<p>It isn't that the East Coast school prefer the SAT, but it is more common in that part of the country for people to take. The SAT is more popular on the East and West coasts while the ACT is more popular in the middle part of the US. It just depends on which test people from your high school and your part of the country generally take. The reason for this is historical.</p>
<p>The colleges always say that they don't give preference to one test or the other. I believe this. The following is a website showing conversion between the two tests.</p>
<p>The SAT is harder for some people and the ACT is harder for others. The admissions guides suggest to people that if they don't do well on one test, then to try the other one. The SAT is probably more of test that measures your test-taking ability. The ACT is probably a better test for measuring actual knowledge.</p>
<p>There is a difficulty concerning financial aid for international in the US. Very few colleges are need-blind for internationals. However, the colleges that are tend to be the super-prestigious ones.</p>