SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

You've decided that you want to take part in the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University. Good for you! Having made this decision, however, you probably have some questions about test score requirements. Do you have to take the SAT to apply for CTY or its programs? What does taking the SAT qualify you for, and how well do you have to do on it?

I'll answer all these questions, and even manage to squeeze in an example from Shakespeare, if you'll just read on.

Feature Image: ccPix.com/Flickr

Do You Have to Take the SAT to Do CTY?

First off, do you have to take the SAT in order to do a program at CTY? The short answer is that it depends on the program, your age, and your grade level. In general, if you are in at least the 5th grade, the SAT will be a test option for you.

Most CTY programs require students to submit results from one test out of several options, which include the SAT, ACT, School and College and Ability Test (SCAT), PSAT, and Spatial Test Battery. The specific tests a student is eligible to take will vary depending on his or her grade level (so an 8th grader will have different test options than a 2nd grader will). If the SAT is an option for your age or grade level, you may take it or you may opt for a different pre-approved test.

Note: A remote version of the SCAT is available online for students who can't or would rather not take an in-person exam. To have access to the remote test, you must enroll in CTY's Talent Search. SCAT scores are accepted for nearly every CTY program (students in grades 2-12 can take it).

It's important to know that you can't take the SAT if you're under the age of 13, even if you're already in 7th grade! But don't worry—if you are in a lower grade level, you will have different test options that do not include the SAT.

Note that if you do decide to take the SAT for a CTY program, you will not need to take the SAT, as you will be judged based only on your Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) scores.

Here are the specific test options for the CTY programs (with the SAT highlighted in yellow):

Academic Explorations (open to grades 7 and above)

• SAT
• ACT
• School and College Ability Test (SCAT)
• Online School and College Ability Test (SCAT)
• Spatial Test Battery (STB)

Intensive Studies (open to grades 7 and above)

• SAT
• ACT
• School and College Ability Test (SCAT)
• Online School and College Ability Test (SCAT) 
• Spatial Test Battery (STB)

Talent Search (open to grades 2-8)

• School and College Ability Test (SCAT): grades 2-8
• Online School and College Ability Test (SCAT): grades 2-8
• SAT: grades 7-8
• PSAT 8/9: grades 5-6
• ACT: grades 7-8
• Spatial Test Battery (STB): grades 5-8

CTY Online Courses (open to grades 2 and above)

• SCAT (grades 2 and above)
• PSAT 8/9 (grades 5 and 6)
• SAT (grades 7-8)
• ACT (grades 7-8)

Study of Exceptional Talent

• SCAT (Grades 2-8)
• SAT (Grades 5-8)
• ACT (Grades 5-8)
• STB (Grades 5-8)

What Does the SAT Qualify You For at CTY?

If you do decide to take the SAT, what is your score actually relevant for?

The Center for Talented Youth was considerate enough to create an eligibility assessment tool for prospective students. You simply plug in the test you took, your grade level when you took it, and your score to calculate which CTY programs you're eligible for.

This tool is great if you've already taken the SAT and have your score; however, it's a little harder to use if you haven't taken the SAT just yet. It also doesn't tell you what award ceremonies your score qualifies you for.

To address these issues, I'll discuss the specific SAT score requirements for each of the programs and award ceremonies at CTY. If you only want to know a specific program's score requirements, simply click on the name below to jump to it:

• Academic Explorations and CTY Online (Grades 2-12)
• Intensive Studies and CTY Online (Grades 7-12)
• Award Ceremonies
• Grand Ceremony
• Study of Exceptional Talent (SET)

Otherwise, keep reading for more information about what parts of the SAT matter for CTY when it comes to score requirements (hint: not every section counts!).

SAT Score Requirements for CTY

CTY generally values whichever SAT section you score higher on—essentially, either your Math or your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) scores. (Note that EBRW is a combination of the Reading and Writing sections.)

Below, I've made up five different tables of score requirements. The first two contain the score requirements for actual CTY programs (Academic Explorations, Intensive Studies, and CTY Online), while the last three contain information about qualifying for CTY's year-end award ceremonies and the Study of Exceptional Talent (SET).

CTY Summer Programs: Academic Explorations and CTY Online (Grades 2-12)

Academic Explorations courses are held at sites all over the US and in Hong Kong and are open to students who are 13 or older or in grades 7 and above. If you're a 10th- to 12th-grade student and you meet Academic Explorations score requirements, your score will also qualify you for CTY's Princeton: Global Issues in the 21st Century program.

CTY Online courses, by contrast, are entirely held online and are open to students in grades 2-12. While CTY recommends courses for students based on their grade level, CTY encourages students to take classes based on their background in the subject more than on their chronological age or grade.

The scores needed for the Academic Explorations program and most CTY Online courses are relatively low, compared with those required for the Intensive Studies courses. Students must achieve "CTY Level" scores, which are scores that CTY has determined to be "approximately two grade levels above [students'] current enrolled grade[s]."

