ACT & SAT Guide & 2024 Test Dates
By Huntington Learning Center
For parents of high school juniors, test prep season is here, with the next SAT test date on March 9, 2024, and ACT on April 13, 2024. If this is your student’s first time taking the SAT or ACT, you may be thinking about how you can help support their test prep. Here’s a guide to help you.
THE NEXT STEP AFTER COLLEGE VISITS
All colleges provide prospective students with their admissions requirements, including the SAT or ACT scores. Whether they need to take the SAT or ACT, your child needs a plan for test prep. Some colleges adopted a test-optional policy at the beginning of the pandemic, however there is a growing trend where schools have now reinstated their score policy as part of the admissions process. For first-year applicants to the class of 2025, Yale is requiring students to submit scores from one of the following: SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB).
Your student can have a plan in place and put their best effort into test day by enrolling in a test prep program offered by Huntington Learning Center. https://huntingtonhelps.com/test-prep .
PREPARATION AND PRACTICE
Familiarizing students with the skills the SAT or ACT evaluate and applying the tips they learned from their tutor can help ease a student’s test day stress and maximize their score.
- Our test prep students typically achieve an average 229+ point increase on SAT scores and an average 5.4+ point increase in ACT scores.
The test prep skills Huntington’s Learning Center students gain have added value beyond test day. Not only are they better equipped to get a higher score on the SAT/ACT, but students can also use the skills they developed from their test prep program in other courses and future exams.
PROVEN RESULTS
With almost 50 years of test prep experience, Huntington Learning Center is ready to support students with its proven test prep programs.
- Huntington Learning Center staff are certified and trained test prep experts.
- Our programs are individualized for your student, and they build up your student’s strengths and improve their weaker skills.
- By working one-on-one with a tutor, students benefit from customized academic support and personalized, engaging interactions with the tutor- something students cannot get from a workshop or larger prep class.
- Huntington works with you and your student to set up a tutoring schedule built around their goals, their test date and specific needs.
- Practice tests are given throughout the program to monitor progress and ease possible stress by familiarizing the student with the test format.
- Throughout the test prep program, the staff regularly communicates with parents about the student’s progress.
DIGITAL SAT FORMAT
With the SAT switch to a new digital test in March, you may have questions about what students can expect to see on the test.
- The College Board transitioned from paper to digital format using their Bluebook™ Testing App.
- Students may take the SAT on their own device or a school-managed Chromebook. (Visit the College Board website for approved device information prior to test day.
- The digital exam is now 2 hours and 14 minutes instead of 3 hours in length.
- Each section of the exam is divided into two modules. The first module has a mix of easy, medium, and challenging questions. The second module is adjusted based on how students performed in the first, making the questions more challenging or easier. When the student completes the first module, the test moves on to either an easier or a more challenging second module, depending on performance on the first module.
PARENT TESTIMONIAL from Rachna J.
“I like the fact that the staff is very friendly and proactive. The teachers are very good, and my son is very happy to go there for his SAT prep. The part that I like the most is the fact that they show that they care about my son's progress. The managers always check on him to see how he feels about any previously taken exams. They try to get his feedback to see how they can help him improve so he can do better each time he takes a new test.”
DIGITAL SAT GUIDE
https://huntingtonhelps.com/digital-sat
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/digital/about
UPCOMING 2024 SAT DATES
- March 9, 2024 (Register by February 23, 2024)
- May 4, 2024 (Register by April 19, 2024
- June 1, 2024 (Register by May 16, 2024)
- August 24, 2024*
- October 5, 2024*
- November 2, 2024*
- December 7, 2024*
*Anticipated dates from the College Board
ACT OFFERS TWO TEST TAKING OPTIONS
ACT is expanding its test-taking options. Formally offered only in paper-and-pencil format, the ACT will also be offered in a digital format at select testing locations. Students can select which test format works best for them: pencil and paper or digital.
- With the digital option, students can annotate, and cross out eliminated answer choices on the screen.
- When taking the paper and pencil exam, students may write directly in the test booklet.
- The test is still 2 hours and 55 minutes in length.
- Huntington’s customized ACT test prep program will prepare your student for whichever format they choose to take the test in.
TESTIMONIAL Patty S.
“The staff is great. The tutors are wonderful. The progress our son has made to prepare for the ACT has been tremendous. The tools learned through Huntington, he will carry with him through high school and college.”
ACT GUIDE
https://huntingtonhelps.com/act-test-prep
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act.html#overview
UPCOMING 2024 ACT DATES
- April 13, 2024 (register by March 8, 2024)
- June 8, 2024 (Register by May 3, 2024)
- July 13, 2024 (Register by June 7, 2024)
All colleges provide prospective students with their admissions requirements, including the SAT or ACT scores. While some colleges have shifted to test-optional policies, recent trends indicate a resurgence in the importance of these assessments, particularly among prestigious institutions. Yale, for instance, has reinstated the requirement for first-year applicants to the class of 2025, along with renowned schools like Georgetown, MIT, and Dartmouth. This shift reflects a growing recognition of the predictive value these scores offer in assessing a student's potential for success in higher education. Supported by recent research, including a groundbreaking study by economists and sociologists at Dartmouth, which challenges the traditional emphasis on high school grades as the sole measure of academic aptitude, this resurgence underscores the ongoing relevance of standardized testing in the admissions process.
Additionally, students may withhold their SAT/ACT scores, believing that their academic prowess and extracurricular achievements speak volumes on their own. However, this approach may inadvertently harm their chances of acceptance. Admissions counselors view standardized test scores as a crucial component of the application package, providing valuable insight into students' academic potential and readiness for college-level coursework.
Call 1-800-CAN-LEARN if you need help deciding which Huntington Learning Center test prep program to enroll your student in.
