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Test Preparation Resources

Students are faced with taking several standardized tests during their high school careers. Some of them determine college admission and credit, and all of them are important.

The faculty & staff of Lakes High School want every student to be successful in his or her academic pursuits. This page lists several sources for students and parents looking for help preparing for the testing process.

Click here to view the Guidance Department's presentation, ABCs of Standardized Testing.

Testing Dates • Listed here are the announced dates for the upcoming tests

Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) – includes the ACT test
Who: all juniors must take the PSAE
Spring 2011 test dates: April 27-28.
No fee or registration required. For more information about the PSAE test, click here.

ACT Test
Who: normally taken during the junior year; seniors can also take/retake the test
Test dates in 2010: September 11, October 23 at ACHS, December 11
Test dates in 2011: February 12 at LCHS, April 9 at LCHS, June 11
Registration packets are available in the LCHS guidance office. For more infomation about the ACT test, click here. For information about preparing for the test, click here.

SAT Test
Who: normally taken during the junior year; seniors also may take/retake the test
Test dates in 2010: October 9, November 6, December 4
Test dates in 2011: January 22, March 12, May 7, June 4
Registration packets are available in the LCHS guidance office. For more infomation about the SAT test, click here.

Advanced Placement (AP) Tests
Who: open to all grades
Test dates in 2010: May 3 (Government & Politics: U.S., Government & Politics: Comparative, French Language), May 4 (Computer Science A, Computer Science AB, Spanish Language, Statistics), May 5 (Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chinese Language), May 6 (English Literature, German Language, Japanese Language, French Literature), May 7 (U. S. History, European History, Studio Art), May 10 (Biology, Music Theory, Physics B, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism), May 11 (Environmental Science, Chemistry, Psychology), May 12 (Italian Language & Culture, English Language, Art History), May 13 (Macroeconomics, World History, Microeconomics), May 14 (Human Geography, Spanish Literature, Latin Literature, Latin: Vergil)
Registration information will be distributed in AP classes in March. For more infomation about the AP tests, click here. For more about District 117’s Advanced Placement program, click here.

PSAT/MNSQT Test
Who: sophomores can take the PSAT for practice; juniors must take it to qualify for National Merit Scholarship status
Test dates in 2010: October 16
Registration packets are available in the LCHS guidance office. For more infomation about the PSAT, click here.

Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Who: for students interested in joining the military
When: November 12
Click here for more information.

PLAN Test
Who: sophomores
When: November 10
Registration will take place during school hours. For more infomation about the PLAN test, click here.

EXPLORE Test
Who: 8th graders
When: October 23
Click here for more information.


The ACT test is the standard college admissions test for universities in the Midwest. ACT has an extensive web site with plenty of information about the test sites, rules, registration and announcements. An extremely valuable resource is the practice tests to take online, complete with the correct answers. Go to www.actstudent.org


The College Board association’s best-known programs are the SAT (the standard college admissions test for universities outside the Midwest), the PSAT/NMSQT and the Advanced Placement Program (AP). The College Board’s web site has information about their tests, registration and other resources. The main feature is the practice tests to take online. Go to www.collegeboard.com


Number2.com was founded by professors and graduate students who wanted to make high quality test preparation universally accessible. Their site has has help for preparing to take the ACT, SAT, GRE, and Vocabulary tests. Go to www.number2.com


Test Prep Review has free practice test questions for a wide variety of standardized tests, including ACT, SAT, PSAT and others. Other resources provide help in preparing for these exams. Go to www.testprepreview.com

Wheeling High School has an extensive collection of resources for preparing for the ACT, SAT, PSAE and other standardized tests. Tips for getting organized, review tools, and strategies for essays and objective test questions are part of this useful site. Click here to visit the site.