<p>My D is only a soph. so she has not taken these yet (only 8th grade for JH) but is it beneficial to take only the ACT assuming she will score equally on each test and not bother with both SAT and 2 or 3 SAT II's.</p>
<p>Am I correct that schools do not require the SAT II if you take the ACT.</p>
<p>We are in NJ so the SAT is standard. She will take the PSAT in jr year for NMS.</p>
<p>Most schools allow students to take either ACT or SAT; Princeton allows ACT only if it is REQUIRED by other colleges to which the student is applying. Check on whether the ACT dispenses students from taking SAT-IIs. It may differ from college to college.</p>
<p>Thanks - the reason I ask is if allowed to only take the ACT it would save a lot of trouble/time since it seems you need at least 3 testing dates to get all the SAT and II's done without retests for attempting to improve your score. The ACT is 1 date with possible retests. Am I correct?</p>
<p>I can't recall reading of any schools that will substitute the ACT for SAT II tests. (Are there any that do?) Almost all schools will accept the ACT instead of the SAT I. Some schools are removing SAT IIs from their admissions requirements, but not even a majority of schools have dropped the requirement thus far. You'll need to explore the requirements for each of the schools she is interested in.</p>
<p>Most students take the SAT or ACT, and some SAT IIs. And yes, that means multiple test dates.</p>
<p>There are indeed schools that will take the ACT in lieu of the SAT I + SAT IIs. Yale does this, but reminds applicants that SAT IIs are used in some cases for course placement. Be sure to check the website for each school</p>
<p>ditto quiltguru -- In addition to Yale, I know that both Wesleyan and Bryn Mawr will accept the ACT in lieu of the SAT I + SAT IIs. But mootmom is right -- this really seems to be in flux right now and you really need to explore each school.</p>
<p>Princeton DOES accept the ACT equally to the SAT I. Here's the quote from the site:</p>
<p>Test Score Requirements
Applicants for undergraduate admission normally are expected to take the following examinations:</p>
<p>SAT I or ACT, and SAT II (three subjects);
the TOEFL score is required for non-native English speakers who are not in an English-language school.</p>
<p>I've checked this for my own daughter and the MAJORITY of colleges which require SAT II's will accept ACT+ Writing in lieu of SAT I + SAT II. </p>
<p>Majority does NOT mean all -- a notable exception is the University of California, which requires 2 SAT II's of all students. Also, many schools specifically require SAT II's for certain majors, and the practice of accepting the ACT only is not as common among the very most selective colleges. So I would be wary of following that path if you think your daughter is likely to apply to Ivy league caliber schools. </p>
<p>But if I had it all to do over again with the benefit of hindsight, I would have encouraged my daughter to skip the SAT I entirely and just focus on the ACT. Obviously it makes more sense to take 1 test than 3 -- and if you consider the issue of retaking tests and score choice, I think that the ACT is a much more cost efficient and logical path.</p>
<p>The other issue is that of what test is best suited for the student. My own D just couldn't "get" the SATs; 620 CR vs 36 (perfect score) Reading ACT. 10 SAT essay vs 12 ACT essay. </p>
<p>I would give both tests a try.</p>
<p>calmom, this has been my daughter's decision and it turned out rather serendipitously. She didn't want to take the first administration of the new SAT I until after she heard how it turned out nationally, so she decided to take the ACT with writing instead. After she scored a 35 composite (all sections 35 except Math 33), she stopped. She is taking 3 SAT IIs (has taken 2 and will take the third this fall in time for EA/ED) since some schools still require them. It has saved her a LOT of angst (in comparison to all of her friends who took the SAT I in March and all of whom are taking it AGAIN this fall plus SAT IIs).</p>
<p>The ACT only releases scores you choose? So would the ACT be a test to "try" at the end of 10th grade to see if my D does well on this type?</p>
<p>Tom:</p>
<p>My understanding of the ACT is that it is more closely aligned to curriculum than the SAT (which is why the SAT has been used for Talent Searches in 7th & 8th grades).
If you feel your D would benefit from a trial run, she could take the ACT at the end of 10th grade. But she might not have covered all the materials required to do well on the ACT at that point.
