The most important reason to prepare for the SAT is to create a solid score to gain access to the colleges of choice. While the SAT is by no means an accurate tool for measuring academic capacity, it is the national method for compiling thousands of records of objective qualifications for college applicants. Therefore, while making college a priority in education, the SAT is an inextricably important factor.

Nearly every college in America accepts the SAT or Subject Tests as a part of its admissions process. That's why more than two million students take the SAT every year. The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills needed for academic success in college. The SAT assesses skills learned in school that are needed in college: analyzing and solving problems. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200—800, with two writing subscores for multiple-choice and the essay. The testing time is a total of 3 hours and 35 minutes. There are three scored sections: math, critical reading, and writing. Each section is worth 800 points for a total of 2400. It is administered seven times a year in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories, and six times a year overseas. The SAT includes a Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing section, with a specific number of questions related to content.

The 25-minute essay will always be the first section of the SAT, and the 10-minute multiple-choice writing section will always be the final section. The remaining six 25-minute sections can appear in any order, as can the two 20-minute sections. Test takers sitting next to each other in the same testing session may have test books with entirely different sections.

ATC Testprep understands this condition and provides extensive preparatory courses for the SAT. We are committed to helping our students attain the best possible understanding of the testing material via methods of practice, review and intensive training. For the purpose of allowing personalized assistance, our classes are relatively small. Therefore, space is limited, so please make your reservation with ample anticipation.

The test measures the reasoning ability and problem-solving skills. With the writing section, students  demonstrate how they express and organize their thoughts. The writing section will ask the students to write an essay that requires them to take a position on an issue and use examples to support their position. They will also have a section that will test how well students use standard written English. Grammar, usage, sentence construction, and word choice are measured.

The critical reading section, formerly known as the verbal section, includes short reading passages along with the existing long reading passages. Analogies have been eliminated, but sentence-completion questions and passage-based reading questions remain.

From our experience preparing students for the SAT test we have learned that most of the students have more difficulties with word problems then with the math itself. Therefore our approach is to teach the students the logic needed to solve word problems. In our preparation we also emphasize other sections such as that the properties of numbers, understanding graphs and charts and more. The math section also includes algebra and functions, geometry, statistics, probability, and data analysis. A small number of math questions on the SAT will cover topics from Algebra II (advanced algebra).

Subject Tests (formerly SAT II: Subject Tests) are designed to measure your knowledge and skills in particular subject areas, as well as your ability to apply that knowledge. Students take the Subject Tests to demonstrate to colleges their mastery of specific subjects like English, history, mathematics, science, and language. Subject Tests fall into five general subject areas: English, History and Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Languages  (Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Japanese, Korean). All Subject Tests are one-hour, multiple-choice tests. Most students take Subject Tests toward the end of their junior year or at the beginning of their senior year. Take tests such as World History, Biology E/M, Chemistry, or Physics as soon as possible after completing the course in the subject, while the material is still fresh in your mind. For foreign language tests, you'll do better after at least two years of study.

Here is the schedule for the 2013/2014 school year, 
when the tests will take place and when registration has to be completed:

Test Dates	Test	U.S. Registration Deadlines		International Registration Deadlines
		Regular	Late (a fee applies)	Early (Through a Representative)	Regular
October 5, 2013	SAT & Subject Tests	September 6, 2013	September 20, 2013	August 14, 2013	September 6, 2013
November 2, 2013	SAT & Subject Tests	October 3 2013	October 18, 2013	September 11, 2013	October 3, 2013
December 7, 2013	SAT & Subject Tests	November 8  2013	November 22, 2013	October 16, 2013	November 22, 2013
January 25 2014	SAT & Subject Tests	December 27, 2013	January 10, 2014	December 4, 2013	December 27, 2013
March 8, 2014	SAT only	February 7, 2014	February 21, 2014
May 3, 2014	SAT & Subject Tests	April 4,  2014	April 18, 2014	March 12, 2014	April 4, 2014
June 7, 2014	SAT & Subject Tests	May 9, 2014	May 23, 2014	April 16, 2014	May 9, 2014

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When's the Best Time to Take the SAT?