For Academic Explorations programs, high Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) scores qualify you to take courses in Humanities and Writing, while high Math scores qualify you to take courses in Math and Science.

For CTY Online courses, high EBRW scores qualify you to take courses in writing, critical reading, grammar, or visual fluency; high Math scores qualify you to take courses in math, science, or computer science and technology; and high scores on either the EBRW or Math sections qualify you to take courses in social science, chess, world languages, web design, JavaScript, forensics, music, Grammar FUNdamentals, among others.

Most CTY Online courses only require "CTY Level" scores; the only courses that require higher scores are some courses for 9th-12th graders, which we'll discuss in the next section.

So are you eligible for Academic Explorations (and most CTY Online) courses? Let's take a look at the CTY Level score requirements (keeping in mind that Academic Explorations courses are only for students in grades 7 and above).

For students who took the SAT between July 1 and December 31:

For students who took the SAT between January 1 and June 30:

Source: CTY Eligibility Policy

CTY Summer Programs: Intensive Studies and CTY Online (Grades 9-12)

Similar to the Academic Explorations Program, CTY's Intensive Studies program takes place across multiple locations, including Hong Kong. While some sites offer both Academic Explorations and Intensive Studies courses, this is not true for all CTY Summer sites, so pay close attention when scouting out potential summer study locations.

The Intensive Studies program has higher SAT score requirements than the Academic Explorations program. Students must achieve "Advanced CTY Level" scores, which are scores that CTY has determined to be "approximately four grade levels above [students'] current enrolled grade[s]." Like for the Academic Explorations program, high Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) scores qualify you to take courses in Humanities and Writing, while high Math scores qualify you to take courses in Math and Science.

Certain CTY Online courses designed for students in grades 9-12 also require students to score at this higher "Advanced CTY Level." Currently, the only courses at this level are intensive AP courses (which require students to put in more hours per week on the class); a full list is available on the CTY site.

Below are the score requirements for students interested in taking Intensive Studies or CTY Online AP (Intensive) courses (keeping in mind that Intensive Studies courses are only available to students in grades 7 and above).

For students who took the SAT between July 1 and December 31:

For students who took the SAT between January 1 and June 30th:

Source: CTY Eligibility Policy

Now that you know what scores you need to qualify to take these rewarding classes, let's talk about what SAT scores CTY feels are worth awarding recognition to (aka, Awards and Grand Ceremony eligibility).

Pictured: my face after I finished typing that last reward/award sentence.

Award Ceremonies Eligibility

The top CTY students who participated in the Talent Search are honored at regional Award Ceremonies in multiple locations in the US and China. How do you know whether you qualify?

CTY provides a list of score cutoffs for receiving High Honors so you can get an idea of what score to aim for if you want to receive an award. If you took the SAT between July 1 and December 31: 

... then you will be honored with a medal and recognition.

Alternatively, if you took the SAT between January 1 and June 30:  

... then you will be honored with a medal and recognition.

Grand Ceremony Eligibility

CTY's Grand Ceremony is an international award ceremony that's held annually in Johns Hopkins University's Shriver Hall. The students honored at the ceremony are a selective subset of all students who qualify for the regional Award Ceremonies.

So how do you know whether you qualify for the Grand Ceremony? 

On their Eligibility Scores webpage, CTY provides SAT score requirements for qualifying for Grand Honors for the following grades if you tested between July 1 and December 31:

... then you will be honored at the Grand Ceremony with a medal and recognition.

Alternatively, you’ll qualify for Grand Honors if you met the score threshold listed for your grade-level below and tested between January 1 and June 30:

... then you will be honored at the Grand Ceremony with a medal and recognition. 

Scott Maxwell/Flickr

Study of Exceptional Talent (SET)

What is the Study of Exceptional Talent? Here's how the program is described on the official website (bold emphasis mine):

"The Study of Exceptional Talent (SET) provides counseling to students who have been identified as having advanced reasoning abilities and may not yet be ready to enter our nation's most selective colleges and universities, but who also may not be well served by the typical middle or high school curriculum. We also seek opportunities for SET members to meet intellectual peers who share their interests and abilities."

Too long; didn't read version: SET is for students who scored at the Grand Honors level for any CTY-approved exam.

Already taken the SAT as part of another Talent Search (such as Duke TIP)? Not to fret—your scores will carry over so that you don't have to retake the SAT (as long as you make sure to ask the College Board to keep your scores); this is particularly helpful if you're currently out of the age range for SET.

So how do you determine if you're eligible for the Study of Exceptional Talent? Let's take a look:

If you took the SAT between July 1 and December 31:

… then you are eligible for the Study of Exceptional Talent.

If you took the SAT between January 1 and June 30:

… then you are eligible for the Study of Exceptional Talent.

I find the requirements for SET confusing in the abstract, so I've created a fictional example to try and explain it. As a ... let's say, "bonus," I'll be using a character from Shakespeare to illustrate my point.