For SAT-IIs, it is best to take each at the conclusion of the appropriate class, when the materials is still fresh, provided that the class has been aligned with the test. For example, when my S1 took SAT-II Physics, we discovered less than one month before the test that the teacher had not covered and would not cover a huge chunk of the materials (on optics).</p>
<p>Tom, this is exactly what my S did this past year, with generally positive results. The ACT is supposedly more of a curriculum-based test, but I think this is often overstated. My S had the following general comments:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Science, in particular, is not very curriculum-based. It could much more accurately be described as "scientific reading". Generally involved interpreting charts, graphs, and scientific writing. While it's true that a student's experience in science classes will help with this section, it is NOT a "science test". </p></li>
<li><p>English and Reading. S felt that these sections were very similar in style and difficulty to the CR section of the practice PSAT and SAT tests that he had taken. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>*Math. A bit more problematic. The ACT appears to test math up to a slightly higher level than the SAT. Maybe more advanced algebra and trig. The ACT score report had math broken down into 3 subsections: 1. Pre-algebra and Elementary Algebra 2. Intermediate Algebra and Geometry, and 3. Plane Geometry and Trigonometry. This was S' biggest problem on the test, because he has not had Algebra II yet. He felt that Math was the most curriculum driven portion of the test. </p>
<p>The good news about the ACT: Guessing isn't penalized. </p>
<p>The bad news: The general consensus is that you have to work faster than on the SAT if you hope to finish most sections. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>In some schools , especially here in the hinterlands, it is very difficult to take SAT Subject Tests, especially Science.The reason? Take my D for example. She will take Math IIC because she has already finished CalcAB as a junior, but it is a senior course. At her school AP BIO is a senior only course. There is no AP CHEM, AP Physics to take prior to the test, as they are not offered at all. Very frustrating and potentially important to someone applying as a science major. She could have taken Writing but it's been jettisoned. </p>
<p>So D is concentrating all her efforts on schools that will accept the ACT in lieu of the SAT Subject Tests, but she will take IIC and submit it in addition to both the NEW SAT1, and the ACTw/writing, and her AP Test scores (all we have available in Hooterville). Can't hurt, right? She is a little nervous about her lack of the Subject Tests but if schools "grade" or "review" a kid in relationship to what coursework is avaiable to them , one would think that this would be analogous. At least she hopes so. Her other choice would be to self study for two Subject Tests , probably Bio or Chem and ???? Maybe I better go look at the CB site again. LOL.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, I thought the SAT Subject Tests were really geared to the completion of the standard college prep HS classes, not the advanced classes. In other words, SAT Bio would be appropriate to take after HS bio, not AP bio. Same for US History, Chem, etc. At least that's what the College Board website says. That's not to say that the AP course would get someone even more prepared.</p>
<p>Iderochi, if this were only true. My D took Honor's Physics this year and was planning to take the SAT II in Physics this spring. Then she looked at the prep book and discovered that huge pieces of the necessary curriculum had never been covered, so elected not to take it. She pulled out her Honor's Chemistry notebook from the prior year and compared it to the prep book and found that she had covered most but not all of the curriculum in class. She has elected to review her notes from sophomore year, self-study the small amount she hadn't covered, and will take the Chem SAT II this autumn. Frustrating.</p>
<p>Sounds like the SAT II is almost by definition a self-study situation then. The AP classes at least theoretically (don't get me started) prepare you for the AP test, but with the SAT II there's no way to really know if you're covering everything unless you self-study? Aargh.</p>
<p>Re:SAT-II:</p>
<p>In theory, SATII is geared to Honors classes in the sciences; Math 2C should be doable for someone who has finished PreCalc. Someone who has studied at the AP level, does have an edge, however.</p>
<p>The main trouble, as many posters, including myself, have noted, is that many teachers do not align their Honors classes with the SATII curriculum. We found out about this when my H bought the SATII-Physics book for S1 and saw that optics was not going to be covered in the Honors Physics class he was taking. Note that AP-Physics C is NOT aligned with SATII-Physics, as it covers only Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. AP-Physics B, however, is better aligned, but many colleges do not grant credit for AP-Physics B (it is however, probably better for pre-med than Physics C).
Any student wishing to take SAT-IIs at the end of junior year should check the curriculum on the CB website and buy SAT-II review books.</p>
<p>Or they can all punt and go to JC with my kid.JK.</p>
<p>Just joshing around, as there are wonderful schools that require none of the above. Most of which have found there way into D's heart. Of D's 13 schools (Her GC will have a cow, but since Williams requires SAT Subject Tests and therefore is NOT on the list, it won't be a purple cow.), it really only comes into play at Penn SEAS, as they appear to highly recommend IIC and a Science, and Scripps who "recommends" .</p>
<p>
[quote]
Any student wishing to take SAT-IIs at the end of junior year should check the curriculum on the CB website and buy SAT-II review books
[/quote]
I repeat. Aargh. At this point I have very serious doubts that I will be able to convince my S to pick up any additional study guides for any more tests. Ever. Frankly, I think I've run out of bribery tools :)
The only good news is that I don't believe any of the schools on his list require SAT Subject Tests if the ACT is taken (some still "highly recommend" them, however). Maybe it will give him more incentive to nail the ACT when he re-takes it!</p>