 

ACT

The ACT is a nationally administered, standardized paper-and-pencil test that helps colleges evaluate candidates. The ACT lasts two hours and 55 minutes (excluding the Writing Test) or three hours and 25 minutes (including the Writing Test). 

The ACT^® test assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work.

The order of test sections and the total number of questions covered in each test section never changes:

 

2013–2014 ACT Test Dates

For the United States, U.S. Territories, Puerto Rico, and Canada

Test Date	Registration Deadline	(Late Fee Required)
September 21, 2013	August 23, 2013	August 24–Sept. 6, 2013
October 26, 2013	September 27, 2013	September 28–October 11, 2013
December 14, 2013	November 8, 2013	November 9–22, 2013
February 8, 2014*	January 10, 2014	January 11–24, 2014
April 12, 2014	March 7, 2014	March 8-21, 2014
June 14, 2014	May 9, 2014	May 10–23, 2014

The test dates of the following school year are: Sept 13, 2014; Oct. 25, 2014; Dec. 13, 2014;
Feb. 7, 2015*; April 18, 2015, June 13, 2015.

* No text centers are scheduled in New York for the February test date.

ATC Testprep's ACT™ course will improve your confidence. And your test score. ATC's college test preparation can help you be admitted to the college of your dreams. Once you complete our test preparation course, you'll know what to expect on the test — and you'll know how to take it with confidence. Students at all score-levels can benefit from the targeted, personalized approach of our college test preparation programs. 

 

College Placement Test (CPT): ACCUPLACER/PERT

PERT (Postsecondary Education Readiness Test) College Placement Test for current Palm Beach State College students. It is comprised of three sections: Reading, Writing Skills (English) and Math. There are 30 questions per placement sub-test. Scaled scores range from 50-150. Students must wait 30 days before re-taking the PERT test. Scores will not be considered valid unless 30 days have passed. The test is offered during regular hours of operation at all Palm Beach State campuses. No appointment is necessary.

Non-Palm Beach State students planning to attend another school can take the PERT College Placement Test at a Palm Beach State Campus Test Center. A completed non-credit application is required and should be submitted to the Office of Admissions. A test fee is required in the Cashiers Office prior to taking the test

Accuplacer Placement Test is required for some Financial Aid and Bright Futures students. In order for some students to qualify for Financial Aid, a student must take the following sections of the Accuplacer test program: Arithmetic, Sentence Skills, and Reading Comprehension. Students must wait two weeks before re-taking the Accuplacer test, within a three-month period. A second retest is permitted if approved by the College. The Accuplacer test is offered during regular hours of operation at all of Palm Beach State campuses. No appointment is necessary. Check with the Financial Aid Office and High School Counselor for more information.

The purpose of Florida’s Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.) is to adequately assess your academic skills in mathematics, reading and writing through the delivery of three assessments, one for each of these areas. The results of these assessments are used to determine your placement into appropriate courses at your college.

You cannot pass or fail the P.E.R.T. – it is only used to determine which courses are best for you. While it doesn’t impact your grades, we encourage you to take the P.E.R.T. seriously so that your course placement is accurate.

The P.E.R.T. assessments are computer-adaptive, which means the questions are chosen based on your answers to previous questions. You will not be permitted to change your answer once you have moved on to the next question or leave a question unanswered. However, all of the P.E.R.T. assessments are untimed so you have as much time as you need to consider each question before submitting your answer. If you do not know the answer to a specific question, you are encouraged to try and answer the question by eliminating one or more of the answer options and then select from the remaining choices.

You will not be allowed to bring a calculator with you; however, for certain questions, a pop-up calculator will be available for your use. Check with your college testing center for what to bring or not to bring with you on test day.

