Tests and Preparation Help

  • College Entrance Exams

    Students who plan to go directly to a four-year college after high school need to take the ACT or the SAT beginning in the spring of their junior year. It is recommended that students take the tests more than once to achieve the best possible score. Many colleges accept either ACT or SAT scores, with most of our students going to schools that request an ACT score. Highly selective colleges may prefer the SAT and some will also require the individual subject tests of the SAT. Students should have their scores sent directly to the college. This is done when students register for the test. Many colleges will no longer accept scores from the student transcript.

    Students planning on attending a junior college or trade school right after high school are not required to take the ACT or SAT. Those schools typically have their own entrance/placement exams.

    Please visit the ACT and SAT (College Board) websites for more information and to register.

    Fee waivers for ACT and SAT are available to students for whom test fees represent an obstacle on the road to college. See your counselor to see if you qualify.

    Steps for Requesting ACT Accommodations

    1. Register to test. Online registration will ask for your high school code. Olathe South’s Code is 172222.
    2. You will receive an email that must be sent to OSHS Testing Accessibility and Accommodations Coordinator Chayce Wynn, cwynn@olatheschools.org.
    3. Complete a Consent to Release Information to ACT form. You should be prompted to fill this out during the registration process.
    4. Schedule a meeting with Chayce Wynn and provide a copy of the Consent to Release Information to ACT at the time of the meeting.

    Note: Although ACT’s guideline says requests for accommodations and EL supports, including appeals, must be submitted by the published late registration deadline, the OSHS Accommodations Coordinator is not on contract over the summer, thus, accommodations for the June and July ACT exams must be submitted by May 20.

    Testing Day

    Freshman default test is the PreACT 8/9. This test offers freshmen students an opportunity to learn about high-stakes assessment. It measures what students have learned in school to this point and what students will need to succeed in college. There is NO cost for this test.

    Sophomores and juniors' default test is a Practice ACT.  Most of our students will need to take the ACT as their entrance exam to get into college. It is recommended that juniors take the ACT in the spring of their junior year. On this day, most of our sophomores and juniors will have the opportunity to take a full-length practice ACT test. This practice will give them a good idea of where they stand, so they can better prepare for the ACT in the spring of their junior year. There is NO cost for this test.

    ASVAB — Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery: The ASVAB has two primary purposes: first, it determines whether a student has the mental aptitude to enlist in the military, and second, the results help the service(s) determine which military job(s) the student has the mental aptitude to perform. It will be given at Olathe North on Test Day. Registration is required and students must provide their own transportation to Olathe North for this exam. There is NO cost for this test.

    PSAT — The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program co-sponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). The PSAT is a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT®. It also gives students who score well an opportunity to enter NMSC scholarship program and gain access to college and career planning tools. Freshmen and sophomores can register to take the test as practice. Juniors take the test to hopefully be named a National Merit Scholar. The PSAT measures skills in critical reading, mathematics, and writing. Students who want to compete for National Merit Recognition should consider taking the PSAT. Visit the College Board website to learn more about the PSAT. *The cost for this test is $20 and registration is required.

    *The PSAT registration window is 9/13/22-10/6/22. To Register:
    1. Please visit the district's online payment portal and register to take the PSAT by midnight on Wednesday, October 6th.
    2. Click on the student who wants to take the PSAT
    3. Click “Items at Student’s School.”
    3. Click “PSAT”, then “Buy.”
    4. Proceed to checkout and enter payment information.
    Fee Waivers are available for students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program.

    AP Exams

    AP stands for Advanced Placement. Students may choose to register to take AP exams for the AP courses they take in high school for an opportunity to earn college credit. A good score on an AP exam may qualify you for college credit and/or “advanced placement” in that subject in college. Check with colleges you are interested in attending for their AP policies.

    AP exams are taken in the spring and each test is offered only once. AP teachers and counselors provide specific information about registration and payment as well as test dates and locations. Students who need financial assistance to pay for exams should contact AP coordinator Paige Carbajo.

    Students who are planning on taking an AP Exam need to register, through their College Board account, by Nov. 1. AP teachers will assist students in creating or activating their accounts. Do not create additional student accounts in College Board. Students who previously took a College Board exam (PSAT, SAT or AP) already have an existing account. Payment for the exams will be made in our new payment website, TouchBase. If school registration fees were paid through TouchBase, follow these instructions to pay for exams. If a TouchBase account has not yet been activated, that must be done first.

    Learn more about AP and AP exams by visiting the College Board website.

Test Preparation