What are the ACT, the SAT, and the PSAT?
Most colleges require students to take either the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (American College Test), because the colleges will consider students' scores in their admissions process. Most colleges will only count the highest test score. For example, if a student scored an 18 and then later scored a 24, most colleges will only consider the 24. GOOGLE THIS FOR YOUR COLLEGES OF CHOICE!
All students should take both the ACT and the SAT at some point. Although most colleges use SAT scores and ACT scores the same way and have no preference about which scores a student submits, different people prefer different tests, and the SAT and the ACT are very different. The ACT has longer sections: one for each subject. (Whoo, get it over with!) The SAT has shorter sections: a few for each subject. (Whoo, breaks from math! Also, no science section.) Some students (like me) prefer the SAT, while others prefer the ACT. The test you prefer is probably the test you'll score better on, and a few more points could earn you serious scholarship money. You'll never know until you try both.
The PSAT only matters in eleventh grade (it's good to practice earlier though!), and it's what determines National Merit status. National Merit Finalist status is what earns a student Auburn University's largest scholarship. Please click on "the PSAT and National Merit" under the tests tab for more information.