<p>i know that this question has been asked over and over again, but i haven't found any answers and i'm getting frustrated.. if you guys oculd help me out i'd really appreciate it! =) thanks in advance!</p>
<p>so here's the deal. i'm international, and i'm looking to apply to some ivy leagues.. and perhaps some other prestigious american institutions (uchicago, rice, etc.) and i was wondering if they prefer the SAT over ACT. i know traditionally they accepted the SAT, but recently many of these schools have broadened their horizons and decided to accept the ACT too. however, im' hearing a lot of talk that these schools prefer the SAT over the ACT. i'm also hearing stuff like the SAT is for underachievers - the innately smart - whereas the ACT is for the overachievers - the diligent, but not as smart kids. i don't really know what colleges like harvard / columbia prefer.. the naturally smart kids? or the kids that work their butts off? </p>
<p>and even though there are so many posters saying that they're considered equal, i can't help but doubt that. this was affirmed by my own test scores (practice tests).. i'm no no way dumb (i have a 3.8 avg) but i got 1450 on my SATs, but 31 (converts to 2040) on my ACT. </p>
<p>anyway. i have to start studying for them. and i'm still trying to figure out which ones to do! i know it'll be easier to get my 31 to 34 than it'll be to get my 1450 to a 2200. but there's that.. issue of preference...suggestions?</p>
<p>hey =) thanks for the responses. yeah, it’s going to be a lot easier going from 31 - 34 / 35. i haven’t actually taken the tests yet, but just practice ones to gauge where i am. </p>
<p>anyway, i’ve decided to go with the ACT route. thank you! =)</p>
<p>ps. what is this ETS? haha, sorry if i sound clueless… i’ve only recently looked into all this stuff.</p>
<p>It’s not really possible to get 1450…Are you sure you’re not doing the older version of the SAT (max 1600) or you’re not just calcuating the subscore of two sections (i.e. math + critical reading)? </p>
<p>If possible, you should take the SAT. Think about it this way, all schools (top ones, at least) accept the SAT, but not all of the accept the ACT. And I’ve never heard anything about the SAT being for “innately smart” students and the ACT for “hard working” students…wonder where you got that from? They are just two different tests.</p>
<p>“It’s not really possible to get 1450…Are you sure you’re not doing the older version of the SAT (max 1600) or you’re not just calcuating the subscore of two sections (i.e. math + critical reading)?”</p>
<p>Hey. I’m not kidding, I got 1450! My friend, who has a 4.0 average got something like 1200. We were doing the Barron’s Diagnostics test though, so the level of difficulty may have been a bit different. </p>
<p>Also, my information comes from a lot of research I did while I was dealing with this dilemma… I can’t remember exactly what the websites were, but I think if you did enough googling (like I did) you’ll be able to find a multitude that’ll come up. =)</p>
<p>It’s alright though. Thank you everyone, but I’m gonna do the ACT. Dead set on it now. It’ll be hell learning all the stuff for SATs. :(</p>
<p>That’s a pretty big difference in scores, even for “third-party” practice tests. Also try to do some practice tests made by ACT when you study for it. Good luck.</p>
<p>Any unconscious bias for the SAT (which, although I think a bias IS justified, is probably tiny to a point of negligibility) is completely irrelevant in your case. A 1450 on the SAT is miles and miles away from a 31 on the ACT. And for your sake, use score choice and hide the SAT score because it might lead to a swift rejection.</p>
<p>Students should officially submit all scores from all sittings of the SAT and SAT Subject Tests. Students may submit only their highest ACT composite score officially and self-report other ACT scores by adding them to the Additional Information section of the application. While the College Board sends a cumulative record of all testing for one fee, the ACT requires separate fees for each test date; we do not want ACT takers to incur greater costs, so applicants may officially report only their highest ACT Composite (with subscores) and self-report all other ACT scores.</p>