ACT and SAT Information

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ACT vs. SAT

The Differences

Which test is right for my student? Both the ACT and the SAT have undergone changes to their test format resulting in the tests becoming more similar; however, some differences still exist:

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ACT
SAT
PSAT
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"Test Optional" Movement/Fair Test Colleges

ACT

How do I register? Click here for registration.

2020/2021 ACT Testing Dates
Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Deadline with Late fee	TIR?
September 12, 2025	REVISED August 31, 2025	No late fee	No
September 13, 2025 - NEW DATE	REVISED August 31, 2025	No late fee	No
September 19, 2025 - NEW DATE	REVISED August 31, 2025	No late fee	No
October 10, 2025 - NEW DATE	REVISED October 5, 2025	No late fee	No
October 17, 2025 - NEW DATE	REVISED October 5, 2025	No late fee	No
October 24, 2025	REVISED October 5, 2025	No late fee	No
October 25, 2025 - NEW DATE	REVISED October 5, 2025	No late fee	No
December 12, 2025	REVISED November 20, 2025	No late fee	Yes
February 6, 2026	REVISED January 15, 2026	No late fee	No
April 17, 2026	March 12, 2026	March 26, 2026	Yes
June 12, 2025	May 7, 2025	May 21, 2025	Yes
July 17, 2025	June 18, 2025	June 25, 2025	No

2021/2022 ACT Testing Dates Registration opens in late July 2021
Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Deadline with Late fee	TIR?
September 11, 2025	August 6, 2025	August 20, 2025	No
October 23, 2025	September 17, 2025	October 1, 2025	No
December 11, 2025	November 5, 2025	November 19, 2025	Yes
February 12, 2026	January 7, 2026	January 21, 2026	No
April 2, 2026	February 25, 2026	March 11, 2026	Yes
June 11, 2025	May 6, 2025	May 20, 2025	Yes
July 16, 2025	June 17, 2025	June 24, 2025	No

At The Core’s ACT “Tips”

Test Information Release (TIR)
Take advantage of the Test Information Release (TIR) report (see chart for available dates) for an additional $25 fee. You will receive a copy of the multiple-choice test questions used to determine your score, a list of your answers, and the answer key. (If you took the writing test, you will also receive a copy of the writing prompt, the scoring rubric, and the scores assigned to your essay by two readers.) You can order the TIR as you order the test, and you have up to 6 months after the test to request the TIR.
Geometry Class
Consider having your student take the ACT as close as possible to their completion of Geometry class. They will have the advantage of not having forgotten what they learned. Here is the math content covered by the ACT and some practice math questions.

Shocked by the pacing
Nearly every student who takes the ACT the first time is shocked by the pacing – “it’s so many questions…I didn’t manage my time well enough this first time, but I will do better with that next time.” If possible, take a full real practice ACT before taking it on a national testing date.

Read more about “clock shock” in our blog post from BWS Education Consulting.
Optional writing portion
In the past, At The Core would suggest always taking the essay portion of the exam at each exam sitting; however, now due to the limited number of colleges requiring the writing score, we recommend reviewing the list of colleges that still continue to require or recommend a writing score. Click here for ACT list and here for SAT list. (These lists are subject to change-always check with the college.) Here is an example of the writing prompt and scoring rubric from the December 2015 exam. It can give you an idea of what to expect.

How do I prepare?

ACT Test Preparation includes sample questions, question of the day for practice, test taking tips, and descriptions of each test section
ACT Academy for free personalized ACT practice
Visit our Friends of At The Core page for our preferred tutors.

SAT

How do I register? Click here for registration.

2020/2021 SAT Testing Dates
Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Online Deadline with Late Fee	QAS?
August 29, 2025	July 31, 2025	August 18, 2025	No
September 26, 2025 - NEW DATE	August 26, 2025	September 15, 2025	No
October 3, 2025	September 4, 2025	September 22, 2025	Yes
November 7, 2025	October 7, 2025	October 27, 2025	No
December 5, 2025	November 5, 2025	November 24, 2025	No
March 13, 2026	February 12, 2026	March 2, 2026	Yes
May 8, 2025	April 8, 2026	April 27, 2026	Yes
June 5, 2025	May 6, 2025	May 26, 2025	No

ANTICIPATED 2021/2022 SAT Testing Dates
Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Online Deadline with Late Fee	QAS?
August 28, 2025	TBD	TBD	No
October 2, 2025	TBD	TBD	Yes
November 6, 2025	TBD	TBD	No
December 4, 2025	TBD	TBD	No
March 12, 2026	TBD	TBD	Yes
May 7, 2025	TBD	TBD	Yes
June 4, 2025	TBD	TBD	No

At The Core’s SAT “Tips”

Question Answer Service (QAS)
Take advantage of the Question Answer Service (QAS) report (see chart above for available dates) for an additional $18. You will receive a booklet copy of the SAT questions and a report including your answers for the specific testing administration, the correct answers and additional scoring instructions, and information about the type of test questions and levels of difficulty of the questions. You can order this option when ordering the SAT or you can order it up to 5 months after the test has been taken.

