Testing Information

Students must register for ACT on their website directly.  www.act.org  To do this it is best to set aside about 40 minutes the first time you are registering for a test.  It is helpful to have an unofficial transcript (counseling office) with you to enter your classes and grades you had in high school. 

COST - The ACT is $52 which includes reports for you, your high school, and up to four colleges (if you provide the codes when you register).  The ACT with Writing is $68.00.  The late registration fee is $30.00 so please take note of the registration deadlines.  If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, you can get up to TWO ACT waivers during your high school career.  You will need to see your school counselor to get the wavier from them. 

The ACT is an exam used by most colleges and universities to make a decision about admission and sometimes a scholarship criteria.  It is a paper and pencil test that is 2 hours and 55 minutes (plus 40 minutes if you are taking the ACT with writing).  There are four sections to the ACT: 

FREE Practice ACT Exam Booklet

Power Prep ACT Test Prep at Shawnee Mission West (March 29th)

Friday, March 29th from 1:00 - 5:00 pm Shawnee Mission West will host a Power Prep ACT in our Library.   You need to register for this and pay the $65.00 on their website at https://powerprepinc.com/shawnee-mission-west/

FREE ACT Academy

ACT Academy is a new personalized online practice for the ACT.  You can register for this free resource at https://academy.act.org/

Finding an ACT Tutor

If you are looking for an individual tutor, you can utilize Wyzant website to connect to a tutor for ACT in general or in a specific subject area of the ACT.  Check out their website at https://www.wyzant.com/

Students must register for SAT on their website directly.  https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register To do this it is best to set aside about 40 minutes the first time you are registering for a test.  It is helpful to have an unofficial transcript (counseling office) with you to enter your classes and grades you had in high school. 

COST - The SAT is $47.50 and the SAT with ESSAY for $64.50.  Some colleges and university will request that you take the SAT SUBJECT Tests.  There are actual Subjects you choose to test in and SAT reports your scores to the college/university.  Subject Test Registration is $26 then they charge you $22 per test and you can take up to three subject tests. If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, you can get up to TWO ACT waivers during your high school career.  You will need to see your school counselor to get the wavier from them.  

SAT has some great interactive videos and study guides on their website at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/inside-the-test . The test itself is 3 hours.  If you take the optional essay it is an additional 50 minutes.  

The Preliminary SAT, also known as the PSAT/NMSQT® (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), is a preparatory version of the SAT exam. You can only take the PSAT once per year, and most students take the test in both 10th and 11th grade. If you earn a high score on the PSAT your junior year, you could qualify to receive a National Merit Scholarship—$180 million dollars in merit scholarships are awarded to students each year! Testing your skills in reading, writing, and math, the PSAT is 2 hours and 45 minutes long. Unlike the SAT, the highest score possible on the PSAT is 1520.

You can check out more detailed information and online practice tests at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10

PSAT/NMSQT JUNIORS AT SMW: 

ACT PRACTICE:  Any junior student who does not register for the PSAT will take a practice ACT test that morning at no cost.  All juniors need to report to school on this day at the regular time (7:40 am).  Testing will be completed at 12:15 when students can eat lunch on campus.  The buses will leave at 1:10 pm for early dismissal.

PSAT SOPHOMORES AT SMW:  

10th graders will automatically take the PSAT on Wednesday, October 10th.  They do not have to do anything for this test except show up on test day ready for a Practice SAT.