We recommend that students take at least one SAT or ACT by the end of their junior year. Most juniors choose to take the SAT for the first time in March of their junior year and/or the ACT in April (students who hope to be recruited for college athletics should take the January SAT or February ACT in their junior year). It is also a good idea for most students to retake the SAT Reasoning Test in October or the ACT in September of their senior year. Menlo expects a student enrolled in an AP course to take the exam.

Yes. Every college in the country will accept either the ACT or SAT, and no college requires both. Generally speaking, if a student is a hard worker, earns high grades, and is stronger with math and science than with grammar and vocabulary, the ACT might play to their strengths. Students who are satisfied with their PSAT results may be well served by only trying the SAT.

You can find testing dates through the following links:

• SAT
• ACT
• AP Exams

Colleges do not require AP test results for admissions purposes. Some schools might give college credit if a student earns a 4 or 5 on the exam.

All junior English courses at Menlo are designed to prepare students for the AP Literature test, and the School recommends that all students sit for this test. The AP Language test is focused on non-literary writing and contains a section on citation. The tests are considered identically for the granting of college credit or placement, and they are designed to be equally challenging. Some Menlo students choose to take both exams and should feel free to do so, although they should also feel no pressure to take both.

Students can self-report their test scores; however, some schools require an official copy sent directly from the ACT or College Board. Students are responsible for sending official test scores.

For AP tests, students should self-report any AP score of 4 or 5 on their college applications—there is no official score report sent for admissions purposes.

• SAT and ACT
  Many colleges and universities require either the SAT or ACT for admission. Students may send both scores if they have them, and the school will use the score that puts the student in the best light in that school’s admissions process.
• AP Tests
  Colleges use AP scores to award credit or placement to incoming students. Every college and university has its own policies for how they award credit or placement for different AP exams. For a guide to different schools’ policies, visit the College Board’s AP Credit Policy information webpage.

Most students benefit from preparing for standardized tests. Students should at least familiarize themselves with the format of the tests before taking them. Most students do much more preparation for these tests than this. This ranges from preparing independently using books and the resources on the College Board and ACT websites, to taking test prep courses to working with private tutors. Khan Academy is the official partner with the College Board for the SAT. Keep in mind that a student’s coursework and grades are more important than standardized test results, so taking time away from homework and studying to prepare for standardized tests can be a bad strategy. Many students choose to prepare for the SAT and ACT in the summer between their sophomore and junior year.

There are approximately 1,800 American colleges and universities (some of which are highly selective) that do not require any standardized testing for admissions. The UC system will not consider SAT/ACT scores when making admission decisions or awarding scholarships. A complete list of test-optional schools can be found at FairTest.