Questions About SAT/PSAT/College.

Question

I'm About To Be A Freshman And I'm Kinda Stressing Out About College Since I Have No Idea How To Get In.

So I Really Need Someone To Answer These Questions For Me.

What Are The SAT/PSAT?

What Score Do You Have To Get To Get Into A College?

How Can You Get A Scholarship?

What Score Do I Have To Get To Be Able To Obtain A Full Paid Scholarship? Or One That Can Help Me With Most Expenses?

What Kind Of Grades Should I Get To Get Into A Good College?

Any Other Information Would Be Greatly Appreciated.

I Know That It's Probably Too Soon For Me To Be Worrying About This Stuff But I Really Want To Know And Be Informed So When The Time Comes I Will Be Informed.

Thanks In Advance. :]

Answer 1

SAT is a required test to get into a 4 year college

PSAT is a practice SAT

An average score of maybe 1300 out of 2400

You have to apply or be nominated for them

Only perfect scores get scholarships

Good Colleges usually 3.7 GPA or higher

AP Classes also make your acceptance rate higher

Answer 2

The SAT is a standardized test used for college acceptance. There is also a test called the ACT that serves the same purpose. These test are generally taken your junior year (but you can take them at any time). The PSAT is a practice SAT exam that you take sophomore year. It is used to predict your score and also show you what you are struggeling with.

If you want to go to a top teir school like Harvard, you have to score very high. If you just want to go to a good school, your scores have to be above average. It veries between every school, so I can't provide an exact number. There are some colleges that accept below average scores as well.

If you score very high on the PSAT, you can qualify for the National Merit scholarship. Otherwise, there are scholarships for everything, including merit and need based scholarships. You can use a scholarship search engine like fastweb.com to find scholarships you qualify for.

To get a full ride schoalrship, you will have to score very high (probably 2200 or higher, but I don't really know). More importantly though, you will have to have very good grades (try to get close to a 4.0 on an unweighted scale), you must take hard classes (including AP, CIS, and IB), and be involved in more than one extracuricular (including volunteering, and also try to maintain a leadership position in at least one thing). The poorer your family is, the easier it is to get large amounts of financial aid directly from a college.

Get as good of grades as you can get. If you want a full ride, get straight A's.

Extra Information: The SAT really isn't everything when it comes to college. the classes you take and the things you do outside of school are more important when it comes to scholarships and acceptance. I know someone who had a 4.0 and a 36 on the ACT (perfect score) and didn't get into Harvard because they weren't involved in any activities. Also, you should take the ACT in addition to the SAT. I did a lot better on the ACT than on the SAT... then again, I was really sick the day I took the SAT...

It's never to early to think about this kind of stuff, but don't worry about it. Remember that the best preparation for the SAT and ACT is to take difficult courses during highschool! Also, if you are thinking of going to Ivy league schools (or the equivelent), take some SAT II exams. They are hour long test on specific subjects (Chemistry, U.S. History, Math, Biology...) SAT II's are required for many top schools!

Good Luck with high school!!  

Answer 3

The SAT (or ACT) is the test that you need to take to get into most colleges.  The PSAT is a practice form of it.  There is no set score that says if you can go to college or not.  Just do your best, and you'll be fine.  Scholarships depend on the grades you get in high school, your test scores, and financial need.  A great way to get money from the government and to get loans with interest that doesn't start until after you graduate is to fill out the FAFSA (Free application for federal student aid).  Scholarships that are based on your grades and test scores really depend on the specific school as to how much they'll give you for what grades.  You would have to talk to them about that. You can also get scholarships from outside sources.  Fastweb.com is a great site to start looking at scholarships.  As long as you try your best in high school, you'll be fine!  You really don't need to worry about any of this right now, but it's great that you're already thinking into the future.  

Answer 4

Well it's good that you're worrying about your future now.

Now the SAT and PSAT's are standardized test. The basically help you get into a college. This is not a requirement for all colleges but most colleges do require that you take some standardized test such as the SAT's or ACT's (another standardized test which I highly recommend that you also take).

As far as the scoring goes, it really depends on the college that you plan to attend. You can do some research on the college you plan to apply to and see. (collegeboard.com for more information on the SAT/PSAT). I can't really tell you what score you have to get, but i do recommend that you strive for a score ranging from 2000+. This way you may have a higher chance of getting into a good college.

Now as far as scholarships, you can obtain a scholarship by doing well in high school and standing out from the other students. If you recieve a good class rank and earn good grades; then you may be able to obtain scholarships. (it varies at how much it will pay for you)

As far as grades, it's very important to keep those up. I suggest that you always try to maintain a 3.75 or higher. Try not to drop any lower than 3.50. This also depends on the college that you plan to attend. You can also check the admission rates and see. Now of course grades won't just get you into a good college but also sports or any extracirrcular activities will give you a boost.

Don't think that its too soon for you to be worrying about this type of stuff. Entering high school is a big change. What you do and how you do things in high school will determine the rest or your life.

Always do your best and never let anything stop you. Study and work hard and it will all pay off in the future.

Good Luck! If you need any further assistance you can contact me!