<p>I think (I honestly can't remember, there have been too many threads) that Princeton finally came down off their SAT only high horse and removed their ridiculous exception -- so they fully accept the ACT. Wake Forest is still SAT only, can't remember any others. In the ACT world, BYU is the only 4-year school of note that is ACT-only (though a number of 2-year satellite campuses of larger universities were also ACT-only, which I found odd). </p>
<p>quiltguru is right -- take both, at least once. While most kids will probably be in the same general range, there's always the possibility that a kid will slam dunk one but not the other. I seem to recall that Curmudgeon's D, who did quite well on the SAT to begin with, eventually just destroyed the ACT (35) -- which, in addition to opening up some new horizons could also result in better merit $$$.</p>
<p>I would go even further on the ACT/SAT front. My kid's SAT's were fine, but her ACT was far better. Problem is, you only send schools the ACT's you want to send, whereas with SAT, whenever you send one, you are stuck sending basically every SAT I and II you've ever taken. This means that for schools that accept the ACT plus SAT II's, my kid is stuck sending ACT plus SAT I's and II's. If we had it to do over, we would have her take ACT's first, and given her score, deep six SAT I's, taking only SAT II's. I don't think there are any colleges where ACT only or ACT plus SAT II's won't suffice.</p>
<p>Nester, wish I had thought of that too. Around here, I've never heard talk of taking ACTs among the honors student crowd. What is everyone's experience with critical reading scores on SAT vs ACT? (I know nothing at all about ACT. Is its "verbal" section called something other than verbal or critical reading?)</p>
<p>We also live in SAT country, but I made my S take the ACT twice -- I grew up in the midwest, so I was much more familiar with the ACT than most folks around her. ACT has a Reading section that has passages from social studies/science and arts/literature (you'll get a subscore breakdown). While the format is similar to the SAT CR format, I think the passages are longer than on the SAT, and time management can be an issue if you're not careful -- but there's no penalty for guessing, either. The ACT also has an English section, more similar to the SAT Writing, that tests usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills. The Science section on the SAT is somewhat strange. It's not really testing scientific knowledge, but rather testing the ability to interpret data from graphs and charts, and also the ability to draw logical conclusions from that data. Many find the science section to be the hardest -- particularly first-timers because it's not what they expected. Finally, the Math Section -- IMHO it can be very challenging due to time constraints. Kids HAVE to be disciplined to hit the questions and move on without wasting time. Getting bogged down on just a few math questions can be a killer. My son took the test twice. First time, just frantically filled in the ovals for the last 6-7 questions. The second time, even having experience with the tight timelines, he didn't answer the last 5 math questions -- he didn't even have time to randomly fill in the ovals. </p>
<p>So what was the outcome? Did he wind up doing better on the ACT than SAT? Are you able to suppress particular ACT scores, unlike the SAT? Is the ACT offered as frequently? Where do you find out test locations/dates?</p>
<p>lderochi discribed the test very well, my son took it almost cold the first time. Was surprised how hard the science section was and although he's great in math, had to fill in a lot of ovals quickly because he wasnt' fast enough. His friend had better luck with the random filling and scored better than he did by pure luck. All and all though, he thought it was less tiring being shorter than the SAT and he thought their essay questions were easier to answer "cold", because they were straightforward. (example: Do you think school should start later in the morning?")</p>
<p>I am going to echo what others said about taking the ACT as well as SAT. My d was one of those kids who did significantly better on the ACT. We would have saved a lot of grief for my d if we did not focus as much on the SAT test. But luckily we smartened up fast and she took the ACT with much better results. Also for d # 1, she took both her Sat II's and AP tests in May. Since SAT II's are subject based, she thought it made more sense to study for both tests at the same time. I believe she took the SAT I in April and June. And just wanted to add- I think a lot of college applications were not on line until the end of the summer. IMO, the essays don't change that drastically (or at least, it could be used for one of the schools) so it might be worthwhile to download an application or two now. I wouldn't suggest your kids write the essay until the new applications are available but they may want to have an idea of what is expected. The essays for the common app. has been pretty much the same for the past few years, so I don't think its a bad idea to get a copy of it now. The application will also help you focus on how to structure your activity sheet. Some schools really want you to follow the format that they set up on their application.</p>
<p>Once nice thing about the ACT is that it is given in multiple locations. In our large city the SAT is given at only one school while the ACT is given at 7 different schools and the local college.</p>
<p>worrywart, my son's taking SAT for the first time in April, so I can't answer your question. Based on the PSAT scores, it looks like he'll be one of those people who don't see significant differences between the two tests.</p>
<p>Most juniors haven't picked a college yet so you don't know if the college wants the ACT or the SAT. I think they should take both in the spring of the junior year...for the test-taking experience if nothing else. You can always re-take the one your school requires if you think you can do better...</p>
<p>One more vote for taking both tests - you can really prep at the same time for both, if you take a few practice ACTs, and review the grammar. The science section on the ACT is not what kids assume it is, and they sometimes over-analyze. There are some straight out factual questions on the ACT science, but the majority of those are basic knowledge of chemistry, biology, and 9th grade level physical science - I think they assume no one has had "real" physics. The science section has graphs as lderochi mentioned that really test logical thinking and graph reading skills, not content.
