Unlike the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) that the College Board offers, which are intended to measure general aptitude for academic studies, the Achievement Tests were intended to measure the level of knowledge and understanding in a variety of specific subjects.

Students typically chose which tests to take depending upon college entrance requirements for the schools to which they planned to apply.

In the early 1990s, for instance, Asian languages were added so as not to disadvantage Asian-American students, especially on the West Coast.

This was effective immediately in the United States, and the tests were to be phased out by the following summer for international students.

Historically, the exception to the one-hour time was the writing test, which was divided into a 20-minute essay question and a 40-minute multiple-choice section.

For example, if someone got every question wrong on the Mathematics Level 2 test, they could receive a score of 310, depending on the test-specific curve.

In addition, the foreign language tests that had both reading and listening components gave subscores for each in the 20 to 80 range.

Information about a school's specific test requirements could typically be found on its official website.

In October 2002, the College Board decided to drop the "Score Choice" option for exams, due to the fact that it disproportionately benefited wealthier students taking the exam who could afford to take it multiple times.