College Entrance Exams

In 8th grade, students will take the Pre-ACT Explore. “Taking EXPLORE® in 8th grade tells you things you need to know—to plan your high school courses, prepare for the ACT, or choose a career direction.”

Students will take the Explore assessment in the the Spring semester of their 8th grade year.  They are assessed in English, math, science and reading.  Upon getting results back from ACT, students are given information regarding how they performed in each subject area, a rating on their current college readiness, and recommendations for career aptitudes as determined by how students did on each section of the assessment.

Below, you will find an image that the students will also see when they get their results back.

In 10th grade, students will take the Pre-SAT. “The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It’s a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT®. It also gives you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools. The PSAT/NMSQT measures:

• Critical reading skills

• Math problem-solving skills
• Writing skills

You have developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school. This test doesn’t require you to recall specific facts from your classes.

The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are to:

• Receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
• See how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
• Enter the competition for scholarships from NMSC (grade 11).
• Help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.
• Receive information from colleges when you check “yes” to Student Search Service.”

In 11th and 12th grade, students will take the SAT and/or ACT exams as well as any subject area exams for Advanced Placement courses they are taking.

Key differences between the ACT and SAT
(as taken from StudyPoints)

ACT vs SAT: which test is a better fit for your student? Students may take whichever test they prefer (assuming there are available testing locations for both tests). If you’re not sure which test your child would prefer, consider the key differences between the ACT and SAT. Some students find that the ACT caters to their strengths more so than the SAT, and vice versa.

Need a quick side-by-side comparison of the tests? Check out our ACT vs SAT Comparison Chart.

LGA students must take at least one AP class, or more if they choose. Please click on the image to learn more about Advanced Placement courses and exams.