<p>why do colleges tend to prefer SAT over ACT? i was looking at selective schools' admission info and only less than 20% took the act vs 80%who took the sat. will colleges tend to discriminate people who take the act? what will colleges think if they see one crappy sat score but a high act score?</p>
<p>Bump this post up.</p>
<p>I think it's because the SAT is just more traditional and the colleges are more comfortable with it...but as long as a college accepts the ACT at all, they won't discriminate against you for using it. As for crappy SAT vs high ACT, I believe they'll just look at whichever score is better.</p>
<p>Its a myth that selective colleges favor those who submit the SAT. Other than a few colleges, all take the SAT or ACT. In fact, some of those highly selective schools will even take the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT II's (examples: Yale, Penn, Brown, Hopkins, Amherst). Most of your perceived "preference" is a matter of geography and population. The SAT dominates for high school students in the eastern states and California and those states combined have more than 50% of the nation's population. Also, a much larger percentage of eastern state and California students apply to highly selective schools in the east and California than students from other states.</p>
<p>I agree with drusba and Arti. If they take both, they don't disciminate or prefer one over the other. They have conversion charts to equalize the scores. And they will always consider your best score. So no worries.</p>
<p>I really hated memorizing vocab and I got 1870 on New SAT.
I got 32 on the ACT.... (Eng:31, Red: 29, Math: 34, Sci: 36)</p>
<p>I am afraid that they'll look down on me because I can't even get 600 on Verbal....</p>
<p>Colleges say they take both, but a lot on this board, I've seen evidence that high scoring SAT people are more successful in getting accepted to their college of choice. Just an observation though.</p>
<p>Remember that this board represents a very small (and very high-performance) part of the overall college applicants.</p>
<p>Most of the high scorers on CC mention the SAT. But I haven't seen any evidence that those who score equally well on the ACT are any less successful.</p>
<p>I imagine that you will find the same percentages of people who take the SAT and ACT in the numbers of those who did NOT get into those same selective schools. It is a historical artifact that people in particular areas tend to take one test more than the other. It used to be that schools required or preferred a particular test. That has basically changed (except for a very few places), but the test-taking habits of people in different areas has not.</p>
<p>My daughter took the ACT in SAT country and is currently attending a school in SAT country. So many people around here thought she was "risking" something by not taking the SAT.</p>
<p>Unless you are applying to a college that requires SAT II scores in addition to the ACT, there is no reason a college would even need to see "one crappy sat score but a high act score." Just send in the ACT score and skip the SAT score report.</p>
<p>If you don't mind me asking Diane, what school did you daughter get into. </p>
<p>I am wondering, cause I'm in the smae situation. I have a 35 ACT composite and am contemplating taking the SAT or not. I've heard from most, not to take it, but I've also heard that the Ivies prefer the SAT.</p>
<p>My daughter is at Brown. She also gained admittance, in SAT country, to UNC-CH as an OOS candidate.</p>
<p>If you go to the ACT board, you will see a thread about ACT scores sufficient for the Ivies. Your 35 is excellent. My daughter had a 30 (33 factoring out the math and science scores which aren't relevant to her field).</p>
<p>Is it advisable to take both the SAT and the ACT? (I'm definitely taking the SAT, but don't know about the ACT since it is a lot harder)</p>
<p>I would advise at least taking a practice test of the ACT. Some people do the same on both tests; others do better on one or the other. I don't know of any way of knowing which you would be without checking it out. Do use actual past ACT tests, since the practice tests that test prep companies come up with aren't necessarily that close to the actual test.</p>
<p>Admissions counselors at selective school discount ACT scores. Even if you take an ACT, they need to covert it to a an SAT equivalent for comparison purposes. It's just extra work for them if you take the ACT.</p>
<p>Admissions counselors claim they don't. Why would they lie? They can have a preference if they want to. In fact, many schools used to, but have dropped them. Why do this if the preference continues?</p>
<p>This topic comes up again and again, yet no one can come up with any proof of this supposed preference and people post about getting into Ivies and the like with the ACT.</p>
<p>Of course they claim no preference, but it's an open secret that they have one. They can't come right out and endorse one test or the other. It's implicit that they prefer the SAT. Why do they prefer it? Because it is the more rigorous test of the two tests. Everybody knows (and many have stated on this forum) that the ACT is easier. And they have another reason: anyone dumb and naive to take the ACT for a competitive school application isn't smart enough to hack it at an Ivy in the first place.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Colleges say they take both, but a lot on this board, I've seen evidence that high scoring SAT people are more successful in getting accepted to their college of choice.
[/quote]
Most easterners take the SAT. Most CCers are from the northeast. According to a survey on the High School Life board, New Jersey is the most lived-in state by CCers, followed by states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, and California. Not many Mississippians (who are more likely to take the ACT) on here.</p>
<p>In that case, I'm not taking the ACT at all. Phew!</p>
<p>What I really wonder about is the colleges who claim to accept the ACT alone in place of SAT I and II's. This list includes schools like Yale, Penn, Brown, Amherst, Duke, and other big names. But do they mean it?</p>
<p>I've asked this question of college admissions officers many times and I always get the party line that "our stated policy is the same as our policy in practice" but I can't help but remain skeptical. It doesn't make sense to me that Yale, for example, can say with a straight face that an ACT alone (4 components) is as informative and compelling as an applicant who presents an SAT plus 3 Subject Tests (6 components), ESPECIALLY if that applicant is from a competitive high school in say, Long Island NY or Beverly Hills CA. Surely that kid must have taken the SAT and Subject Tests for his other applications, so doesn't it look like he's hiding something if he only submits the ACT?</p>
<p>FWIW, I had an admissions officer at a highly selective college (which doesn't accept ACT only) tell me that he thought the ACT only thing was a backdoor to more easily admit special interests, like URM's, legacies, and athletes. Interesting theory.</p>
<p>Exactly right. It's inconceivable that an admissions officer would consider the two situations (ACT Only vs. SAT Reasoning & Subject Tests) equivalent. The person who demonstrates right reasoning skills and achievement in several subject areas is clearly a stronger candidate than one who presents only the ACT scores. </p>
<p>Also, since many schools use SAT Subject scores for placement and advising, the student who doesn't present these scores is placing themselves at a further disadvantage. Also, the use of these scores for placement and advising further indicates the preference towards SAT.</p>