<p>What are the pros and cons of each test? If a student takes the ACT instead of the SAT, is it necessary to also take the SAT IIs? Are there schools that accept only the SAT and will not look at the ACT? If a student takes these tests in the fall will the results arrive at the colleges in time?</p>
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<li>The pros and cons: SAT rewards a good vocabulary and a preference for problem solving vs. more advanced math skills (it will never really escape its aptitude origins). On the other hand, the new test has far fewer difficult questions and really hurts those students who tend to make a few "easy" mistakes while eating up the harder questions. The test is set up to trick--this is part of its charm, but it can be extremely frustrating for some students.</li>
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<p>The ACT can only be described as more straightforward than the SAT. It asks exactly what it wants to know, whereas the SAT often asks for answers one or two layers away from what it wants to know--that, of course, can't be answered if the student doesn't have the knowledge its testing for. With 255 questions to the SAT's 112, the ACT now offers a competitive advantage to those students who are inordinately affected by the SAT's lower difficulty level. </p>
<p>Painfully, near-learning-disability-slow readers should not take the ACT, as three of the four sections require reading. The reading and SR sections are brutally brief with no time for angsting over answer choices. On the other hand, there's no "guessing penalty", so take your best shot and move on. </p>
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<li><p>The ACT is an SAT equivalent. You still have to take Subject tests.</p></li>
<li><p>Princeton is the only nationally ranked school I'm aware of that "prefers" the SAT, while technically accepting both. CalTech broke down recently and accepts both. I don't know of any others that don't take both, but there could be a few outliers. Every so often, you'll see some expert snootily saying "Sure, they <em>say</em> they accept both, but they really prefer the SAT" but I can't find any prejudice against the ACT in admissions CDS. <em>More</em> students submit SATs, but if you look at the test scores admitted, they correlate nicely. If there were a prejudice against ACTs, you'd expect to see higher median scores. </p></li>
<li><p>Assuming you aren't applying for early admission, you can always test September through November. Most schools accept test results through December, and a good number through January. All schools clearly state the last test date accepted. </p></li>
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<p>Worst case, they see no clear advantage. Since the new SAT, though, I've seen more students benefit from taking the ACT and my general recommendation is to take both.</p>
<p>At some schools, the ACT is a substitute for both the SAT I and II. All the schools my daughter applied to were this way.</p>
<p>Schools used to have a preference, said so, and didn't have any problems saying so. So, when they change what they said, I have no reason not to believe them.</p>
<p>Princeton tells people now that it will accept both and has no preference. At least this is what people have reported on CC.</p>
<p>A couple places I've heard that do not accept the ACT -- Harvey Mudd and Wake Forest.</p>
<p>I always recommend that people take sample tests of both. One may like one format better than the other, or at least do better on one. I don't think it can be predicted in advance.</p>
<p>One difference in the tests is that the ACT has score choice and no penalty for wrong answers, and the SAT is the opposite.</p>
<p>Well, other advantages to ACT are: no penalty for guessing and, more importantly, they will send only the test scores you want them to, not the whole set. So it's kinda like being able to play Black Jack without being penalized for going over 21; i.e., you can keep playing until you get a score you like, then send it in.</p>