SAT vs. ACT for this student?

Parents Forum
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<p>sbjdorlo, first, it can’t hurt to take the ACT, because he doesn’t have to send the score to any colleges if it’s bad.
But since you say his strengths include grammar and writing structure, I encourage him to take the ACT. That’s because the ACT can be beat, to an extent. Many of its questions and answers are written so one can easily eliminate one or more wrong answers quickly. For example, the question may talk about “he” and an answer may talk about “they.” Since the two don’t match, that answer is wrong. Some ACT tutors know this. Find one.</p>

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<p>I’m going to muster up the energy and apply for accommodations for the ACT in the next couple of weeks. We literally know nothing about the ACT and I am not sure I can afford a tutor. I’ve always used my older son and another mathy friend for tutoring the SAT math as needed. </p>

<p>He got a 78 on the PSAT writing section, so that does seem to be his greatest strength. However, he thinks he wants to major in engineering (possibly architecture), so the math needs to be good. What’s considered a good score on the ACT? 32? 33? I don’t yet know what schools he’ll apply to; it really will be dependent on how he (re)tests on SAT, and tests on ACT and subject tests.</p>

<p>For now, the 2090 (1420) on the first SAT is the baseline for looking at schools until further notice.</p>

<p>PS. Eye surgery seemed to go well. He’s recovering (doctor opted to do one eye only, thankfully). We should gradually see over the next 3-6 months how much it helped. For now, he still has double vision at a distance (necessarily a result of converging the eyes) but it’s getting better each day.</p>

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<p>yes, a 32 is a good score, and comparable to the 1420.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/pdf/reference.pdf[/url]”>http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/pdf/reference.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>fwiw: Of my two kids, one did really well on the SAT and bombed the ACT. The second kid did the opposite. (Their converted scores are comparable, as are their IQ’s – to the extent that the middle school IQ test is worth anything.)</p>

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<p>Haven’t followed up on this. My son took the SAT in January and scored over 2200, so we are done with SAT and will skip the ACT! No need for this guy to retake and try for a 2300+. He got 750 on math and 750 on writing. :-)</p>