<p>"I do think that some people correlate geography with intelligence, which is a hilarious prejudice"</p>
<p>I never said geography had anything to do with it. There is a socioeconomic difference and better schooling system in the east/west than the middle states. </p>
<p>also, as i said before, geography itself is not the reason. its not like the water in the east makes you smarter. What I am talking about is the same factors that make the average IQ in the east higher than the average IQ in the middle states(remember how kerry supporters were flaunting that blue states had higher IQ than red states). </p>
<p>Grammar nazi, sorry. I am in a rush.</p>
<p>EDIT: CB Test Information for Princeton and Harvard
Princeton
Test Scores
SAT Reasoning Verbal: 680 - 770 100%
SAT Reasoning Math: 690 - 790 100%
ACT Composite: - %</p>
<p>These stats are for accepted students btw. Sure, maybe they treat both tests equal. But, it doesn't look like it from here. 99% of the admitted had at least sent in an SAT score. Only one percent of admitted exclusively sent in ACT scores. Unless the ACT students only make up 1% of the total applicants, either a)ACT is not valued as much or b)the applicants from ACT states are less qualified or c)kids who took ACT score felt the need to take SAT as well as they felt ACT score has less value.</p>
<p>also, while there are conversion charts, i don't see them to be accurate. as most people say, the SAT and ACT test different things. With that said, isnt the point of using the SAT and ACT at a university to "equal the playing field". If 95% of applicants are sending in SAT scores, why can't they all? This allows a university to fairly compare an applicant's score to the rest of the pool. You can't compare SAT and ACT scores. The error on those charts are too great. For example, my friend decided to take both because he thought ACT would be helpful for the schools he was applying to in the midwest. His SAT: 2300. His ACT: 31. Now if he had only taken the ACT, colleges wouldn't be as impressed. According to so called charts, his ACT score would have been unfairly compared to a 1360-1400. When such a large percentage of applicants to a certain university are sending SAT, it is unfair to an applicant and the university to send in an ACT score alone. The college would use an SAT/ACT comparision which would lead to misrepresentation.</p>
<p>Gator, I was tempted to engage you in a debate on this but judging from a number of your other posts I've just browsed, I don't see the point. Your lack of logic on other threads, combined with your tendency to throw out your personal (unsubstantiated) beliefs as facts, makes the attempt a no-win game.</p>
<p>But before I do, I will try to point out that the reason Harvard and Princeton have so few applicants who present ACT scores is that they receive applications mostly from the two coasts; more precisely, the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic states and California. These are SAT areas. If we are going to use anecdotes as supporting evidence, let me say that until my second (not even my first) son applied to colleges, I did not even know there was such a thing as ACT, because I live in a state where people take the SAT. </p>
<p>Princeton's reasons for not accepting the ACT until recently is peculiar to Princeton, so it is not even worth bothering about.
If there seems to be a preference for SAT it is only due to familiarity; not greater respect for what its scores represent. I know what a SAT score of 1400 represents. I have to convert an ACT score of 32 into its SAT equivalent. I'm sure that plenty of adcoms are in the same situation; but they will be exposed to more and more ACT scores and will be more familiar with their significance.</p>
<p>As for the differences between what the SAT and the ACT are supposed to be testing, I'll let Xiggi discuss them.</p>
<p>Marite, as far as I know the ACT has a constant curve, at least for the subtests-- that is an ACT score of 32 always equates to the same percentile ranking in different test administrations. Since this info is included with score reports to students, I am sure the ad coms are very familiar with this and don't have to give much thought to how a 33 in the ACT math compares to a 710 on the SAT math. </p>
<p>I do think that students who take both tests and score well are likely to submhit both. With my daughter, the decision to submit ACT only was tactical. The SAT's were actually equivalent to the ACT score, and in fact it was with some dismay that she elected to withhold the 760 SAT Writing score and 11 point essay -- but she didn't want to have colleges see her SAT II scores. Because of her junior year foreign exchange, she took SAT II's during the fall in course subjects she had not yet completed; the SAT IIs were needed for UC admissions, but she did not need to score particularly high to satisfy UC. </p>
<p>And as to my comment #11 above -- what I was trying to say is that ALL the kids who are apply to Ivies & other elites are "smart".... but not all are equally accomplished and/or interesting. The unfortunate part is that some kids just don't get the fact that they could be doing something better on Saturdays than studying and retaking the tests to nudge already high scores into the stratosphere.</p>
<p>Cal Poly SLO, btw, actually states that they prefer ACT over SAT, although they will accept either. That's a fairly selective school that expects their students to be "smart." </p>
<p>And again, the difference between a 33 and a 740 is meaningless. What students and sometimes parents don't understand is that taking another test on another day would produce a similar score within a range of expected scores. Colleges are not comparing a 740M here with a 760M there; either score falls within an expected range; if it's good enough, it's good enough and another applicant's 750 isn't going to be the deciding factor. The question is, is it good enough? 680 is good enough for some schools, not good enough for others. 750 is good enough for everyone--move on, do something else with your Saturdays.</p>
<p>Add to that the fact that "good enough" is taken in context- including the type of school the student is coming from and the student's performance there. So a strong student from a public school isn't going to be penalized for score that might seem below norm for a kid coming from an elite prep school.</p>