Enjoying the Arkansas lifestyle though, may be dependent on a good job. And a good job is dependent on getting into College.

Why the SAT Test Is Important for Getting into College

You may want to attend a college or university in Arkansas due to job opportunities and the many state parks. If you are in high school and you want to continue your education after high school, you are likely to take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) test. A large majority of the colleges in the U.S.A. look at the SAT test scores as part of the admitting process.

You are more likely to get financial aid and scholarships with a high SAT score. High SAT score can also help you get into the Arkansas college or university of your choice. Colleges and universities have different majors, and some colleges and universities are better for specific majors.

While the SAT is important, and you can get information about SAT prep, this is not the only information used by colleges to determine whether you get admitted. Colleges also look at your high school grade point average (GPA), recommendation letters, your academic transcript and other factors regarding admissions.

What to Expect on the Arkansas SAT Test

The SAT test takes three hours and 45 minutes, and it is broken up into ten sections. It has three critical reading sections, three writing sections, three mathematical sections, and an experimental section, which can be either critical reading, writing, or mathematical.

The critical reading sections are multiple-choice. One of the writing sections is an essay. The other two writing sections have multiple-choice questions. Two of the mathematics sections are in multiple-choice format. The other mathematics section has a combination of multiple-choice questions and questions requiring personal responses. The experimental section can be one of the three categories, and it is in multiple-choice format.

With this information, you have a general idea of what it is like to live and work in Arkansas. You also have some idea of what to expect when you take the SAT test and why the SAT test scores are so important for your career.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The presidents and chancellors of Arkansas’ 11 public universities and two university systems Tuesday issued a 16-point pledge to accountability, collaboration and cooperation aimed at addressing the state’s educational, social and economic needs and opportunities.

Speaking at a news conference held in the State Capitol’s Rotunda, the education leaders unveiled their “Compact With the People of Arkansas.” Addressed to the state’s citizens and its political and education leaders, the Compact presents 16 goals intended to guide their individual and collective performance. Printed copies of the Compact were distributed Tuesday to state policymakers and to the news media.

“This compact represents our commitment to provide the people of Arkansas with quality higher education while being mindful of the great responsibility that comes with this task,” said David Rankin, president of Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia. “By having all of the state’s four-year public universities join together in this initiative, there is no doubt we will make tremendous strides in accomplishing these goals over the next several years.”

The document’s 16 pledges include:

• transparent and accountable decision making
• prudent fiscal management
• clear measures of institutional performance
• doubling, by 2025, the number of college degrees produced by the Compact’s partners
• dramatically increasing the number of Arkansas residents with at least a bachelor’s degree
• keep tuition and fees as low as possible without sacrificing academic quality
• create a seamless process of transferring academic credits between and among Arkansas’ two-year colleges and its four-year public universities
• work with K-12 schools to reduce the need for student remediation in post-secondary education
• adopt environmentally and economically sound business practices
• expand the diversity of the universities’ student bodies, faculties and staff
• effectively address military veterans’ needs to help ensure their success in the academic environment
• provide the support and resources to all students to help them achieve success
• provide adequate financial aid to help ensure that no student is denied access to one of the universities due to an inability to pay
• increase efforts to accommodate the needs and schedules of non-traditional students
• pursue entrepreneurial ways to generate the revenues necessary to ensure a high-quality learning environment and experience
• Increase the universities’ role and engagement in economic development

Speaking at the news conference, G. David Gearhart, chancellor of the University of Arkansas, said institutions of higher education in the state must collaborate to provide an even better educated workforce and a more informed citizenry.

“Our public universities are the state’s most influential social, economic, cultural and educational force,” said Gearhart. “We, as the leaders of those institutions, must make sure that we demonstrate and communicate the ways we can, do and will serve the public’s interests. That means we must work together, operate our universities in a productive and accountable manner, and be good stewards of state resources.”

