<p>This is really important for me..</p>
<p>Do all the colleges have equal consideration for both tests if they say that they accept both of the tests?
If I am applying for MIT or Stanford would taking only ACT and 2 SAT 2 subject tests in math 2 and chemistry, which I have 800s, hurt my admission??</p>
<p>Thanks you for looking</p>
<p>my counsler, she's not that help-ful, said that I ahould only take the ACT because i live in an ACT state (MI)</p>
<p>my opinion and what i've asked other people about, is that if you want to go out of state, take the SAT they're more univerial. but if you live in an ACT state, it doesn't hurt to take both. plus i think some people might score higher on their ACT because there's a science section</p>
<p>Schools are theoretically impartial to the tests and if they say they accept both...they accept both. Some people think that SAT holds more clout with admissions officers but I think that's most likely a myth.</p>
<p>Ask yourself what you would be losing if you took both tests? Other than the fee there really isn't anything to lose unless you totally bomb one test.</p>
<p>We live on the east coast, which is traditionally SAT-land and our son's college counselor highly recommended taking the ACT
She feels it is a more straightforward test and having score choice is a real bonus. She also feels the ACT gives recruited athletes a bit of an edge as they then don't have to fall into the SAT trap that many of them do with admissions.</p>
<p>From a somewhat cynical point of view, if your recruited athlete does not submit an SAT (but does submit his/her ACT) and your school reports SAT scores for the US News Ranking, then recruited athletes do not drag down the mean SAT....</p>
<p>ACT is more skills based. SAT has more inferring and challenging your knowledge. I've recently taken both, and found that the ACT was so much easier. I did not like how the SAT had some non-multiple choice sections. The ACT is easier to keep attention on also becuase it is shorter. The SAT switches the order in which you do the tests, so it could go math, critical reading, math, reading, etc... and i did not like that either. I like to focus on one area at a time, and when that section is over, I do not have to worry about it anymore. More and more schools are accepting the ACT now, so my recommendation is to take both, and if you do not do that well on one, colleges know that students usually exceed in one and not the other.</p>
<p>good luck!!</p>
<p>I'm from Texas, and in an area (Dallas) where the SAT is prominent, but many folks decide to try their hand at the ACT anyways.</p>
<p>I took both tests only once - I scored the equivalent of 300 points higher on the ACT, even with having taken PSATs for 3 years and spending many hours prepping for the SAT, while I bought a quick "1 week review" guide for the ACT and probably spent 1 1/2 hours reading it. Needless to say, I didn't take the SAT ever again (or the ACT, for that matter).</p>
<p>300 pts? what was your beginning SAT score?? Im convinced to take the ACT now...</p>
<p>Oops I just did the conversion on another more reliable site and it's actually only about 240 points - still a big jump.</p>
<p>SAT = 1980 (620V, 660M, 700W)
ACT = 33 (35E, 30M, 33S, 33R, 10Essay) = 2220</p>
<p>thats impressive, congrats</p>
<p>Act, its so much easier, i still don't get why more people don't take it. Instead they try they're best at taking the SAT and usually bomb it.</p>
<p>SAT is a lot easier. ACT was hard.</p>
<p>I think the SAT is easier just because of the sheer endurance the ACT takes, at least for me. The SAT switches gears quickly so it keeps your mind active and circulating, but on the ACT it tends to just drag on and you slowly lose the will to keep going. Also the ACT makes you feel more comfortable, thus making you more prone to missing the little nuances in the answers.</p>
<p>I loved the condensed sections on the ACT. I performed much better in the math section, and the way the ACT is calculated made my composite score better, i.e.</p>
<p>650 math vs. 32
1450 M/V vs. 34 composite </p>
<p>composite also includes writing and science sections. the science is another major difference...some people may like it, some may not</p>
<h2>I did much better on ACT. </h2>
<p>The ACT you need to go much faster. But there are no guessing penalties and tricks.</p>
<p>Depends on if there is a difference, some only ace one test or the other. If your PSAT is disproportionately way low relative to your ACT, I might consider the high ACT + SATII strategy. Some score high SATs and get a low ACT. You have choices but low SATs can't hide anymore so you have to plan ahead (blow the ACT, skip the free reports to the most competitive colleges, but maybe send to some safeties). Later report $ can add up, so at least avoid rush reporting.</p>
<p>I've seen no evidence that colleges don't mean it when they say they take either test and don't have a preference. Many used to require one test or the other or at least state a preference, but they CHANGED this. Why change -- just a conspiracy among them all to lie to students? There is no legal impediment to a college using one test or the other if it wants to. MIT used to say it wanted only the SAT, as I recall, but it decided to go with the general movement.</p>
<p>I've talked to a number of adcomm people. All have insisted that their schools have no preference. I don't see why they would lie. (I've read on CC that some former adcomm people also say the same thing.) You can ask potential schools, of course, but I think you will see what I did.</p>
<p>I've read on CC that Princeton now says it will take either test and Wake Forest says it will start taking the ACT next year. So that leaves Harvey Mudd as the only name school I know of that doesn't say it accepts the ACT (haven't researched this -- could be they will be changing too).</p>
<p>There is a conversion chart colleges use to convert scores to the type used by most applicants.</p>
<p>My daughter lives in SAT country, took only the ACT because she liked it better and performed much better on it in practice, and is now in Brown.</p>
<p>Not everyone does better at the ACT -- some do worse, some do equally well. The average result is reflected in the conversion chart, which came from a study of those students who took both tests.</p>
<p>Given the SAT's lack of score choice, if it were me I would take the SAT IIs first and report them to potential colleges. Then take the SAT I -- if the score isn't as good as the ACT score then don't bother to report it! At the very least, take a number of practice SAT Is so you can know how well you are likely to do.</p>