I know how much you all hate them, but they claim they need to have a way to measure this and that, so I guess, we are stuck with them. Since colleges, and everyone, puts so much emphasis on the scores, you might as well try to get the highest score possible.
A listing of national test dates and registration deadlines for SAT I and II, PSAT, and Advanced Placement Exams.
SAT I
Perhaps the most accepted standard test for higher education! This test measures your verbal and math reasoning abilities. Your SAT I scores can help you and colleges better understand how you compare with other students preparing for college.
Verbal questions test your ability to:
understand and analyze what you read
recognize relationships between parts of a sentence
establish relationships between pairs of words
Math questions test your ability to solve problems involving:
arithmetic
algebra
geometry
Resources:
SAT Question of the Day
SAT Learning Center
The 100 Most Common SAT Words
SAT II
Subject Tests are one-hour, primarily multiple-choice tests in specific subjects. The Subject Tests measure knowledge or skills in a particular subject and your ability to apply that knowledge.
They are used in combination with other background information (your high school record, scores from other tests like the SAT I, teacher recommendations, etc.), to provide a dependable measure of your academic achievement and are a good predictor of future performance.
Resources:
Test Prep Center
Test dates
ACT
The ACT Assessment® is designed to assess high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning.
Resources:
Test dates
Sample questions
Online Registration
Advanced Placement
Depending on how many tests you pass and your score, you can avoid having to take required courses, and even start of as a sophomore!
Resources:
Test dates
AP Test Subjects
Standardized Tests