<p>I have no doubt that there have been many threads regarding sending in the SAT+Subject Tests vs ACT. If someone can link me to a straight up answer, that would be great.</p>
<p>The problem is that Yale (and probably other colleges) has stated that they will accept the ACT in lieu of the SAT and two subject tests. Why would it not be a matter of SAT vs ACT? Is the parallel of the subject tests the science section or some other subscore on the ACT?</p>
<p>Let me give an example to explain what I mean. What would be better:</p>
<p>SAT: 2100 + 5 Subject Tests all 800's
or
ACT: 34</p>
<p>Obviously the composite for the ACT is higher, but would the difference be balanced out by the subject tests?</p>
<p>Would it make sense to send in both? They said that they would choose either one or the other and determine which is the 'higher' score. But they stated that they look at either the SAT + subject tests independently or the ACT independently. </p>
<p>So would sending in an ACT of 34 which is higher than a 2100 thus negate all those high subject test scores? I'm only asking since they seemed to make clear that it was either one or the other and they're not supposed to take into account certain parts of either at the same time.</p>
<p>First, having 5 subject tests is mostly overkill which does not add much to the application. Yale uses only the highest two subject tests to evaluate admission. </p>
<p>Second, Yale does what it says it does. It accepts ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT IIs. SAT IIs are used for admission only if you also submit SAT. The ACT is considered alone. If you submit SAT, two SAT IIs and ACT, they will chose that which they believe is better for you in the evaluation, either the SAT and SAT IIs or, alternatively, the ACT to determine admission. Thus you should consider it to your advantage to submit everything because they could decide that your combo of SAT plus SAT IIs is better than just your ACT or vice versa. Yale will not hold low scores against you in that evaluation.</p>
<p>As to why a number of colleges accept ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT IIs, it is something that began many years ago mainly as a result of the fact that most students in states in the middle of the country where the ACT predominates would not take the SAT and SAT IIs just so they could apply to eastern schools that required them. Top students from those states were (and still are) nowhere near as enamored and obsessed with applying and going to ivies or other elitist eastern colleges as eastern students were. By accepting just the ACT, those eastern colleges found that they could get more applicants from the middle of the country. As time progressed, they also found that the students they accepted just based on ACT did just as well as students accepted based on SAT plus SAT IIs. As a result, the number of colleges accepting ACT in lieu of both SAT and SAT IIs has slowly grown over the year (Columbia has just recently joined that group for those applying for Fall 2013 admission).</p>