The ACT and SAT are college entrance exams. About 80% of all four-year colleges/universities currently have a test-optional or test-blind policy for college admission. However, due to grade inflation, colleges/universities are moving back toward requiring testing as a metric for admission. The SAT and ACT have become better predictors of university success than one's high school GPA. There's even a correlation linking high test scores to higher college graduation rates and higher post-college income. 

The ACT has five components: mathematics, reading, science, English and an optional writing test. The SAT consists of 10 sections: three in mathematics, a required writing session, and three in critical reasoning. Each test is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The PSAT exam is also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). For National Merit consideration, the PSAT must be taken during the junior year of high school. About 1 percent of students nationally achieve these top scores which put them in the running for the National Merit Scholarship.

StudyPoint offers free ACT and SAT practice tests virtually, so you can take the practice test from your home. Anyone who participates will receive a free score analysis that breaks down how you did by section, question type, and content area. They run multiple practice tests each week. If you're interested, you can view available dates and register for a test on the StudyPoint website.

Upcoming Changes to the ACT

Review changes and enhancements in the exam (PDF) 

The Kansas Department of Education will offer ALL juniors the opportunity to take the ACT without cost in late February/early March 2025. The assessment will be offered during the morning at the student’s home school and this day will be a full day of school for all students. This is a tremendous opportunity for Olathe students to take this assessment at no cost to families. The ACT does count as an official test and the results of this test are reportable to colleges and universities.

All ONW juniors are automatically enrolled for this assessment. If you do not want your student to take the ACT on this date or if your student needs accommodation, please contact your school administrator to arrange this.

The ACT is a paper-and-pencil entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. The purpose of the ACT test is to measure a high school student's readiness for college, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants (in addition to GPA, courses taken, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, etc.). The tests are multiple choice and the four-part assessment measures:

• English
• Math
• Reading
• Science
• NO writing test is associated with this testing date

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is eligible? All juniors
• What if I do not want my student to take the ACT? If you prefer that your student not take the ACT at ONW, you must have opted-out by early December.
• Where do I take the ACT? The ACT will be given at Olathe Northwest.
• What if I have a need for accommodation? The ACT does provide for accommodation, and those will be applied for by the Olathe School District. If you believe you are eligible for ACT-approved accommodation, you must have requested accommodation by early December. Late accommodation requests are not available.
• Is Junior ACT Day a full day of school? Yes. Olathe Northwest will communicate a unique schedule while students are testing in the morning and have regular classes in the afternoon.

For other ACT Tests, register on the ACT website. Cost is $68 or $93 with writing.

College Board offers free, online test prep. Visit their website to learn more.

Click here to register for the SAT. Cost is $68. 

The PSAT / NMSQT exam will be given in Fall 2024 at Olathe Northwest.

The registration deadline is Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. The price for the 2024 PSAT is $20. Late registration is not an option. Register at TouchBase Signin.

Contact your students' counselor with questions.

Click here for more information about PSAT.