Standardized Testing at LESP
Regents Exams
The Regents Examinations are administered by the New York State Education Department. Passing scores on the exams in English, Math, Social Studies, and Science exams are required for a high school diploma. ENL students will be subject to the NYSESLAT every year until they get a "passing" score.
New York State students have the option of completing a Regents Diploma, or even a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. At the LESP students can choose to earn the advanced designation by taking two additional credits in World Languages (for a total of three), and passing the locally developed Checkpoint B World Languages Exam. Unlike other versions of the advanced designation diploma, at other schools, these students do not have to complete the 5-unit sequence in arts or CTE. Below are the requirements for both diploma options
You can also learn more information about the exams from the NYSED: https://www.nysed.gov/state-assessment/high-school-regents-examinations
What are the AP Exams?
AP stands for Advanced Placement, and it's pretty self explanatory. If you take one of these classes that offers higher level learning, at a faster pace, and you pass the AP test at the end of the school year, you can earn college credit, in addition to high school credit, for your high school classes! This can potentially shave time off of your undergraduate experience, or at least spare you some lower-level educational requirements in earning your degree. You have to be willing to put in more work than you otherwise would in a non-AP class.
While uncommon, it is possible to take the AP test for a course you weren't enrolled in. If the credit really matters to you, but you didn't take the course, it's possible to teach yourself the material and pass the test. It's important to keep in mind that different universities have different standards regarding how they process college credit from high school. Some schools don't accept certain AP tests, others view certain APs as carrying the same weight - such as AP Language and Composition and AP Literature, or AP microeconomics and AP macroeconomics.
Your score also matters. AP tests are scored on a scale of 1-5. 3 and above is generally considered passing, but some universities and colleges might only grant credit for students who scored a 4 or 5. If you already have your eyes set on a particular school, it might be good to keep their standards in mind.
The AP tests, just like the SAT, are administered by CollegeBoard, and you can look at specific courses, materials, deadlines, and test dates on their website.
AP at LESP
The following year-round AP courses are available at LESP:
- AP 2D Art and Design
- AP Biology
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Chinese Language and Culture
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP Human Geography
- AP Spanish Language and Culture
- AP United States Government and Politics
There's no technical limit to the amount of students who can enroll in APs, but the typical maximum capacity for an AP class is 25 students.
PSATs and SATs
At LESP
Every year, LESP chooses to host in-house, fully digital SAT and PSAT testing on any one of the many test dates permitted by CollegeBoard, the same organization that administers the AP tests.
For the 2025-2026 school year the dates for both the PSAT and the SAT are to be determined. The majority of students are automatically scheduled, with 10th graders largely being required to sit for the PSAT, and 11th graders for the SAT, but some students may not be prepared for the exam and will thus not be obligated to sit for it.
There are 3 sets of timeframes, depending on the student. The standard test timeframe is 2 hours and 15 minutes. ELL students get 3 hours and 20 minutes, and students with disability accommodation get 4 hours and 30 minutes.
About the exams
Standardized exams such as the SAT are used by colleges to indicate your preparedness for college-level education by testing your reading comprehension and computational and logical abilities. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many colleges across the nation have become more flexible in their testing requirements. There are many test-optional schools, and there are others that give less weight to the SAT than they used to. However, if you score well on the SAT, it can still much improve your chances at college acceptance, as well as expanding your options for college applications.
There are two reading sections (32 minutes each) and two math sections (35 minutes each) on the SAT. A perfect score is 1600, with 800s in reading and math. The national average is 1060, but what counts as a good score for you depends on your personal goals.
The PSAT is a practice exam for the SAT. It is a good indicator of your starting point, which can inform your decision on how much to prepare for the SAT. PSAT scores can also qualify you for certain opportunities, such as National merit scholarships. It should be noted that the PSAT is scored on a different scale than the SAT. The highest you can get on the PSAT is 1520, whereas the highest on the SAT is 1600. The PSAT has one 64-minute reading section and one 70-minute math section.
You can learn more about the exams at the CollegeBoard page.
Options not presented at LESP
The ACT
Most colleges accept, and give equal weight to, either the SAT or ACT. The ACT is not administered at LESP, but there are plenty of testing locations in New York City. The official website is here. Both of these general standardized tests have multiple test dates throughout the school year. It is recommended that you take your college entrance exams in time to receive your score before you apply to colleges. Even better if you give yourself at least a few months in case you decide to retake them.
There are a few differences between the SAT and ACT, which means you might perform better on one over the other. The ACT has an additional section for science, which is not tested by the SAT. The SAT also tends to give more time per question. The SAT is generally considered to be more of a reasoning test, whereas the ACT tests the knowledge you already have. If you are unsure of which test to take, you can take practice exams for both and see which one yields a better score. You should also make sure the colleges you're interested in accept the test that you choose to take. You can also take the quick SAT versus ACT quiz from PrepScholar.
Other SAT test dates
If you do not get your desired score on the in-house LESP SAT, you can always retake it at a different testing location on a different date. The test dates can be found here.