test prep act / sat
ACT and SAT Extras Worth Paying For
BY MEGAN DORSEY
There are a lot of options to add to your cart when registering for the SAT or ACT . I skip over most of them , but there are a few items I consider essential .
The other day I spent 20 minutes on the College Board website registering my daughter for another SAT . Once I made it to the screen where I could add the test , I was ready to finish and pay . Good thing I knew what to look for because there were a few extra items I needed to add to our order .
+ WRITING ( THE OPTIONAL ESSAY )
Starting in 2016 , the written essays became optional on both the SAT and ACT . These “ draft ” writings completed at the end of the multiple-choice exams do not affect a student ’ s overall score on either test .
So , why should you care ?
Some colleges and universities still require students to have the written portion of the exam . I strongly recommend all juniors take the written essay with every SAT or ACT . Seniors who have a final list of colleges can skip the essay if they know that every single college , scholarship , or honors program does NOT require it .
STUDENT ANSWERS
Why do you want student answers ? Unless you have the rare student who is going to take the ACT or SAT once and be satisfied with his or her scores , you should expect this will not be the last testing attempt . Most students take their test of choice 2-3 times . Finding out which problems a student missed can go a long way for future score improvement . Without the question-level feedback , students won ’ t know what to do as they prepare to retest .
TEST QUESTIONS
A few times a year , students can order a copy of the SAT exam questions . They don ’ t get their own test booklet back , but they do get a copy of the entire exam to go along with the list of questions they missed . It usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to receive the copy of the questions
NOTES ON WHAT TO ORDER
Here ’ s some info to help you decode the process :
SAT
SAT with Essay — Student can add ( or drop ) the essay up to the time of the exam . There is no late fee to add the essay ; students just pay the extra $ 14 ( for a total of $ 60 ) to take the written portion .
Test Questions — ( QAS ) Questions-and-Answer Service . You will receive BOTH a detailed report of which questions your student missed AND a copy of the test questions . This costs $ 18 .
Student Answers — ( SAS ) Student Answer Service . You will receive a question-by-question printout showing which problems were missed , difficulty level , and sub-score / cross-test info . This costs $ 13.50 .
QAS and SAS can be ordered after the exam is taken , so log into your College Board account and order one for your last test if you didn ’ t already . ( Usually there is a three-month limit on ordering , so don ’ t wait too long .)
ACT
ACT with Writing — Students can add ( or drop ) the essay up to the late registration deadline for that exam . If a student decided to add the writing after the late registration deadline , he or she must notify the test center coordinator on the day of the test ; availability will depend on the amount of extra writing booklets ( a lot like flying standby .) Students pay the extra $ 16.50 ( for a total of $ 62.50 ) to take the written portion .
Test Questions — ( TIR ) Test Information Release . You will receive BOTH a detailed report of which questions your student missed AND a copy of the test questions . This costs $ 20 .
Student Answers — Unlike the College Board , ACT doesn ’ t offer a separate answer return service on test dates not covered by the TIR option .
Megan Dorsey is a college admissions expert and savvy SAT prep instructor who has helped thousands of students prepare for college admission . For more information visit CollegePrepResults . com
10 | Summer 2018 www . potentialmagazine . com