<p>I know colleges say that they take both (and they do)! But why is it that most selective school applicants (I think 80%) submit SATs rather than ACTs? I don't find the SAT much easier.. Do colleges secretly prefer SATs?!?!?! Could someone explain this to me?</p>
<p>In both eastern and western states, the SAT is the test taken by most high school students. In the middle of the country, the ACT is the predominate test. That is mainly a result of history where the SAT got a foothold in most its states before the ACT came along and the ACT targeted mostly middle of the country states when it was created. Though the total number of states are about equal, the total population of the states where the SAT predominates is significantly greater than the total population of the states where the ACT predominates. Also, most of those very high ranked colleges are in the east or west and you get a much higher proportion of students from those states applying to those colleges than from students in the middle of the country where many of your top students are not enamored with those east and west coast colleges.</p>
<p>The more interesting figures are those from the last several years. Ten years ago, the number of high school seniors who took the SAT during their high school years was about 1.3 million and the ACT about 1 million. Now, the numbers are very close to each other, about 1.6 million each. That is partly due to all colleges accepting either and the last major hold-out colleges abandoning a requirement for one test or the other about 4 to 5 years ago. It is also due to SAT’s adding its writing section, resulting in an excruciatingly long test where the percentage of students scoring the max or very high dropped significantly from what occurred before the writing section was added. Partly as a result of that, states where the SAT predominates saw a significant increase in the number of students taking the ACT, i.e., more were turning to it as an additonal test to submit rather than more ACT test-takers also taking the SAT. Also, schools like the ivies went from having the percentage of students submitting the ACT from single digits to in the 20s and some over 30%.</p>
<p>In other words, what has happened in the last ten years is that the ACT has made major gains and the SAT has actually lost momentum. You are looking at figures just from now and saying to yourself that 20-30% figure for the ivies for submission of the ACT is low while those in charge of the College Board who are well aware of what has heppened in the last 10 years are looking at the figures with conern that its SAT is losing more and more of its market share to ACT. </p>
<p>Colleges do not have a preference except that in 2008, one set of colleges reversed the trend and decided to go from having no preference to stating a preference. The Cal Polys, located in a state where the SAT has always been predominate, decided to declare a preference for the ACT.</p>
<p>Wow. Couldn’t have asked for a better answer. Thanks so much</p>