<p>Honestly I believe them when they say they are equal. I do note though that not nearly as many schools superscore the ACT as superscore the SAT.</p>
<p>The fact that so many schools will accept ACT + writing over SAT + SAT Subject tests, tells me they take it seriously…in fact it appears to be worth more to them, at least in that sense.</p>
<p>Here’s DS’s experience.</p>
<p>He took the SAT and did well (2320 in one sitting).
Then he took the ACT and got a 36 (in one sitting).</p>
<p>Since his top choice didn’t require SAT Subject tests if one had the ACT with writing, he didn’t take any. But he decided to send in both the SAT and ACT.</p>
<p>He applied to Columbia, EA, and was accepted.</p>
<p>So that’s an example of not taking SAT Subject Tests and getting in an Ivy. </p>
<p>For the record, while DS’s test scores, grades and extracurriculars were very strong, he was not valedictorian or just below. (He was in the top 5% of the class.) At the same time, his essays were very, very good. Those essays, we believe, mattered, because they showed him to be someone who is a creative and interesting person, someone who will fit with Columbia’s culture and contribute to its community.</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s true. Most colleges consider the SAT and the ACT on a similar basis. Or at least they profess to do so.</p>
<p>@Audrea Your friends are definitely mistaken. I received a likely letter from upenn a few days ago and I only submitted the act</p>
<p>NOT TRUE. My friend took the ACT and got into Brown. They just have to analyze it differently, since most students apply with the SAT. The ACT is equally as challenging, just in a different way. </p>
<p>This is just my opinion but if they were actually regarded competely equal why would the ratio for most IVY schools by 70/30 for people who got accepted with an SAT score vs an ACT score? I do think it is gettting closer ot be condered equal, but the ACT will have to make a few changes to make it more equal. Until then I think it’s important to realize that they do favor, however minutely, the SAT over the ACT.</p>
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<p>Perhaps because the Ivies are in the northeast, most Ivy applicants are also from the NE/mid Atlantic/CA (as compared to other parts of the country) and the SAT is far more popular in those areas?</p>
<p>@OHMomof2 that isnt true they make sure they have people from a good variety of states, nationalities, ethnicities, and gender balance</p>
<p>Yes they do, nonetheless the population of the US is distributed in such a way that most applicants are from CA, the NE and mid-Atlantic. Which is SAT country.</p>
<p><a href=“2017 Ivy League Admissions Statistics | Ivy Coach”>http://theivycoach.com/2017-ivy-league-admissions-statistics/</a></p>
<p>@OHMomof2 The website is very imformative and helpful! I guess that is true, which means I dont need to take the SAT too! Yay!</p>
<p>@Audrae Yes, it’s a myth that the SAT + Subject Tests is “preferred” over the ACT. </p>
<p>I know a few more examples of people who submitted just their ACT’s. Just the other day, I got a likely to Stanford, to which I also just sent my ACT scores to. </p>
<p>Stand out in admissions? Just do the best you can at school, while actively trying to be engaged in the activities you like (not a laundry list of stuff), and also try to make “better” your surroundings and your community. </p>
<p>Also keep in mind, admissions is a rather unpredictable process. When you’ve got sub-7 percent acceptance rates, you’ve got to remember that. </p>
<p>Yes, it is due to the geographic distribution of students, not the preference of the schools. Of course, there are also mis-informed students that were told to take SAT for certain schools with very outdated advice.</p>
<p>My son attends a prep school in the midwest and the students are advised to compare their PLAN and PSAT scores during their sophomore year, and pursue the line of testing that appears most suitable to them. </p>
<p>I’m comfortable with my son taking only the ACT +writing, even though he is applying to an ivy school . However, most parents in this area would be very uncomfortable with their child only taking the SAT. The bias is still strong, but I’m pretty sure it rests with the parents and not with current admission committees. </p>
<p>I think that they test different things. The SAT seems more based on puzzles/problem solving, while the ACT seems based on actual knowledge/memorization. Different students with different personalities/learning styles do better on one than another.</p>
<p>But really, it’s evident that the ACT is easier than SAT in a way that ACT requires less critical thinking. </p>
<p>Just because colleges accept both ACT and the SAT doesn’t mean that they will measure the score in the same way…I’m not saying that the SAT is preferred, but it seems like you need to have to stronger aspect (namely EC) with an ACT score.</p>
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<p>I don’t know why you think it’s “evident”.</p>
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<p>This is why there is a concordance table created by the College Board and the ACT.</p>
<p><a href=“http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/sat/data/concordance”>http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/sat/data/concordance</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchnote-2009-40-act-sat-concordance-tables.pdf”>http://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchnote-2009-40-act-sat-concordance-tables.pdf</a></p>
<p>It does not matter if one test is easier or harder, they are still looking at the percentile of the students interpreted by the scores. They want the students with top 1% ACT scores as much as those with the top 1% SAT scores. The percentile distributions are basically the foundation for the conversion chart. Of course, certain student may perform better in one test than the other one, but the schools just look at whichever one you submitted or did better if submitted both.</p>
<p>Is there any difference between a 2360 and a 36? I got a 35 and 2360 right now, just wanted to know if that 36 is gonna help me at all. </p>
<p>I can’t imagine it would unless you were going for some scholarship that requires a 2400/36.</p>
<p>35 vs 36 or 2360 vs 2400 would have little to no impact on admission but for some merit scholarships.</p>