Test Prep: college admission and credit tests

SAT®

The SAT is composed of two sections, Reading and Writing, and Math, and each section is divided into 2 equal-length modules. [1]

Students have 64 minutes for the Reading and Writing section and 70 minutes for the Math section, for a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes, with a 10-minute break between the two sections. [1]

The first module of each section contains a broad mix of easy, medium and hard questions, and based on how a student performs on it, the second module will be either more difficult or less difficult. [1]

The digital SAT is scored on a 400–1600 scale, and each section score ranges from 200 to 800. [2] [3]

PSAT/NMSQT®

11th graders, and some 10th graders, take the PSAT/NMSQT in October, and the PSAT/NMSQT and the PSAT 10 are identical. [4]

The PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program, and National Merit Scholarship Corporation will not consider scores from the PSAT 10 or PSAT 8/9. [4]

The PSAT/NMSQT includes a Reading and Writing section and a Math section. [5]

The SAT Suite uses a common score scale, and PSAT/NMSQT total scores range from 320 to 1520, with section scores from 160 to 760. [3]

ACT®

The ACT includes tests in English, math, reading and science, and the science and writing sections are optional and do not affect the Composite score. [6]

The English test has 50 questions in 35 minutes, the math test has 45 questions in 50 minutes, the reading test has 36 questions in 40 minutes, and the optional science test has 40 questions in 40 minutes. [6]

The Composite score is the average of the English, math and reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the highest possible ACT score is 36. [7]

ACT has phased out science as part of the Composite score, and all ACT tests use the updated calculation when new Composite scores and superscores are generated. [7]

The optional writing test is scored on a 2–12 scale and does not affect the Composite score. [7]

AP® Exams

The AP Program offers college-level courses and exams that students can take in high school, and the exams are given in May. [8]

There are AP courses in arts, English, history and social science, math and computer science, sciences, and world languages and cultures. [8]

Each AP Exam score is reported on a 5-point scale that recommends how qualified a student is to receive college credit and placement, but each college makes its own decisions about which scores it will grant credit or placement for. [9]

Many U.S. colleges grant credit, advanced placement or both for AP scores of 3 and above. [9]

CLEP®

CLEP exams let students test out of introductory courses and move to more advanced courses sooner, and anyone can take a CLEP exam. [10]

CLEP exams are grouped in five subject areas: History and Social Sciences, Composition and Literature, Science and Mathematics, Business, and World Languages. [11]

The College Composition exam covers material usually taught in a one-semester college course in composition and features essays graded by the College Board. [11]

TOEFL iBT®

The TOEFL iBT test measures all four academic English skills, reading, listening, speaking and writing, the way they are used in a classroom. [12]

TOEFL iBT score reports use a 1–6 scale in half-point increments, with four section scores and an overall score that is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. [13]

During a two-year transition period, test takers also receive a comparable overall score on the 0–120 scale. [13]

IELTS Academic

The IELTS Academic test is for people who wish to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels, and it has four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. [14]

The test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes, and the format is the same wherever it is taken. [14]

Scores are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale, and the overall band score is the average of the four section band scores, rounded to the nearest half band. [15]

Duolingo English Test

The Duolingo English Test is an online English exam accepted by institutions worldwide, and results come in 2 days. [16]

The test takes around an hour, it is adaptive, and test takers receive an overall score between 10 and 160, in steps of 5. [17]