Photo by Skip Lawrence St. John Regional Catholic School eighth-graders Janine Bainger, left, and Julia Zukus have scored high on college admissions tests. Janine took the SAT and Julia took the ACT.

The pair hold scores on two standardized college admissions tests that, if they were old enough, would likely get them into a university.

Janine, 12, took the SAT last year when she was in seventh grade.

The SAT, perhaps the best known college admissions test, has three parts -- critical reading, writing and math -- each worth 800 points.

Janine scored 520 points on the critical reading and 560 on the math portion of the test. Those scores are above the national averages of 502 and 515.

Jean Wright, director of development and admissions for St. John, said Janine's math score was particularly impressive because the math portion of the SAT is based in part on geometry, a course Janine had yet to take when she attempted the test.

Her score however, won't count when it's time to apply to colleges; Janine will have to take the SAT again in high school.

"I think it will be a little easier for me than some high schoolers," Janine said. "I'm not looking forward to taking it again."

Julia, who is also 12, chose to take the ACT, a lesser known test that measures student performance in four subjects -- English, math, reading and science.

Her composite score was 22 of a possible 36 points, a score high enough to qualify for the Center for Talented Youth, a program run by Johns Hopkins University.

Both girls are part of CTY which is designed to foster academic achievement. Students have to take, and score well on, either the SAT or ACT to participate.

Alison Rodbourn, school counselor at St. John, said each year several students from the school qualify to participate in CTY.

"As far as I understand it, from talking to parents, that's why some parents want their kids to (take) the SAT or the ACT," she said. "... Just so they know how (it feels) to take an SAT."