The critical reading section has a number of grammar based questions - Which best completes the blank or Is there anything incorrect in this sentence. At the high end - when kids are scoring between 33-36, some of these Eng questions can be very tricky, and a little practice may be a big help.
I would recommend doing the bulk of prep for the SAT first, because the ACT can have a "do over" without penalty.</p>
<p>a divergent timing view from studious mom....</p>
<p>If student has completed AlgII as a soph, a great time to prep for the SAT is after soph summer. It also preps the student for the psat (fall Jr year), which could mean free money somewhere. A strong SAT score in fall of Jr year, and a student could be 'done' with that test. End of Jr year is a good time to complete SAT II tests in any subject in which that student is taking an AP course.</p>
<p>Given score report ability, the ACT can be taken any time. Unless a student aces either one on the first try, both ACT and SAT should be tried -- most students achieve similar scores on both tests, but some students score significantly better on one or the other.</p>
<p>My S also included a resume and a letter along with any requests for recommendations. In our school the GC requests a letter from the parent and one from the child. We included these with the teacher forms too. Few people realize how important the recs are. Your child may really like a teacher and want to nurture the relationship but not know exactly how -encourage them to go in for office hours to ask questions, volunteer for a project or just stop by to say hi! For all the angst over ECs, recs are ranked higher in importance for almost every school. So, put a lot of effort into thinking about these. Don't necessarily go for the teacher who gave the easy A, if you think that teacher can't write a decent rec. Ask around to see if you can get a sense for who to pick - sometimes other teachers, the GC or parents of older students can clue you in!</p>
<p>To the parents recommending taking both ACT and SAT I -- I'm wondering if the SAT I is actually required for any colleges. All of the colleges to which my kid is applying seem to accept the ACT in lieu of the SAT I, several also requiring SAT II's. Are there colleges out there that refuse the ACT and demand SAT I? If so, it does make sense for a junior who isn't sure of his/her list to take a shot at both tests since you certainly don't want to discover senior year that you've never taken a required test. If not, I think that taking ACT first and considering foregoing the SAT I if the ACT scores look good could be optimal, given the risk inherent in taking SAT I.</p>
<p>Good point, roshke. I found recs to be the most frustrating part of the process because it's the one thing that is out of your child's control. Although our school requires juniors to make their requests in April (of junior year), few teachers actually come back to school in September with their recs written. </p>
<p>bluebayou, I agree with you completely about prepping during the summer before junior year. Being well prepared for the PSAT paid off (literally) for my eldest.</p>
<p>Glad to hear the hints about teacher recs. </p>
<p>Had no idea that they are personalized. Figured teachers use a "boilerplate" essentially and just "customize" here or there to fit each student.</p>
<p>Nester, VERY few colleges accept SAT only. The only two that I am aware of are Cal Tech and ?BYU. I really think that people are missing my point about the ACT and the SAT. There is NO reason for a kid to pay for and take both tests! Buy the practice books and have them take a TIMED practice SAT and a practice ACT and see which one they do better on. Then only prep that test (if they need to, my D did NO prep) and take it. If the "real" results turn out to be worse than predicted on the practice, then take the other.</p>
<p>However, if they choose to take the ACT, they should do so BEFORE taking the SAT I, since they may not need to report an SAT I at all if the scores are good. Also, take and report each SAT II separately, preferably BEFORE the SAT I. Otherwise, if the student wants to send the ACT and only the SAT II, they can without the penalty of showing a poorer SAT I. Remember, ACT has score choice, while SAT does not. All SAT scores (I and II) will be reported together.</p>