The Compass Guide to College Admission Testing - Volume 19 - Issue number 2 - updated 9/6/2022

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper

The Compass Guide to College Admission Testing (2022–2023) is designed to help families and counselors understand the details and nuances of college admission testing. The edition focuses on how test-optional admissions affect score value, compares standardized testing landscapes, and explains how to interpret and use ACT and SAT results. It also covers SAT and ACT content and timing, digital SAT changes, percentile context, AP exams, accommodations, test dates, score reporting, and practical preparation for test day.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages108

Reading Time4 h 32 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

College Admission and Testing

Popular Testing Timelines

A Return to Testing

The Competitive Landscape

Understanding and Comparing Scores

SAT & ACT Percentiles

SAT & ACT Content and Timing

The New Digital SAT

PreACT, PSAT, and National Merit

AP Exams

Securing Testing Accommodations

Test Dates and Score Requests

Score Choice and Superscoring

Early Action and Early Decision

Additional Reading and Resources

The Compass Approach

Preparing for Test Day

THE COMPA S S GUIDE TO COLLEGE ADMIS SION TES TING 2022–2023 For the Class of 2025 & Beyond! For updates, please visit compassprep.com/guide. The electronic versions of the Compass Guide may be redistributed for non-commercial use so long as no changes are made to the document. Please contact guide@compassprep. com for additional licensing or distribution options. Copyright © 2022 by Compass Education Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Volume 19, Issue number 2, updated 9/6/2022 OWNERSHIP OF TRADEMARKS *For all references herein, PSAT, SAT, and AP are trademarks owned by the College Board, ACT, PreACT, and Aspire are trademarks owned by American College Testing, and NMSC, National Merit, Merit Scholarship, and Merit Scholar are federally registered service marks of National Merit Scholarship Corporation, none of which were involved in the production of, nor do they endorse, these materials. Introduction 3 College Admission and Testing 4–5 Popular Testing Timelines 6–9 A Return to Testing 10–12 The Competitive Landscape 13–21 Understanding and Comparing Scores 22–31 SAT & ACT Percentiles 32–33 SAT & ACT Content and Timing 34–47 Reading 36–37 English 38–41 Math 42–45 Science 46–47 The New Digital SAT 48–55 PreACT, PSAT, and National Merit 56–61 National Merit Scholarship Program 60–61 AP Exams 62–67 Securing Testing Accommodations 68–69 Test Dates and Score Requests 70–73 Score Choice and Superscoring 74–75 Early Action and Early Decision 76–79 Additional Reading and Resources 80–81 The Compass Approach 82–106 Our Reach 84–85 About Our Tutoring Programs 86–89 Practice Tests 90–91 The Online Testing Center 92 The Compass Client Portal 93 Score Reports 94–95 Services for Schools and Counselors 96–99 The Compass Team 100–103 Compass Commitments to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 104–105 Preparing for Test Day 106 Introduction The Compass Guide to College Admission Testing is a resource that has reached hundreds of thousands of families and counselors over the years. Our goal with the Compass Guide is to offer the most definitive and comprehensive resource available to help understand the myriad details and quirks in the world of college admission testing. Start by perusing the Table of Contents to gain a sense of what you’ll need to know and where to find the answers. If you can think of a question about admission testing not covered herein, please let us know. The current edition carefully considers on pages 10–12 the most timely question of how much attention testing deserves in an era when most colleges are test optional. Review this topic thoroughly to learn more about how an ACT or SAT score can support your application and possibly provide an advantage, even when scores are not required. Consider this issue alongside our tables of admission stats at ~400 popular colleges on pages 13–21, keeping in mind that these stats are from last year when access to testing was still restricted for many students due to the pandemic. As students focus on demonstrating the academic rigor of their college preparation, AP scores grow in importance. A score of 4 or 5 helps substantiate that a student is well prepared for the challenges of college work. See pages 62–67 for more information on the growing significance of APs, their role in college admissions, and how the tests’ scoring mechanics can help students be strategic about preparation. Many readers of this Guide are 11th graders who will likely close out their testing experience with the current paper SAT (or the ACT). New this year for 10th graders is our in-depth section on the digital adaptive SAT, which will replace the static paper test beginning with the PSAT/NMSQT in the fall of 2023. The digital SAT is shorter, adaptive, easier to administer, available on computers and tablets, and, much to the joy of many testers, exchanges long reading passages for short passage

FAQs

What does the guide emphasize for test-optional admissions?

The guide reviews how much attention testing deserves when many colleges do not require scores, explaining how an ACT or SAT score can still support an application and potentially provide an advantage.

What changes are highlighted for the New Digital SAT?

It explains that the digital adaptive SAT replaces the paper test beginning with the PSAT/NMSQT in fall 2023, noting a shorter, adaptive format with different reading passage lengths and administration on computers and tablets.

How does the guide address AP and score strategy?

It covers why AP scores matter for showing academic rigor, and explains how scoring mechanics can help students prepare strategically for college admissions.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper