<p>I see the benefit of trying both, but I'm leary of testing overkill. Like to hear everyone else's thoughts on this subject.</p>
<p>Also, for any that have done both, how did it work out? Did your child focus on one type after the first round of each? </p>
<p>SAT 2 strategy fits in here as well, given that ALL SAT scores are reported if an applicant needs to submit subject test scores (SAT 2's) on top of either the SAT 1 or ACT.</p>
<p>My GC requires all of us to take both the SAT and ACT. So I've taken both. I did better on my first round of both on the ACT though very close (1220/1600, 1850/2400 vs. 28). I retook my ACT and got the same score, so I'm now focusing on my SAT. I first concentrated on the ACT because it's more curriculum based, but I didn't reap much from that, so my focus has shifted now.</p>
<p>celebrian25....did the 2 different test formats impact your studying at all, i.e., confuse you between types of tests and respective test completion strategies?</p>
<p>I didn't get confused at all really. I think the biggest issue is the format of the tests and adapting to both (I took them within a month of each other, act-april, sat-may, act-june). Like you have to be very swift on the ACT, but I've never had time issues on the SAT. I think concentration should first be put on the SAT though, because those scores must be submitted where you can take the ACT 20 times and there's no problem hiding them.</p>
<p>what do you mean you must submit SAT scores? There are plenty of high end schools now, including Penn & Amherst who don't require SAT 2's if you've taken the ACT w/ writing, therefore ACT alone may suffice, depending upon your targets.</p>
<p>I didn't mean you must submit, but if you submit, you submit them all for SAT. :)</p>
<p>Papa, my kids took both because ACT is the standard test taken by high schoolers in my state, and SAT is the one that most colleges requested. SAT is also one with which they were most familiar, having first taken it in talent search programs in middle school.</p>
<p>They didn't do any special preparation for either SAT (I or II) or ACT. Things worked out just fine. The scores they achieved on the SAT I were equivalent to the scores they achieved on the ACT. It wasn't too much testing for them, in part because they didn't spend any time on prepping. What's the cost of an extra Saturday morning taking a test?</p>
<p>D (now a college soph) took SAT I, three SAT II's and ACT. She took the SAT I twice and the ACT once after the SAT's. Her overall ACT score was the equivalent of 100 points higher that the best combo of SAT scores. Maybe the ACT was her kind of test, maybe she had less test anxiety. She studied for the SAT's but did no prep specifically for the ACT. One of the selective LAC's she was interested in at the time, Middlebury, would take a combination of SAT II's, ACT, or AP scores instead of SAT I's. She thought of it as a win-win since she wouldn't send the ACT score if it had been lower.</p>
<p>My son took the SAT 3 times and the ACT once. Similar scores for SAT and ACT, well, don't know about the third time SAT test since he just took it 2 weeks ago, but for him, there wasn't much difference.</p>
<p>Son took SAT x2 with basically the same score. At the last minute he decided he needed a high score for a competive school-he signed up for SAT and ACT one night. He upped his SAT by 200. The ACT was 30, but some of the individual scores were lots higher. He was accepted by most schools with the lower SAT-decisions were back before the scores. One merit outside scholarship happened to ask for the individual ACT scores he scored highest in-he rec'd one of 6 awards from the national company. Son read the ACT for dummies for about an hour as prep.</p>
<p>I think he did well on the tests because he was relaxed and it really didn't matter at that point.</p>
<p>My kids have taken both the ACT and SAT. In our experience, the two boys have gotten comparable percentiles on both types of tests, but my daughter was much more successful on the SAT. I think this was due to time constraints on the last two sections of the ACT: the reading and science reasoning parts are only 35 minutes in length, and she prefers a little time to ponder.</p>
<p>My S has taken the new SAT I twice; would like him to take it once more to up his CR again but he won't. He says the new SAT I is TOO long to attempt a third time. Also, he refuses to try the ACT because he's had crummy AP History and Honors Science teachers.
He's taken some SAT IIs. He's scored above average on all the SATs but given his class rank and GPA we think he should be able to do better. But he's all tested out so gotta listen to the kiddo.</p>
<p>My S will take both, which is much more my pushing than the GC. We're here in "SAT Land", but it just makes sense to me to take both just in case you're a person who does much better on one than the other. Plus, even though we're in SAT Land I was born and raised in ACT Land.</p>
<p>It is a lot easier to boost your scores on the SAT than the ACT because it really is more about figuring out ETS than what you know. </p>
<p>I see a huge benefit in taking both because it sure worked for me! I had taken the PSAT 3 times, and then I took the SAT and got a 1980. I took the ACT a couple months later and got a 33...this is a major boost from my SAT score. I say, take the ACT once and if you don't do well focus on the SAT.</p>
<p>The Robert Byrd merit scholarship is awarded to a certain #kids from each state. Each state seems to have its own rules for choosing winners - some use ACT scores, some use SAT1, some choose the best x students from each school district.... If your kid is a good test-taker, I'd look into your own state's rules for this one.</p>
<p>D took the ACT and made a 32 with a 36 Math and a 26 science. OOPS. Missed an entire section. Took the SAT and made a 1470/2160. Roughly equivalent in percentile of test-takers although ETS considers the SAT score 50 points higher. She takes the ACT again for two reasons. First she was ticked about the 26 in her "area" . Second she wanted to submit ACT instead of the SAT Subject Tests. She was happy with the 32. She made a 35 with some prep following Xiggi's basic plan for the SAT. She's happy she spent the time.</p>
<p>If I had it all to do over again, I'd have my kid take the ACT first in junior year, followed by SAT I after the ACT scores are in, and then a limit of 1 retake of whichever test seemed to have the best chance of improvement... favoring ACT in the event of a tossup. Retake should probably be done at first administration in senior year - this gives time over summer for study and prep. </p>
<p>Rationale:
1. Any more test taking is madness. The likelihood of improvement is outweighted by stress, time & expense.<br>
2. Most colleges will take the ACT+writing in lieu of SAT I plus SAT II's , so in the event the kid scores very high on the ACT (33+)... the kid can be done with test-taking. (Note: if PSAT scores are within NM cutoff range, then SAT I will be necessary in any case, so order of tests no longer matters) Also note that some colleges will require SAT II's in any event, so efficiency rationale may not always apply.
3. Because of ACT score choice options, if there are multiple administrations, it is probably the better option.</p>
<p>S too, both. Did significantly better on SAT and then focused on that one. Surprisingly, his worst ACT sub-score was math, in contrast to his good SAT math score.</p>
<p>ps - from personal experience only (a few kids that that have taken both), more right-brained kids seemed to do better on ACT. But, data points are few since we live in SAT country. Anyone else find that to be true?</p>
<p>blue, since D is a definite "right-brainer" you can add one more to your sample. Of course she'd tell you that the ACT is harder (well, at least the science) but the SAT is trickier.</p>