The best form of test preparation is the high school curriculum emphasizing reading for pleasure as well as school assignments. Studies show that students who enjoy reading during their free time usually score higher on standardized tests than those who do not read outside of the classroom. Test preparation can help students become more familiar with strategies for taking the test. There are not any guarantees of improved test scores after test preparation participation, but any kind of practice before the SAT or ACT should help to relieve anxiety about the tests and enhance the student's chances of improving his or her scores. Any test prep program is most effective when completed shortly before the test date.
If you have further questions, please call the College Counseling Office at 423-267-8506 x454.
Preparation Programs
Baylor School provides several test prep sessions as part of the regular school day (at no added cost) during the Colloquium Academic meetings held on Thursdays during the school year. Sessions include sophomore prep for PSAT and PLAN (pre-ACT) and junior prep for PSAT, SAT, and ACT.
KAPLAN Test Prep: University of Tennessee, Chattanooga usually offers several Kaplan test prep courses during the second semester. Be prepared—these are intensive test prep programs that cost over $1000. You might want to talk with a college counselor about whether this option is right for you. Details at http://www.kaptest.com/
RIVER CITY WORKSHOPS: River City Workshops will provide test prep options for juniors and seniors on campus. Usually held on Sunday afternoons from 12-6 p.m. Details on dates and times are in the CollegeCounseling folder on your First Class desktop. River City holds additional test prep programs at other locations in Chattanooga that are open to Baylor students. All River City sessions require registration on the Web site: www.rivercityworkshops.com. Questions about the courses can be answered by visiting www.rivercityworkshops.com.
Tutoring for Test Prep:
The College Counseling office keeps a list of tutors who have worked with our students. Please call our office at 423-267-8506, x.454 for more information.
Princeton Review
Baylor School contracts with Princeton Review to present an in-depth SAT/PSAT test prep program each fall, beginning in late August ,and an ACT prep course during the second semester of. Complete instructions and registration forms are available in the CollegeCounseling folder on your First Class E-Mail Desktop.
Test Administration for College Admission
Baylor administers the PSAT to all sophomores and juniors each October. This national testing date does not require registration by individual students. Juniors take the PSAT as a practice for the SAT (PSAT scores are not released to colleges) and as the entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Achievement Scholarship Program (see paragraph below). Their program as described on their website says, "The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)-a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.4 million entrants each year-and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements. Of the 1.4 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores (critical reading + mathematics + writing skills scores) qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program. Eligibility for consideration includes: taking the test in the junior year, enrolling in college immediately following high school graduation, and being a United States Citizen. (See www.nationalmerit.org for detailed information).
Since initial entry into the National Merit Scholarship competition is based on test scores (the top 50,000 test takers score in the 95th percentile) your junior student might want to take a test prep course if they scored within the 90th percentile on their sophomore PSAT test.
In addition the same organization administers The National Achievement® Scholarship Program, "an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding Black American high school students. Black students may enter both the National Achievement Program and the National Merit® Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) and meeting other published requirements for participation. The two annual programs (National Merit and National Achievement) are conducted concurrently but operated and funded separately. A student's standing is determined independently in each program. Black American students can qualify for recognition and be honored as Scholars in both the National Merit Program and the National Achievement Program, but can receive only one monetary award from NMSC." (Directly quoted from the website at www.nationalmerit.org).