College Counseling: College Office Alphabet Soup

There is a bewildering array of terms used in the college process, hopefully this list of terms will help you understand some of the jargon.

AP ® Exams: (Advanced Placement). This test is designed to assess students who have taken college level courses while in high school. Colleges may use this for course placement or to offer advanced standing.

ACT ®: (American College Testing): This multiple choice test assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. A student may take the ACT with or without a writing sample. ACT is an organization located in the mid-west and students and colleges in that area are more familiar with the ACT than the SAT. Most colleges will accept either the ACT or the SAT as part of their application. Both the ACT and the SAT are offered seven times a year. St. Mark’s is not a test center for the ACT.

CSS Profile: College Scholarship Service. This on-line form is required as part of applying for financial aid at many private colleges. A preliminary form should be submitted in the fall of the student’s sixth form year. Because the fiscal year has not come to a close at that point in time, information from the previous tax year should be submitted. The form can be found at https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp

FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid. All colleges will require that the FAFSA form be filled out as part of the Financial Aid application process. The form is due early (January- February) of the student’s sixth form year and is based on the previous year’s income figure. The form is available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

PSAT/NMSQT ® – Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This multiple choice test is taken by all Fifth Formers in October at St. Mark’s. Its purpose is to acquaint students with the testing format they will see with the SATs. Students who do well may qualify for National Merit Scholarships.

SAT ® Reasoning Test – (Scholastic Assessment Test). This test is given by College Board and it is designed to measure critical thinking and problems solving skills that are needed for success in college. Students receive a score based on a range of 200 – 800 in three areas: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Most, but not all schools require submission of SAT or ACT scores as part of the application process. The test is primarily a multiple choice test, with a writing section which includes a 25 minute essay. St. Mark’s is a test center for either SAT in October, December, May, and June.

SAT ® Subject Tests: These tests are designed to assess mastery of a particular subject area. College Board offers SAT Subject tests in 20 different subject areas. The most selective schools require students to submit 2 SAT Subject test scores as part of their application.