PSAT 10
The Preliminary SAT 10 Test is administered to sophomores in spring semester. This test is not required and does not allow students to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. It is a test meant to help students practice test taking and assess their strengths and weakness. Used as a tool in partnership with a student’s counselor, the PSAT 10 can help students get the most our of their high school coursework by proactively building on strengths and addressing weaknesses.
PSAT/NMSQT
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is administered to juniors every year in October. Even though the PSAT is not considered a college entrance exam, it does provide the opportunity for students to practice standardized testing and identify strengths and weaknesses that can be useful in future standardized test preparation. Furthermore, students who score high enough on the PSAT may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program, which can result in merit scholarship awards.
SAT & ACT
Even though we have seen a growing number of schools moving to a ‘test-optional’ policy, several schools still require an SAT or ACT standardized test score for admission. Even if schools do not require a test score, most of them will accept them as an additional piece to a student’s application portfolio. Most schools will accept either test score, but some may prefer one over the other. There are also a number of schools who will accept a ‘superscore,’ which is a recalculated score using the best individual section scores across all test dates.
All Denver Christian juniors and seniors are given the opportunity to take both the SAT and the ACT on campus during the school day. Seniors take both the SAT and ACT in the fall and juniors take both tests in the winter/spring. Denver Christian will take care of registering all students for these on campus tests. Both the SAT and ACT are also offered several times a year on national testing dates. For additional information, registration information and testing dates please visit the SAT College Board website or the ACT website.
AP Exams (Advanced Placement)
AP exams are designed to assess particular content areas and while they are rarely required by colleges, they can help strengthen a student’s application to more competitive schools. Some schools will accept a passing AP score as college credit. AP exams are conducted on campus each year in May. Please visit the AP section on College Board for more information and a complete list of AP exam subjects.
Test Prep
Test preparation resources are numerous and range widely in both cost as well as effectiveness. Some of the best free test prep resources are found directly on the respective exam websites themselves: College Board uses Khan Academy for SAT, ACT uses ACT. Do your research when selecting a test prep agency! Here are a couple resources that Denver Christian has partnered with and utilized in the past: