The quickest answer to this question would be to visit the website of the college or university of your dreams to see what is required of you for admission. At SIS you will be required to take the PSAT, but all other standardized tests are taken only as needed. You might sit for only one of the major standardized tests or you might sit for them all.
Most U.S. colleges and universities require students to submit scores for one or more standardized tests as part of the application package, but this is changing as many schools are going test-optional or test-blind for 2020-21 and possibly beyond. Currently, it is recommended that SIS students take a standardized test (SAT or ACT) even if it is considered optional at the college or university of their choice in order to have a more comprehensive application.
THE PSAT/NMSQT
All SIS 9th, 10th, and 11th graders are required to take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test), which is offered during one school day in October each year. SIS pays for the full cost of the PSAT/NMSQT. This test enters high school juniors into qualifying for the prestigious National Merit Scholar program. Of the more than 1 million juniors who take this exam each fall, about 50,000 students with the highest total scores get official recognition from the National Merit Scholar program. Of those 50,000 students, about 8,000 win scholarships based on their high school GPA, extracurricular activities, and community service.
THe SAT and ACT
The most important standardized exams for college admission are the SAT and the ACT. Information about the SAT and the SAT Subject Tests (exams for specific subject areas) can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com. Information about the ACT is available at http://www.act.org. The SAT is offered seven times a year (usually in October, November, December, January, March, May, and June). It takes nearly four hours to complete and consists of sections on mathematics, evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW), and an optional essay. Each section is scored on a scale of 200-800, and the essay has 3 scores for reading, analysis and writing that are scored between a 2-8. The ACT is given six times a year (usually in September, October, December, February, April, and June). This exam consists of four required sections (English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning) scored on a 1 to 36 point scale. Your composite ACT score is the average of your four section scores, also on a scale from 1 to 36. The optional essay section will receive a separate score on the Writing Test.
Reporting your Score
When you register for the SAT or ACT, you are allowed to designate up to four postsecondary schools to receive your scores free of charge. If you wish to have your scores sent to more than four schools, you must pay an additional fee.
Both the ACT and SAT allows ‘Score Choice,’ which allows students the option to send SAT scores by test date. The College Board's Score Choice is an optional service that allows you to choose which SAT test date scores you will send to colleges. For example, if a college on your list superscores the SAT, you'll want to send the test date with your highest SAT EBRW score AND the test date with your highest SAT math score. If you don't use Score Choice, the College Board automatically sends all of your SAT results and SAT Subject Test results to the schools on your list.
Before you take the exam, first, check the score policy for each college you plan to apply to. Some require that you send ALL your scores, others will consider your best overall score, and some schools will consider your SAT superscore. If you do use Score Choice, scores from an entire SAT test (critical reading, writing, and math sections) will be sent as scores of individual sections from different administrations cannot be selected independently for sending.
SAT Subject Tests
SAT Subject Tests (sometimes called SAT II tests) are one-hour exams that are offered in Math, Science, History, English, and Languages. These tests are designed to determine the student’s level of achievement in each particular subject. Thus, they are achievement tests rather than aptitude tests like the SAT and ACT. Because SAT Subject Tests are directly related to course work, it is often best to take these exams just after finishing the high school course in that subject. Some highly selective colleges and universities require applicants to submit SAT Subject Test scores.
TOEFL and Ielts
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) assesses proficiency in the type of English that is used in an academic environment for US universities. Test takers are given approximately three hours to complete and tests four basic skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The TOEFL is scored on a scale of 0 to 30 for each section, so the highest possible score is 120. The average score is approximately 80 for high school students in 2019. The TOEFL is offered 30 to 40 times a year. There are two versions of the TOEFL: the traditional paper-based test and the iBT, or internet-based test. In 2020, there is an at-home version of the TOEFL offered to most students around the world. The TOEFL is far more expensive than the other standardized tests: each administration costs more than $190.
For most other schools around the world (Canada/Europe/Australia), the preferred English proficiency test is the IELTS. Students will take a Listening and Speaking section and a Reading and Writing section. The Listening, Reading and Writing sections of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between. The Speaking section, however, can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests depending on what your test center advises. The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes and costs over $215.