Your scores on each assessment will be available immediately after you submit and your college will provide you with the results.

A test sample is available online.

 

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SSAT

The Secondary School Admission Test, or SSAT, is an admissions test administered to students in grades 5-11 to help determine placement into independent or private junior high and high schools. Despite its similarities, the SSAT is not related to the SAT Reasoning test and is not administered by the College Board.

There are two levels of the test: the Lower level for students in grades 5-7 and the Upper level, designed for students in grades 8-11. The SSAT consists of two parts: a brief essay and a multiple choice test that includes Mathematics, Reading Comprehension and Verbal sections. In all, there are five sections. The test requires the writing of an essay, and the rest of the test is multiple choice. Scores depend only on the answers to the multiple choice questions, the results of the essay are sent to prospective schools to evaluate themselves.

In the essay part of the test, students will be asked to support or argue against a topic statement by using examples from personal experience, history, literature and current events. Like the SAT, the essay section is 25 minutes long.

There are two 30 minute math sections with 25 questions each that require basic computations including some basic algebra.

The verbal section is 30 minutes long and consists of 30 synonym and 30 analogy questions.

The 40 minute reading comprehension section has 40 questions based around seven given reading passages. These questions not only require test takers to read quickly but also comprehend what they are reading.

All questions on the SSAT are equal in value and scores are based on the number of questions correctly answered subtracted by one-quarter point for each question you answer incorrectly. No points are awarded or deducted for questions left unanswered. The scaled score for the Upper Level is 500- 800 and the Lower Level is 440- 710.

The SSAT score report provides scaled scores for each section as well as percentile ranks for each category, comparing a students score to others who have taken the test in the past three years. Also in the score report are estimated national percentile ranks for 5-9 grade test takers and projected 12th grade SAT scores for test takers in grades 7-10.

Upon receiving their scores, students can send the results to the independent schools they wish to apply to. Each school then evaluates the scores according to its own standards and requirements.

2013-2014 SSAT Test Calendar

National Test Dates	Late Registration Begins (add $40 fee)	Rush Registration  (add $80 fee)	Test Registration closes
October 12, 2013	September 22	September 29	October 10
November 9, 2013	October 20	October 27	November 7
December 7, 2013	November 17	November 24	December 5
January 4, 2014	December 15	December 22	January 2
February 1, 2014	January 12	January 19	January 30
March 1, 2014	February 9	February 16	February 27
April 26, 2014	March 30	April 6	April 17
June 7, 2014	May 18	May 25	June 5

• Testing normally begins at 9:00 am for all standard dates but testing time may vary. Check your Admission Ticket for an exact time.
• Total testing time for the Middle and Upper level SSAT is 2 hours and 50 minutes, plus two short breaks. The addition of any special accommodations will increase this total.
• Register online by the registration deadlines.

2. Test locations for 2013-2014 in Florida, in Palm Beach County:
3. 
   Pine Crest School at Boca Raton Campus:
   2700 St. Andrews Blvd., Boca Raton, Florida 33434
4. Saint Andrew's School
   3900 Jog Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434
5. The Pine School
   12350 SE Federal Hwy, Hobe Sound, Florida 33455
6. Batt Learning Center/Juno Beach Prep
   13205 U.S. Highway 1, Suite 202, Juno Beach, Florida 33408
7. Palm Beach Day Academy
   241 Seaview Avenue, Palm Beach, FL 33480
   Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches
   3151 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, Florida 33409

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FTCE

The Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE) is Florida’s Teacher Certification Exam. There are three different FTCE tests. Most tests are offered computer-based or paper and pencil. Paper and pencil tests are offered 8 times per year, with 5 additional supplemental administrations. Supplemental administrations cost considerably more than regular testing dates.

The results are pass/fail, and their quantitative scores are not released to prevent schools from comparing students based on the test results.

