Camelot Academy

College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB / College Board)

The College Entrance Examination Board is based in Princeton, NJ, although it has no connection with the University. Through its testing division, the College Board formulates and administers a wide variety of tests, and it also provides for reporting of test scores to colleges and universities throughout the United States. The College Board website is www.collegeboard.org. This site is a useful resource for students and parents.

Camelot Academy requires its students to take the PSAT/NMSQT, the SAT tests, the ACT, and some students also sit the AP exams (outlined briefly below). Bulletins describing all these programs are available to students from the office and should be read very carefully by both parents and students. Please keep testing information, such as "Test Bulletins" and the tickets used to gain entrance to tests, as they are often necessary for later reference. When registering, students should select the test center location most convenient for them. Finally, please notice the frequent references to Score Reports in this Handbook and follow directions carefully.

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT)

Administered in October of the sophomore and junior year, this two-and-a-half-hour test is designed to assess critical reading, math reasoning, and writing skills that are important for success in college. Students are notified of the results in the first semester grades mailing.

Three scores are derived from the PSAT/NMSQT. The first two scores, critical reading and mathematical scores ranging from a high of 80 to a low of 20, is an indication of how the student will do on the SAT Reasoning Test, which the student will take later in his/her career. Keep in mind that the PSAT/NMSQT gives only an indication of later results; it is by no means the final word. In addition, a score for the student's performance on the writing section is reported. Finally, a "Selection Index," ranging from a high of 240 to a low of 60, is derived from this same test. This score is used by the National Merit Scholarship Committee to help determine candidates for its scholarship program.

In the fall of a student's senior year, the NMS Committee awards Letters of Commendation and Semifinalist ranking to those students who have done very well on the PSAT/NMSQT. The Selection Index necessary to become a semifinalist varies from year to year because the number of Semifinalists is calculated in proportion to the number of graduating seniors in the particular state in which the candidate resides. Less than one percent of the seniors graduating in North Carolina this year will receive Semifinalist ranking.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Reasoning Test

Students will first take the SAT Reasoning Test in the spring of the junior year and again in the fall of the senior year. This is a three-hour-and-45-minute test that measures critical reading, mathematical reasoning, and writing skills that students have developed over time and that they need to be successful in college. The new SAT is better aligned with current curriculum and institutional practices in high school and college. By including a third measure of skills, writing, the SAT reinforces the importance of writing throughout a student's education and will help colleges make better admissions and placement decisions.

SAT Subject Tests

These tests, taken by some students at the end of the junior year and most students in December of the senior year, are a battery of one-hour, mostly multiple-choice tests that measure how much students know about a particular academic subject and how well they can apply that knowledge.

Advanced Placement Examinations (AP)

This program serves as a nationwide evaluation of college level work completed at the secondary school level. Students in their junior and senior years may participate in this program. Many receive college credit or advanced standing in such fields as English, U. S. History, Mathematics, Art, Physics, and Economics.

Ranked from a high of 5 to a low of 1, a score of 3, 4, or 5 is often accepted as an appropriate qualifying score by colleges.

American College Testing (ACT)

The ACT is a widely accepted college entrance exam. It assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work.

The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science.
The Writing Test, which is optional, measures skill in planning and writing a short essay.

ACT's website is www.act.org. This site is also a very useful resource for students and parents.