT is in March of the junior year and if necessary again in the fall of the senior year.

FEES: For updated test fees and dates click this link: TEST DATES)