Registering for the SAT and ACT Test

Courtesy of Ms. Judy Campbell


Seniors! You need to take you SAT and/or ACT by December of your senior year---that means you have three times in the fall to sign up for the SAT (and the SAT Subject Tests if you are applying to UC's or highly selective colleges). Most colleges want your tests to be taken by December, and some want them taken even sooner, so check with the colleges to which you are applying to make sure you are taking your tests on time.

Juniors! Ideally you should take your SAT's and ACT's in the spring of your junior year, and if you are not happy with your scores, you have 3 more chances in your senior year to take them (see above).

Sophomores and Juniors--the best way to get ready for the SAT's is to take the PSAT in October. Check with Ms. Campbell in the College Center about signing up for the PSAT.

You can find out your SAT scores online before they are mailed to you! Scores for the tests you have taken are usually available about three weeks after the test.

If you are taking the ACT (an alternative to the SAT accepted by most colleges) you need to sign up for the ACT with Writing. Although the SAT and ACT are rival test companies, they never schedule their tests on the same day, so you can take both tests on different Saturdays.

When you sign up to take an SAT or ACT, be sure to list our school code (051615) and choose 4 colleges to receive your scores. If you are applying to CSU's, the code 3594 will send your SAT scores to all 23 Cal States. If you want to play sports in college, send your scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center, code 9999.

If you are on the federal lunch program (you get free or reduced price lunch tickets), you can get fee waivers so that you don't have to pay for your SAT or ACT tests in your junior and senior year. If you need a fee waiver, see Mrs. Sousani in the College Center (room 404) to get one.

The easiest and fastest way to sign up to take these tests is online (www.collegeboard.com or www.actstudent.org) which you can reach through the college counselor website on wwww.hollywoodhighschool.net. You can also mail in a registration bulletin, but it takes longer to find out your test site. Hollywood High is not a test site, but nearly schools such as Marshall, Immaculate Heart, Los Angeles HS, Marlborough, and Harvard-Westlake are test centers. Choose a center that is close to your house, because you will be getting up early on a Saturday morning to take these tests.

There are free test prep sites on the internet that are linked to the HHS College Counselor website (www.number2.com and www.studentedge.com) and study materials can be picked up in the College Center.

The best time to take an SAT subject test is right after you’ve finished a course in that subject—usually in June—when the material is still fresh in your memory!