Juliet Capulet, from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, was born on Lammas-Eve (July 31). Let's say that her 13th birthday was July 31, 1596. If Juliet took the SAT the next March (we'll say March 8, 1597), she'd be 13 years, 7 months, and a few days old at the time of testing.

In order to qualify for the Study of Exceptional Talent, Juliet would need to have scored a 780 or higher on either the Math or Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT.

Now you know what SAT scores you must report in order to be eligible for the SET! However, there’s an important change you need to note regarding who is eligible to actually take the SAT. Due to a change in policy by the College Board (the makers of the SAT), students under the age of 13 are no longer eligible to take the SAT. Because of this, CTY won’t accept new admissions to SET for students who don’t have a qualifying SAT score dated before July 1, 2021.

But don’t panic! CTY is in the process of researching new testing options for SET eligibility. The suspension of new admissions for applicants who don’t have SAT scores is only temporary. Soon enough, new testing requirements will replace the SAT for students who aren’t yet 13 years old. We’ll update this article when we know more about the new testing requirements for SET admission.

CTY SAT Requirements: Logistics

If you're taking the SAT as part of the Talent Search, you'll need to register for the test with very specific information. Use CTY's Before the Test guide to make sure your scores will be sent to the right place.

On test day, you must bring valid photo id with you along with your official admission ticket and other CTY forms to the test center; this expedites the process for CTY.

What if you took the SAT on your own—without being part of the Talent Search—and now want to apply to one of CTY's summer programs or take a CTY Online course? Don't worry! You can still apply to summer programs and CTY Online—you just need to make sure you submit a copy of an official score report with your summer program or CTY Online application.

How to Meet the CTY Requirements: 5 Key Tips

Before we wrap up, let's go over some tips to keep in mind if you're considering applying to CTY.

#1: Spend Time Prepping

Yes, the test is being used as a sorting tool by CTY, and when you're taking the SAT as a 5th through 8th grader, you don't have to worry about getting the score that'll get you into college. But let's be realistic: you'll need at least some test prep if you want to do well on it!

This in no way means that you should invest in any kind of SAT prep course—just that, at the bare minimum, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the SAT's structure and timing. One way to do this is to take an official practice test; this will help you gauge your weaknesses and find your baseline score. You can then use the results from this test to determine how much you have to improve by in order to meet the qualifications for your desired CTY program.

In addition, know how much time you have to study so you can plan your prep accordingly. If you only have a few weeks before the SAT, you'll want to study more hours per week than if you had several months left.

For more advice, check out our articles on taking the SAT in 7th grade and 8th grade.

#2: Take the SAT As Early As You Can—and Still Feel Prepared

The earlier you take the SAT, the lower the score threshold you'll need to meet (for example, compare the 7th grade requirements with the 8th or 9th grade requirements for Academy Explorations and Intensive Studies courses).

This is particularly true if you're aiming to qualify for the Study of Exceptional Talent. If you’re in 5th grade, your qualifying score threshold is 150 points lower than if you’re in 8th grade! (See the section on Study of Exceptional Talent above for more details.)

In general, older students know more than younger students do (stop rolling your eyes, younger siblings!), but if you've spent time prepping, it's worth it to take the SAT sooner rather than later.

#3: Take the SAT Early Enough to Qualify for CTY Programs

If you're at all interested in CTY's summer programs, you should try to test by December the year before at the latest; otherwise, you might have difficulty getting into the programs.

If you want to be honored at the Spring Award Ceremonies, you must have tested by the end of February. Otherwise, you'll get rolled over into the following year's Award Ceremonies.

Of course, in either case, you can retake the SAT if your score is too low to qualify you for the program or the award ceremony you want, since CTY will only consider your highest score. In fact, this makes it even more important to take the SAT earlier on in the school year so that you have a chance to retest if necessary. This way you'll still be eligible for summer courses and spring award ceremonies!

#4: Got a Stand-Out Test Section? Focus On That

CTY is unlike most colleges and universities in that you can get into its programs even if you only do well on one section of the SAT.

If you find that you're getting practice scores around 490 on Math but 600 on Reading and Writing, own it. You're better off putting in the time to make sure you can consistently get above the score threshold for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing than you are trying to raise all your SAT section scores.

#5: Learn the SAT Strategies Appropriate for Your Level

Advice for getting an 800 on a section will not necessarily be relevant if you only need to get above a 600. In fact, if you're aiming for a 600, you could guess on the hardest questions entirely and just focus on answering as many of the easier questions correctly as possible.

We've got more useful information on this in our articles on preparing for the SAT Math, Reading, and Writing sections.

What's Next?

Curious about the ACT requirements for CTY? Read more about the ACT scores you'll need for various CTY programs here.

Want to know more about CTY at JHU? I go into more detail on the CTY Talent Search and what programs and resources you gain by participating in CTY in this article.

What are some other programs for gifted/talented students? Find out with our articles about Duke TIP, NUMATS, the Summer Institute for the Gifted, and Stanford EPGY.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible.

Check out our 5-day free trial today: