<p>Is it typical for there to be such a huge discrepancy between the PSAT and PLAN? My son got a 170 on the PSAT and a 33 on the PLAN.</p>
<p>170 on the PSAT correlates to a SAT of 1700
33 on the PLAN correlates to a SAT of 2200</p>
<p>Those numbers are signifcantly different and obviously it appears we should go with the ACT, but has anyone else seen such big score differences between the tests?</p>
<p>Also, does taking the ACT opposed to the SAT significantly impair his ability to get accepted to these high-level colleges? I know most colleges say they accept both, but what is the reality? Most things I read on here about the students stats and their acceptances to these high-level colleges, the majority of those students do NOT take the ACT, most take and submit the SAT only.</p>
<p>Colleges really do treat them equally. My D was the opposite of your son. She got a 27 on PLAN, and a 218 on PSAT (sophomore) and a 225 (junior). She took the SAT in December and got a 2340.</p>
<p>I suggest you have your son take a practice ACT and a practice SAT. At our school, the test prep companies offer a free combination practice ACT/SAT to help you assess which is better. The combination/diagnostic tests aren’t a full length ACT or full length SAT but should help you gauge. Of course, the test prep companies give the free tests in hopes of hooking you into signing up for expensive classes or tutoring. </p>
<p>The main thing I would suggest is don’t take the real test “for practice” just to see how he does. Many schools will require you to submit all your scores, even though they may say that they will only consider your best score. Only take the real ACT or SAT after he is consistently doing well on the practice tests.</p>
<p>It isn’t unusual to have a large discrepancy between the two. I never took the PLAN, but my highest SAT score (I took it twice) is a 2120, while I scored a 35 on the ACT (comparable to 2300-2350) the first time around. The tests really are very different, but most schools don’t discriminate.</p>