College Admission Tests

Find out which test you should take and how to prepare for it.

Most four-year colleges and universities rely on standardized tests to determine how ready you are for college-level work. A good test score can help you get into your school of choice, earn scholarships, and receive advanced placement or college credit.

There are college admission tests for undergraduate students and graduate students. Visit TestDatesCentral.com for details about test dates for major standarized tests which are only given on certain dates throughout the year. Below is information to help you determine which tests you need to take. Go to Search for Colleges for admission requirements of specific schools.

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1. Sophomore

    

   What test should you take?	What does it test?	Why should you take this test?	How do you get more information?
   PLAN	English, reading, math, and science skills	Helps prepare for college entrance exams	Check with school counselor act.org/plan




2. Junior

   What test should you take?	What does it test?	Why should you take this test?	How do you get more information?
   Preliminary SAT (PSAT)	Critical reading, math reasoning abilities, and writing skills (Serves as National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test for juniors)	Helps prepare for college entrance exams by giving you feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study	Check with school counselor Undergraduate College Admission Tests collegeboard.com
   ACT	English, reading, math, and science reasoning skills; optional writing test	Most common entrance exam for four-year colleges in Midwest and Central United States	Undergraduate College Admission Tests actstudent.org
   SAT	Critical reading, math reasoning abilities, and writing skills	Most common entrance exam for four-year colleges on East and West coasts	Undergraduate College Admission Tests collegeboard.com




3. Senior

   What test should you take?	What does it test?	Why should you take this test?	How do you get more information?
   ACT	English, reading, math, and science reasoning skills; optional writing test	Most common entrance exam for four-year colleges in Midwest and Central United States.	Undergraduate College Admission Tests actstudent.org
   SAT	Critical reading, math reasoning abilities, and writing skills	Most common entrance exam for four-year colleges on East and West coasts	Undergraduate College Admission Tests collegeboard.com




4. Graduate School Applicant

   What test should you take?	What does it test?	Why should you take this test?	How do you get more information?
   GMAT GRE LSAT MCAT	Qualifications of applicants for advanced study in specific fields such as business and management, law, or medicine	Required for admission to most graduate schools	Graduate College Admissions Tests




5. Student Whose Native Language is Not English

   What test should you take?	What does it test?	Why should you take this test?	How do you get more information?
   TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language	Ability of non-native English speakers to read, write, speak, and understand North American English	Required by some four-year colleges if English is not applicant's native language	Undergraduate College Admissions Tests toefl.org




6. Student With a Documented Disability

   Students with documented disabilities may be eligible to receive accommodations (such as Braille tests, large print, and extended time) when taking admissions tests. To learn more about the accommodations available for each test mentioned above, visit: ACT (undergraduate), PSAT or SAT (undergraduate), GRE (graduate), LSAT (law), MCAT (medical), GMAT (business/management), or TOEFL (non-native English speakers).