Understanding the Tests

Florida students hear a lot of test names — FAST, SAT, ACT, PSAT, PreACT, CLT. Here is what each one actually is, who takes it, and how they fit together, in plain English.

The big picture

There are two kinds of tests in a Florida student’s life, and they overlap:

• State tests that Florida requires for graduation — the FAST reading test and the Algebra 1 exam.
• College tests that colleges and scholarships look at — the SAT, ACT, and CLT.

Here is the helpful part: Florida lets a qualifying score on a college test count in place of the state graduation test. So the SAT, ACT, and CLT can do double duty — they can help a student graduate and apply to college. The exact scores are on our Florida Graduation Test Scores page.

Florida’s state tests

FAST (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking)

Florida’s own set of reading and math tests, given on the computer three times a year to track progress. The one that matters for graduation is the Grade 10 FAST English Language Arts (Reading) test — every student must earn a passing score on it (or an accepted substitute) to graduate.

End-of-Course exams (Algebra 1 and Geometry)

Tests taken at the end of certain courses. The Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam is the one required for graduation — students must pass it or earn an accepted substitute score. Geometry has its own exam too, and a passing Geometry score can also satisfy the math requirement.

The college tests

SAT

A national college-admissions test from the College Board, taken on the computer. It has two parts — a Reading and Writing section and a Math section — each scored from 200 to 800, for a top combined score of 1600. Widely accepted by colleges, and its scores can also count toward Florida graduation and the Bright Futures scholarship.

ACT

The other major national college-admissions test. It covers English, Reading, Math, and Science, each scored from 1 to 36, with a composite (average) score also from 1 to 36. Colleges accept the SAT and ACT equally, so students often try both and keep whichever suits them better. ACT scores can also count toward Florida graduation and Bright Futures.

CLT (Classic Learning Test)

A newer college-admissions test, now accepted by Florida’s public universities and for Bright Futures. It has three sections — Verbal Reasoning, Grammar/Writing, and Quantitative Reasoning — and often draws on classic literature and historical texts. Its scores can also count toward Florida graduation.

The practice and 10th-grade versions

Each college test has a younger-grade version. These are lower-stakes, but in Florida a strong score on them can still count toward graduation:

• PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 — the practice SAT, usually taken in 10th or 11th grade. The PSAT/NMSQT is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship.
• PreACT — the practice ACT, usually taken in 10th grade.
• CLT10 — the 10th-grade version of the CLT.

Think of these as a low-pressure first attempt: they show a student where they stand, and a good score can knock out a graduation requirement early.

How they compare at a glance

Test	What it’s for	Sections	Score range
FAST (Grade 10 Reading)	Florida graduation	Reading	179–308
Algebra 1 exam	Florida graduation	Algebra	325–475
SAT	College, graduation, scholarship	Reading and Writing; Math	400–1600
ACT	College, graduation, scholarship	English, Reading, Math, Science	1–36
CLT	College, graduation, scholarship	Verbal Reasoning; Grammar/Writing; Quantitative Reasoning	Up to 120