<p>In the Chicago area, a lot of us take the ACT only, with SAT IIs, but here it seems there's 3 SAT topics for one ACT. So I'm curious...California, New York, Texas, etc, how popular is the ACT?</p>
<p>The ACT is not nearly as popular on the coasts, but it seems like it might be becoming more popular with the changes in the SAT. I always encourage people to take both, since the tests cater to different skills.</p>
<p>Popularity isn't really the issue...getting into the school you want to attend is the issue. So, with only a few exceptions, the best thing to do is send in scores from the test you did better on...</p>
<p>for Cali...it's basically useless, cause the UCs don't want ACT scores</p>
<p>The ACT is about as popular in the deep South as it is in the Midwest. It's the standard there.</p>
<p>elanorrigby, i know the UCs accept ACTs but do they really like it less than the sat?</p>
<p>The ACT's are getting a bit more attention in NY; the real problem is the lack of test centers.</p>
<p>It's quite popular in 'bama.</p>
<p>I'm in Maryland, and people only take it here if they bomb the SAT.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if any schools discriminate against those taking ACT?</p>
<p>At my TX public school, it seems like most of the kids who actually care about grades and college take both. Those who set their sights lower and/or already know they'll get into the school of their choice on a sports scholarship just take the SAT. With that said, I'm only taking the SAT, and I do care.</p>
<p>When I was in NY my school didn't even mention to any of the students what the ACT even was</p>
<p>We live in southern New England - my dd was the only one in her high school to take it - and only cuz we were aware of it thru research - most kids/parents have NO clue about it. toooooo bad cuz it is a better test for some.</p>
<p>WHAT!? UCs dont want ACT scores. What r u talking about. UCs have no preference. ACT is prefered in the midwest. SAT ius prefered on the east coast. CA schools dont care</p>
<p>for ACT, do your scores automatically go to all the schools you apply to? Bc i did decent on SAT but i signed up for ACT anyways in June but now my laziness is forcing me to reconsider taking it? If it doesn't count i might take it anyways and if it does, I think i'll just blow it off. I live in Texas btw, and basically what ampersand is true. Only "motivated" kids take it usually unless the SAT is bombed.</p>
<p>ACT's are accepted at almost all colleges (likewise the SAT). UC's (and others) value it the same as the SAT's (in fact, the UC's almost dumped the SAT in favor of requiring the ACT a few years back -- a threatened move that caused the SAT to change its test). The majority of states between those in the East and California have more students submit the ACT than the SAT. There are actually premier colleges that generally require SAT II's that will take the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT II's -- examples: Yale, Penn, Brown, Hopkins, Duke, Tufts, Pomona, Boston College, Wesleyan, Amherst, Vassar. Traditionally, the number of students in the US who have taken the SAT annually have outnumbered those that take the ACT, but not by much. Based on number of test applications thus far for 2005, it appears that the number of US students taking the ACT in 2005 may actually exceed the number taking the SAT.</p>
<p>all of the juniors at my school (in California) took the ACTs, or they slept in. although I'm bit suspicious at the statement that more people took the ACTs than SATs this year, the ACT is accepted at many colleges. UCs accept the ACTs in lieu of SAT Is, but I do believe that SATIIs are still required. Some schools accept ACTs instead of both SAT Is and SAT IIs.
ACTs will only send out the scores that you want to be sent out.</p>
<p>The ACT is about as popular in the deep South as it is in the Midwest. It's the standard there.</p>
<p>This is half true.</p>
<p>The inland states (Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma) and the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) do prefer the ACT over the SAT.</p>
<p>But ALL states bordering the Atlantic Ocean (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia), plus Texas and Florida, given their populations, actually favour the SAT over the ACT.</p>
<p>Proof:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.act.org/news/data/03/states.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.act.org/news/data/03/states.html</a></p>
<p>What intensely infuriates me is the fact that Indiana - a Republican state, no doubt - leans toward the SAT, while Illinois is the opposite. For the latter - rather, Chicago - to ever be taken seriously as an international force, it'll have to give SATs, not ACTs, to every high-schooler. Maintaining the ACT as Illinois's preferred standardized test is tantamount to ****ing on the world outside the United States.</p>
<p>Addendum: I'm sure that if the Canadian provinces had to administer either test, only Alberta would even consider the ACT: Saskatchewan and Manitoba would do an Indiana, though it would be much more tolerable considering their liberality.</p>
<p>Kids at my school don't take the SAT or PSAT. They've never even heard of SAT II's. Of course, my school is not the academically competitive type, but you get the point. ACT or bust!</p>
<p>The ACT and SAT are accepted by pretty much every college/university. The ACT seems like the obvious choice to me because there is less testing, since there aren't SAT II's to take. Also, according to the Princeton Review, the ACT is the better test.
As for the post by Prethumous, none of that data shows that the SAT is favored over the ACT, it simply shows who took the test and where they took it.</p>
<p>That was not my intention.</p>