The Compass Guide to College Admission Testing

The Compass Guide is designed to help take some of the guesswork out of admission testing. Inside, you’ll find details about the content and scoring of all the major college admissions tests: SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, PSAT/NMSQT, PreACT. We provide side-by-side content comparisons of the SAT and ACT and a host of charts to allow students to compare their ACT to new and old SAT scores. We offer guidance in the form of sample test prep timelines, specific test strategies, tips, and resources.


Some highlights of this guide include a table that displays the ACT score ranges and estimated new SAT score ranges for 360 popular colleges; detailed testing requirements at those schools that require, recommend, or consider SAT Subject Tests; SAT Essay and ACT Writing policies at those schools that require or recommend either test; and a sample of score choice and superscoring policies.


Compass closely follows developments in admission testing to provide the most accurate information possible. We update The Compass Guide multiple times throughout the year.