American colleges and universities consider a number of things about a student who wants to be admitted. Experts say the most important thing is the students' high school record. Besides, student's interests and activities may also play a part in getting accepted. But in most cases another consideration is how well the student did on college entrance exams. Here we'd like to discuss two of these tests: the SAT and the ACT. Most American schools accept either one. The SAT measures reasoning skills in mathematics and language. Students have almost four hours to complete the SAT. The newest part is an essay. Students have twenty-five minutes to write an answer to a question. The SAT costs 41.5$. Besides, the international processing charge is 22$ more. And test-takers in India and Pakistan must also pay a 21.5 $ security charge. Students may also need to take SAT subject tests in areas like history, science and foreign language. Subject tests cost eighteen dollars each. The ACT is an achievement test. It is designed to measure what a student has learned in school. Students are tested in mathematics, English, reading and science. A writing test is offered but not required. Without it, the ACT takes about three hours to complete. The essay part adds thirty minutes. The ACT costs forty-nine dollars to take outside the United States. The writing test costs an additional fourteen dollars. What's most important in students' admission to American colleges and universities?
High school record Interests and activities Performances in SAT and ACT Skills in mathematics and language