“The institutions of higher learning in Arkansas today have demonstrated their commitment to working toward Gov. Beebe’s goal of doubling our number of certificate and degree holders in the next decade,” added Shane Broadway, interim director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, who also participated in the news conference. “The staff at ADHE commends their efforts and will support their endeavors to bring about a new workforce with the knowledge and skills to better the economy and quality of life for all Arkansans.”

Along with Rankin and Gearhart, others who signed the pledge included:

• Joel E. Anderson, chancellor, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
• Paul B. Beran, chancellor, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
• Robert C. Brown, president, Arkansas Tech University
• Lawrence A. Davis, chancellor, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
• G. Daniel Howard, interim chancellor, Arkansas State University
• H. Jack Lassiter, chancellor, University of Arkansas at Monticello
• Allen C. Meadors, president, University of Central Arkansas
• Robert L. Potts, interim president, Arkansas State University System
• Dan Rahn, chancellor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
• B. Alan Sugg, president, University of Arkansas System
• Charles L. Welch, president, Henderson State University

“Your role as universities is absolutely essential to grow the state’s economy,” said Haley in her challenge to the group of 11 state higher education leaders assembled Friday at the third annual Arkansas Association of Public Universities (AAPU) presidents and chancellors meeting.

Haley was among several presenters at the Friday luncheon who were invited to discuss the role higher education plays in economic development.

Randy Zook, president/CEO of Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, said Arkansas is fortunate that its economy has been driven by major companies such as Walmart, J.B. Hunt, and Baldor Electric, but he is concerned about the challenges they face, how they will grow, and what new companies will surface over the next 10 years.

“We’re pleased with the product you’re providing, we wish you could provide more, we wish that you could be more strategic in your curriculum to make sure we have a good stream of students coming out of your schools to meet the workforce needs,” Zook told the group.

The number one problem with bringing new business and industry to Arkansas is workforce, Haley said. “Workforce, workforce, workforce. I cannot say enough about how important it is, and we need to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.”

Others involved in the discussion included Janet Roderick, state director of Arkansas Small Business Technology Development Center based at UALR; Jim Youngquist, executive director, UALR Institute for Economic Advancement; Kelly Lyon, director, UCA Community Development Institute Center; and Dr. Mark Peterson, extension specialist-community development, UA Division of Agriculture.

Tim Wooldridge, AAPU executive director, said the meeting brought university leaders together at a critical time. “These are the folks who are on the ground figuring out how to manage state budget cuts, interpret lottery scholarship decisions, and improve retention and graduation rates,” he said. “At the same time, they must make decisions that determine the future of the state’s economic development.”

“That’s why it is important to bring these issues to the table for discussion through organizations such as AAPU. We are an advocate for the collective interest of each university that will better serve Arkansas,” he said.

The two-day meeting included a higher education budget review by Dr. Stanley Williams, deputy director, and Jackie Holloway, senior associate director of finance, of Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Wooldridge and the group also discussed 2010-2011 goals for the organization.

AAPU university presidents and chancellors in attendance were Dr. Joel Anderson, UALR; Dr. Charles Welch, Henderson State University; Dr. Jack Lassiter, UA- Monticello; Dr. Milo Shult, vice president for agriculture, UA Division of Agriculture;

Dr. David Rankin, Southern Arkansas University; Dr. Paul Beran, UA-Fort Smith; Dr. David Gearhart, UA-Fayetteville; Dr. Allen Meadors, UCA; and Dr. Alan Sugg, UA System.

Special guests were Dr. Les Wyatt, president, ASU System, and Dr. Robert Potts, ASU chancellor.

AAPU was created by the four-year Arkansas public universities; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Criminal Justice Institute; Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas; Clinton School of Public Service, and the Archeological Survey in 2006 as the Arkansas Association of Public Universities.

The Association is a nonprofit organization engaged in the improvement of higher education and in higher education policy advocacy, representing the collective interests of its member-institutions.