Frequently Asked Questions

• The SAT is now completely digital, takes less than 2.5 hours, is adaptive by module, and consists of two modules of Reading and Writing and two modules of Math, with a 10 minute break after the Reading and Writing modules.

• Until September of 2025, The ACT is a paper and pencil test that takes about 4 hours to complete its four sections—English, Math, Reading, and Science. Students can use a calculator during the Math test. Overall, the ACT is designed to be hard to finish in the allotted time.

> MORE DETAILS (including a September 2025 update to the ACT)

Some students perform equally on the SAT and ACT, while some students do significantly better on one test over the other.  A student should take a full-length SAT and ACT practice test and compare results to see which test is a better fit. Both ACT and College Board offer free, full-length practice tests on their websites.  

Use the score conversion chart to compare scaled scores.

> SAT PRACTICE TESTS

> ACT PRACTICE TESTS

Good is relative here since college test requirements vary tremendously.  A better question is what score do you need to be competitive for your top choice schools?  Look at schools you are interested in and find the average test scores of matriculating students to give you an idea of what you need to be a competitive applicant.  Keep in mind that higher test scores can also help a student’s eligibility for some merit-based scholarships.

Looking at North Carolina Schools?  Here is some additional information:

Duke University, class of 2019:
25%-75% percentile (middle 50%):
  SAT Critical Reading: 690-790
  SAT Math: 730-800
  ACT Composite: 32-35

UNC Chapel Hill, class of 2020:
25th-75th percentile (middle 50%):
  SAT Critical Reading 600-700
  SAT Math 610-720
  ACT Composite 28-30

Elon University, class of 2020:
  SAT range: 1120-1270
  ACT range: 25-29

Appalachian State, class of 2020:

25th-75th percentile (middle 50%):
  SAT Reading and Math 1120-1290
  ACT Composite 22-28

> Find "Middle 50" information for additional schools

Standardized tests, by nature, are different than those tests administered in a high school classroom. Generally, school subject tests are designed to test for content mastery, usually through questions that allow for individual thought and partial credit.  In contrast, standardized test questions generally have only one correct answer, offer no partial credit, and aspects of the test are purposefully designed to be difficult to finish in the allotted time.  As a result, success on standardized tests requires the development of test-specific skills that go beyond content mastery.  Additionally, although there are many similarities between the SAT and ACT, strategies for these tests are not wholly interchangeable; thus each test deserves dedicated, test-specific prep.

Nicholson Tutoring has created custom manuals that contain more than 200 pages of practice problems and practice test sections that accurately reflect each test and allow students to drill strategies and content areas in isolation before applying these skills to a practice test.

> MORE ABOUT OUR PROPRIETARY MATERIALS

Success on standardized tests requires both content competency AND a comprehensive, test-specific strategy.  Students with excellent math content will likely do very well on the math section of the ACT or SAT, but will also likely not reach their full score potential because they don’t fully understand how the test works and how to avoid common traps that the test writers build into each test section.  Students who have a solid test strategy but lack significant content mastery will encounter similar problems.  Quality test prep is customized for the specific strengths and weaknesses of the student, and it marries content review and test-specific strategy for all subject areas.

There are a variety of ways to structure prep and students ultimately must find a prep schedule that accommodates their schoolwork, extracurriculars, etc.  Ideally, students should begin prep during the summer between sophomore and junior year and aim to take an official test in the fall of junior year. This allows students to focus on test prep outside of the rigorous demands of schoolwork and extracurriculars.  Students can test in August/September and then again in October/November as needed. Additionally, students can do extra prep/review for the NC spring state test and have an additional, free test opportunity.

Frontloading test prep in this way allows the student to focus on AP exams in the spring and avoid the need to prep for both simultaneously.

Conventional wisdom says that students should take the ACT or SAT in the spring of their junior year and retest at the beginning of their senior year.  While this scenario can work, it also requires students to balance ACT/SAT prep with school work and AP exams. Further, waiting to test until the end of junior year often means that students must test again in the fall of senior year which, in turn, compresses the timeline for college applications, essay writing, etc.

North Carolina offers a free ACT test during the school day in the spring of each year.  The test is part of the state accountability program and therefore is only offered to public and charter school students.  Generally, schools offer the ACT on the last Tuesday of February or the first Tuesday in March. Some schools offer the state test as a pencil-and-paper test and some use the CBT (Computer Based Test). Information about these tests will come from the student’s school. These scores are valid for college submission and offer a supurb opportunity to take an additional test free of charge and outside of a weekend.

There are many schools nationwide (over 1000) that don’t require applicants to submit standardized test scores.  Also see our FAQ "Should I submit my score to test-optional schools?." Check carefully your school’s admissions website for current information on this requirement.

Here are a few schools that do not require test scores:

• American University

• Arizona State University

• Bates College

• Bryn Mawr College

• Franklin & Marshall

• George Washington University

• Temple University

• Trinity College

• University of California Los Angeles

• Wake Forest University

• Wesleyan University

> FULL LIST OF SCORE-OPTIONAL SCHOOLS

During the COVID pandemic, many colleges went test optional out of necessity: students were unable to take standardized tests and therefore had no scores to submit.  This move paralleled a growing sentiment that standardized tests unfairly penalized some students and did not accurately represent a student's academic potential.  As a 2024 article in the New York Times points out, many colleges are now reversing their approach again and are returning to standardized tests as an integral admissions metric noting that "test scores are more reliable than high school grades, partly because of grade inflation in recent years."  Currently, students who submit test scores at test optional colleges tend to fare better in the applications process than those who do not.  Consequently, a strong test score remains an asset for students regardless of a college's score submission requirements.

You can use College Board and ACT official concordance tables to compare SAT and ACT scores.

> COLLEGE BOARD COMPARISON TABLE