How do I prepare?

SAT Test Preparation includes practice tests, study plan, and question of the day.
Click here for some test day tips.
Be sure to check out Khan Academy^®, the official SAT practice source.
Visit our Friends of At The Core page for our preferred tutors.

SAT Subject Tests

College Board Will No Longer Offer SAT Subject Tests or SAT with Essay

The College Board made this announcement on 1/19/21. Click to read their press release.

PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT & National Merit® Scholarship Qualifying Test

What is it?

The PSAT/NMSQT is used to both practice for the SAT and to qualify for the National Merit® Scholarship Program.

How do I register? The testing is done through your home high school in October of your junior year (some have option of taking it in their sophomore year for practice).

At The Core’s PSAT/NMSQT “Tips”

Should my sophomore take the test?
If you were thinking of taking the test just to practice for the SAT, that’s fine! But, we recommend taking the regular SAT test itself. If you wanted your student to practice in order to qualify for the National Merit® Scholarship, take the PSAT/NMSQT.
Connect your College Board
After you get your results, you can connect your College Board and Khan Academy^® accounts to get free personalized SAT study recommendations.

Does the PSAT offer a QAS (Question and Answer Service) report like the SAT does?
The online Score Report in the My College QuickStart is a supplement to your paper Score Report Plus. Some students may view the questions for each skill on the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 that were omitted, incorrect, and correct by clicking on each skill listed under the “Your Skills” tab. Once the student clicks on the skill on the right hand side they can view the number of the questions they omitted, got incorrect, and got correct. The student can then click on the number or click “view all” to view the question, possible answers, actual answer, and answer explanations.

You’re here because you need information on the high school to college transition. Join our mailing list to always get the latest!

Looking for a tutor?

What if the online ACT and SAT preparation tools aren’t enough?

Check out our “Friends of At The Core” or this list of local/national tutors and resources provided by the Olentangy Local School District.

At The Core’s tutor “Tips”

Be wary of any tutor who guarantees a certain score increase
One-on-one tutoring service
Consider whether your student will be best served in a group class or by using a one-on-one tutoring service. The cost for these services varies greatly and will be a factor, but so should your student’s learning style and your time frame.
Timing will be important!
Timing will be important! Don’t get into a tight spot and start looking for a tutor a few weeks before a testing date. They will be booked. Plan ahead….way ahead!

“Test Optional” Movement/Fair Test Colleges

What is it?

A growing number of colleges and universities recognize that some students may perform well academically but struggle with test-taking. Many schools will allow the student to apply without submitting any test scores (“test optional”) and a few will not accept any ACT/SAT scores at all (“test blind”). The National Center for Fair and Open Testing calls these “Fair Test” schools. They have found that removing test scores from the picture allows for a more diverse student body, and they rely more heavily on GPA and class ranking as an indicator of college readiness. Read more about test optional in our blog post by clicking here.

What schools are included?

The number is growing all the time but currently stands at over 1,400. Click here for a current list. Note that the list has grown because of colleges going “test optional” for the high school graduating class of 2021 and 2022. We will have to wait and see if that temporary waiver becomes permanent.

DISCLAIMER - The purpose of this resource library is to assist our college-bound families. At The Core LLC does not endorse any vendors or authors. We will gladly remove any link from this website upon request from the linked entity; this website is not sponsored or associated with any particular linked entity; and the existence of any particular link is simply intended to imply potential interest to the reader.

ACT and SAT Information

Get the latest testing news!

Need a deep dive and extra support on this topic?

ACT vs. SAT

Jump to a topic:

ACT

2020/2021 ACT Testing Dates

2021/2022 ACT Testing Dates

At The Core’s ACT “Tips”

How do I prepare?

Join our mailing list to always get the latest college planning news!

SAT

2020/2021 SAT Testing Dates

ANTICIPATED 2021/2022 SAT Testing Dates

At The Core’s SAT “Tips”

How do I prepare?

SAT Subject Tests

College Board Will No Longer Offer SAT Subject Tests or SAT with Essay

PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT & National Merit® Scholarship Qualifying Test

What is it?

At The Core’s PSAT/NMSQT “Tips”

You’re here because you need information on the high school to college transition. Join our mailing list to always get the latest!

Looking for a tutor?

What if the online ACT and SAT preparation tools aren’t enough?

At The Core’s tutor “Tips”

“Test Optional” Movement/Fair Test Colleges

What is it?

What schools are included?

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