Should Students take the ACT or the SAT?

Q: WHICH TEST IS MORE POPULAR?

For the first time ever more American high school students took the ACT over the SAT in 2010.  Slightly more than 1.5 million students took each test, but the trend is clear.  Over the course of the next decade the ACT will continue to gain in popularity among students, teachers, administrators, and universities.  The new found popularity for the ACT will be a direct blow to the College Board and to the SAT itself.

Q: WHICH TEST IS THE BETTER MEASUREMENT  TOOL FOR COLLEGE-READINESS?

The ACT is now considered the better test of college success.  It is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school whereas the SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities.  And while educators agree that reasoning and verbal abilities are important, they would also agree that the true measure of success lies in college readiness skills – skills the ACT directly reinforces and measures.

Q: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF EACH TEST?

The ACT has up to 5 components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test. The SAT has only 3 components: Critical Reasoning, Mathematics, and a required Writing Test.  When students prep for the ACT exam, whether through daily work in school or through a test prep class, they are remediating and refining skills needed for success in high school, in college, and in life.

Q: WHICH TEST DO EDUCATORS FEEL IS THE BEST REFLECTION OF FUTURE SUCCESS?

Educators at the highest levels are also realizing that the ACT is a better college preparation tool.  For this reason there are now seven states that use the ACT as their official state exam: Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wyoming, & N. Carolina.  How many states use the SAT as their official state test?  Zero.

Q: SHOULD STUDENTS PREPARE FOR AND TAKE BOTH EXAMS, JUST TO BE SAFE?

This trend puts to rest the old notion that students should prepare for and take both tests.  In today’s test-happy environment, the last stress busy high school juniors need is to prepare for and take two high-stakes exams.  Every college and university now accepts the ACT for admission and scholarship purposes.  Harvard and Stanford both accept the ACT as readily as the SAT.  Most students score higher on the ACT because it measures what they have been learning in school for eleven years, so why bother with the SAT?  There simply is no reason other than habits are hard to break.  If your parents took an SAT, you’ll be pushed to take one.  If you live on the east or west coast where the SAT has always been a mainstay, you’ll automatically be directed to take the SAT.  Clearly, this trend is dying – as it should, but it will take a while for everyone to see the light.   Simply put, for the majority of students, the ACT is the right test to take.