Teachers may become certified in Florida if they pass all three tests of the FTCE and hold a bachelors degree in education. If a prospective teacher does not hold a degree in education, or has not passed at least one test of the FTCE they may become temporarily certified. Teachers with a temporary certification may take steps to become professionally (fully) certified.

It’s a battery of three tests. The first one is one of professional education. It’s a multiple choice test on how much the prospective teacher knows about the actual practices of teaching school classes, and at imparting knowledge and information to their students. The second part of the FTCE test is the general knowledge test. It’s a multiple choice test covering math (45 questions), reading (40 questions), language skills (40 questions), and a written essay portion. The third test in the series is the subject area exam, which tests for knowledge of subjects like French, Spanish, Geometry, K-6 teaching, Physical Education, General Sciences, etc.

The number of questions on these different subject tests varies greatly-from 40 to 225, with most being around 120. 

FTCE/FELE Computer-Based Testing (CBT) Sites are around the state, in Palm Beach County you can be tested in Boynton Beach:
Boynton Beach Pearson VUE Test Center
Woolbright Professional Building, Suite 401
2240 Woolbright Rd.
Boynton Beach, FL 33426

The FTCE and FELE are offered at flexible times and locations throughout the year. 
Specific site and date availability is real-time information that you will see during the registration process. Examinees should register as early as possible to avoid potential scheduling conflicts.

 

GED

The certificate of the GED (General Educational Development) is the equivalent to the high school diploma, the minimum requirement for college access. The American Council on Education develops the tests and sets the rules for their use. The GED® Tests is a battery of five tests that, when passed, certifies the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. Each of the five tests uses a multiple-choice question format. In addition, every GED candidate must also satisfactorily complete a timed essay on an assigned topic in order to pass the GED Tests. To pass the GED Tests and earn a GED credential, test takers must score higher than 40 percent of graduating high school seniors nationwide. Some jurisdictions require that students pass additional tests, such as an English proficiency exam or civics test. A toll-free number sponsored by the GED Testing Service provides specific information about rules in effect at each Official Testing Center, as well as information on scheduling, hours of operation, and preparation classes: (800) 62-MY-GED. The web site also offers an online Testing Center locator. 

Here is what applicants have to deal with:

Where do I register and schedule the GED® test on computer?

• You register for the GED® test at GEDcomputer.com.
• Create your account, register, and schedule your test.

The GED® 2014 test has changed entirely. Now it is entirely computer-based with multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. It consists of four (4) test sections: Reasoning through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science and Social Studies.
 

Although the test is computer-based, it is not done through the internet. Students must take the test at an authorized testing center.

 

The Department of Adult and Community Education (ACE) of the School District of Palm Beach County is the official GED® testing institution for Palm Beach County:
www.TheAdultEdCenter.com.

 

The tests will take place at: 

Palm Beach County Testing Center Location

Delray Full Service School

301 SW 14th Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444

 

Testing Center Hours

Monday, Wednesday & Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm

Tuesday & Thursday 8:30 am to 6 pm
 

Test Duration Time

Reasoning through Language Arts - 150 minutes (including a 10-minute break)

• Mathematical Reasoning - 90 minutes
• Science - 90 minutes
• Social Studies - 90 minutes

Total test time: 7 1/4hours

 

Test-takers can take sections of the GED® test in any order they want to. Candidates can take the test one part at a time, on different days, or all at the same time. This way they feel prepared every time!

 

Test Fees

Each test costs $32 (up from $14 or $16 respectively) and can be taken separately. The full battery of tests costs $128.

 

There is a discounted retesting fee for students who do not pass a section of the GED on the first attempt. Students will be allowed two (2) retests per content area at $12 each.

 

Register & Schedule Your GED® Test on Computer

Step by Step Registration Instructions

Questions about the GED® test?                    Call 1-877-EXAM-GED (1-877-392-6433)

 

Palm Beach County students ages 16-17 are required to take GED® Ready: The Official Practice Test and score a minimum of 150 on each of the sub-tests. Their parent must complete an Age Waiver Application. Click here for details