<p>Heard some interesting discussion this weekend after kids took ACT on Saturday. D2 had some friends over and none were planning on taking SAT. D2 was shooting daggers at me as she is scheduled in May. When I asked why not to the group ALL said since they weren't in the running for NMF scholarships, why bother??!! Now these were all high achieving, AP scholar students...many with 30+ ACT scores. Asked the same at her sports practice last night and got the same answer. Is this common? Is it a regional thing? Is there a place to see stats on who/where students take SAT and what the number comparison is from PSAT to SAT. Just curious!</p>
<p>I always thought it was regional. For years here in NE kids took everyone took SATs and the ACT was rare (mostly taken by students looking west for college). Now (my younger son is a sophomore) it seems that more and more students in our area are taking both.</p>
<p>I think there are regional differences. My sons took the ACT and only did the SAT for NMF status. We never sent the SAT scores to any colleges and they did not show up on the HS transcript.</p>
<p>If you have a great ACT score I think the SAT is truly optional and it is repetitive to force a kid to take it other than the NMF status. SAT subject tests may be a requirement depending on the school but SAT not so much frankly.</p>
<p>That being said, if the ACT is low some kids may do better on the SAT so sometimes taking both can be an advantage.</p>
<p>Based on what I have seen almost 90% of college bound kids only take the ACT where I teach.</p>
<p>I'd guess 90% only take SAT here.</p>
<p>There aren't as many ACT prep courses in New York. And the high school Naviance data doesn't work as well since fewer kids have ACT scores. I've been told the "ACT is easier" but wouldn't that all work out when the college does an equivalency scale?</p>
<p>I took the SAT first, because I didn't even know about the ACT frankly...my school doesn't explain it much. </p>
<p>My SAT scores were horrible...definitely not up to my abilities. So I took the ACT on a whim, and I did SO much better. Ended up with a 28 composite (which I was VERY happy with).</p>
<p>ACT is rapidly becoming more and more popular...it takes less than half the time of the SAT if I remember correctly, you do all of one section at once (whereas the SAT you do a lot of jumping around), and it actually tests what you KNOW instead of how well you can take a silly test that you'll only take once (maybe twice or three times).</p>
<p>Clearly a regional thing. I don't know that I've met a kid here who's taken the ACT; 100% of college-bound kids take the SAT. However, absent National Merit considerations, I wouldn't see any reason to take the SAT if a kid had already taken the ACT and gotten a score he was happy with.</p>
<p>SAT is much more prevalent here, but I was given the tip to take the PLAN in 10th grade (ACT's version of a PSAT) and compare projected scores w/ PSAT. DS's PSAT was 201 (NM commended? Fingers crossed, cut off was 200 last year.) and PLAN--I forget how that was scored--predicted about a 32. He took the ACT at the end of 10th grade a scored a 34. No way he'll score that well on the SAT so he's not going to take it (except subject tests).</p>
<p>Historically, the schools on either the eastern or western end of the continent preferred SAT test scores, while the schools in the central and upper midwest preferred ACT test results. No idea as to why that was, but the trend still shows up today.</p>
<p>Definitely a regional thing. In Wisconsin, only 7% of hs seniors take the SAT. Most of the ones I knew who took it were either applying to east coast schools or needed it for NMF. Now that every school in the country will take the ACT instead of the SAT and most will take the ACT w/ writing in lieu of the SAT IIs, I anticipate that the SAT numbers in the midwest may get even lower.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you have a great ACT score I think the SAT is truly optional and it is repetitive to force a kid to take it other than the NMF status. SAT subject tests may be a requirement depending on the school but SAT not so much frankly.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is why I say, unless you need the SAT for NMF, take the ACT first and if you love your ACT score, you can skip the SAT. You might need to take some SAT II's but you can spare yourself the SAT. I wish I had known this before.</p>
<p>If you don't love your ACT score, try the SAT, especially if you did pretty well on the PSAT. Some people do better on the SAT.</p>
<p>Most everyone here takes the SAT, and the HS has a SAT prep elective, but nothing for the ACT. However, D does not want to take the SAT because her freshman ACT (27 composite) was in, or close to, the mid-50% range for several collges she's interested in. Soph PSAT was 66V, 66W, 53M. Math is her weakness, and since some schools don't really consider the SAT writing section, with the SAT 1/3-1/2 of her score is in her weak area and only 1/4 with the ACT. I'd like her to take both again junior year, not sending the scores anywhere, and see how they compare, but I won't force her to take the SAT.</p>
<p>Edited to add: if test anxiety is an issue (it is for D), the ACT might be better because knowing that a lousy score doesn't have to get reported takes a lot of the pressure off.</p>
<p>Same in South NJ.</p>
<p>I don't know a single kid who took ACTs...</p>
<p>Northeast, only knew a few who took ACT after doing poorly on SAT.</p>
<p>Southeast here...everyone takes the SAT and then a few also take the ACT. After having two kids go through high school here, I've never heard a kid (or their parent ) say they were taking only the ACT. I'm sure there might be a few but it's def. not the norm. Most kids here take the SAT two or three times and never bother with the ACT.</p>
<p>In the Pacific NW, all college-bound seniors take the SAT. Then, the very top students take the ACT, presumably because they are thinking national applications.</p>
<p>I have heard that with the ACT, you can choose which score you want to send to the colleges (the highest!), but with the SAT every test you ever take shows up.</p>
<p>It's a regional thing - here probably only 10% or so of college-bound students take it. Pretty much everyone takes the ACT.</p>
<p>It must be a midwest thing. In our state, all high school juniors must take the ACT, but even before this (fairly recent) policy began very very few kids took the SATs.</p>
<p>Having grown up in a SAT state, I find the ACT policies more user-friendly, espcialely the ability to choose which scores to send.</p>
<p>If you take the SAT subject tests, do your regular SAT test scores automatically get sent along with your subject test scores if you send them to colleges?</p>
<p>Big bump to what warriorboy just asked - D probably would be more comfortable sending ACT scores, and then just SAT subject test scores to the schools that require them.</p>