For general testing information please visit the NCDPI page on the North Carolina Testing Program

PreACT

• The PreACT is administered to all 10th grade students.
• The PreACT simulates the ACT testing experience by providing students early exposure to ACT test-quality questions. The PreACT is reported on the same 1–36 score scale as the ACT, but PreACT has a maximum score of 35. The PreACT also provides a predicted ACT composite score range.
• The PreACT assessment includes four multiple-choice tests: English, math, reading, and science (not writing).
• The PreACT is designed to help parents and educators identify areas where students may need additional academic support or remediation. The PreACT can also help to initiate strategic conversations between parents and schools regarding dual enrollment decisions, identifying curriculum gaps, implementing interventions on behalf of students, and choosing Advanced Placement classes.

PSAT/ NMSQT

• 10th and 11th grade students who would like to be eligible for the National Merit Scholarships can take this exam. It is an optional exam that is administered in October. Students must register in advance to take the exam.
• The PSAT gives students an idea of how students will score on SAT.  Students who score well can earn scholarships from National Merit Scholarship Corp.
• The cost to take the PSAT is $__.  11th grade students who desire to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship may have this fee waived if they rank in the top 10% of their class. Please see your school counselor if you have questions or need additional information to register. 

ACT®

• Students in 11th grade take the ACT in the spring.
• The ACT is a curriculum- and standards-based assessment that evaluates eleventh graders' general learning outcomes in English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science.
• The ACT is used as college admissions and placement test and is accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the United States.
• The English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science tests are multiple-choice tests.

ACT WorkKeys®

• All 12th grade students who complete the 2nd level CTE Concentrator course are considered a CTE concentrator and are required to take this exam
• Students who are identified as Career and Technical Education (CTE) concentrators are required to complete the ACT WorkKeys assessments.
• The three ACT WorkKeys assessments, which are the basis of the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), include Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents.
• The Applied Math test measures critical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving techniques for situations that occur in today’s workplace.
• The Graphic Literacy test measures the skills needed to locate, synthesize, and use information from workplace graphics. Workplace graphics come in a variety of formats, but all communicate a level of information. From charts to graphs and diagrams to floor plans, identifying what information is being presented and understanding how to use it are critical to success.
• The Workplace Documents test measures the skills people use when they read and use written texts such as memos, letters, directions, signs, notices, bulletins, policies, and regulations on the job. The assessment is defined through a combination of the test-complexity level of a reading passage and the skill elicited by the item.
• Students who achieve qualifying scores on the Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents assessments can earn a National Career Readiness Certificate. The certificate provides employers with proof that students have the skills needed to do the jobs available.

State EOC (End of Course) Exams:

• The EOC assessments are available for Biology, English II, NC Math 1, and NC Math 3. Students enrolled for credit in courses where EOC assessments are required must take the appropriate EOC assessment at the completion of the course.
• All EOC assessments are required to be administered online. Exceptions to this rule are for approved technology hardship requests or for students with disabilities who have documented accommodations that dictate a paper/pencil test format is necessary for accessibility.
• The online and paper/pencil English II assessments contain multiple-choice and constructed-response items.
• The online and paper/pencil NC Math 1 assessment consists of two parts: calculator inactive and calculator active. Students may use a calculator only for the calculator active part of the test.
• The online NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 assessments contain multiple-choice items, numeric entry items, and technology-enhanced items. The paper/pencil assessment consists of multiple-choice and gridded response items.
• The NC Math 3 assessment contains only calculator active items.
• The online Biology assessment questions are multiple-choice and technology-enhanced; the paper/pencil test questions are all multiple-choice.
• Per SBE policy TEST-003, schools are to use results from all EOC assessments as at least twenty (20) percent of the student’s final grade for each respective course.
• EOC Resources and additional information can be found here. 

Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB):

• 11th and 12th grade students interested in joining the military can take the ASVAB test. It is an optional test offered twice a year, in fall and spring.
• The ASVAB is a timed, multi-aptitude test, which is given at more than 14,000 schools and Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) nationwide and is developed and maintained by the Defense Department (DoD)
• For more information about the ASVAB test, click here.