Lessons · Teaching · the ways out: when you do not have to sit it at all
You may not have to sit this at all
Most states allow a qualifying score on a test you have already taken to stand in place of the basic skills test: commonly the ACT, the SAT, or the GRE, the Graduate Record Examinations. Some accept a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited institution. Some have removed the requirement entirely. The exemptions are real, they are written down, and they are the single most under-used piece of information in this whole process.
Hone is a place to practise a career, one idea a day. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.
In beta. This lesson was written for Hone and has not yet been checked by a state certification officer. Practice material, not professional advice. What that means.
What it is for
Preparing for a test you are exempt from is weeks of somebody's evening gone, and it happens constantly, because no course has any reason to tell you that you might not need it. Checking takes an afternoon. The asymmetry between an afternoon and a month is the reason this topic sits second on the road rather than last.
How to think about it
Before you prepare, check three things in order: does your state still require a basic skills test at all; does it accept an ACT, SAT or GRE score you already hold; and does your PROGRAMME require it even where the state does not. The third catches people, because a programme may set its own admission bar above the state's.
Worked example
A state may accept a composite ACT score, or a combined SAT score, in place of the whole testThe threshold is a number the board publishes. Find your old score report before you find a study guide.
A GRE score is accepted by several states, which matters if you took one for another courseIt expires after five years for most purposes, so check the date on the report as well as the number.
Your programme may require the test even where your state does notThe programme is the earlier gate. Its admission requirements are the ones that decide your timetable.
An exemption is granted against a document, so order the official score report earlyAn unofficial screenshot is not what a certification office accepts.
Your turn
Name the three prior tests most commonly accepted in place of a basic skills test.
A qualifying , SAT or GRE score often exempts a candidate
Solve one, graded on the server
The trap
Reading one forum post saying a state has dropped the requirement and stopping there. Requirements change in both directions and they change by year of entry. The certification board's own page, with a date on it, is the only source worth acting on.