If you’re in high school and just starting to think about your future—or you’re the parent of your first (or only!) high schooler—you probably understand that the college admissions road ahead might get stressful and complicated.
There are a LOT of considerations (and I’ve written handy guides on each of them):
And if so, should I/my teen take the SAT or the ACT?
But another question I get asked by every novice parent—for good reason!—is one that I want to coach you through today. And that is this:
Does the SAT or the ACT make your college application stronger?
After all, most of the parents who come to me these days for my strategic, personalized private SAT and ACT tutoring packages are working from a frame of reference specific to the way things were when THEY were in high school. That is, they often took whichever test was more popular in their state/region (SAT for the coasts, ACT for the midwest and certain southern states). They also remember the SAT being the preferred test for the country’s more elite institutions, and, in fact, the overwhelming majority of them took the SAT over the ACT…just because that was what you did. Isn’t it the same now?
Is the SAT or the ACT more popular?
Source: Knowable Magazine
Though the SAT may have been more popular in the past (and if you’re a parent reading this, that’s probably what you remember), the gap between the number of students taking the ACT vs. the SAT started closing around 2009 and was virtually nonexistent by 2012.
Then something strange happened: the ACT actually became MORE popular than the SAT! So, the College Board adapted and redesigned the SAT in January 2016. They also launched a partnership with Khan Academy shortly thereafter, which helped the SAT surpass the ACT in popularity once again.
But at the end of the day, it’s less important to know which exam is “more popular” among test-takers. What matters to YOU is this:
Which standardized test is better for college applications?
The first thing you should know about college admissions testing (i.e. “the SAT and the ACT”) is this: the ACT and the SAT both fulfill the exact same requirement in your college application.
That is, IF a college requires a standardized test in order for you to apply to their institution, either test—the SAT or the ACT—will check that box for you.
And it doesn’t matter which: admissions officers have concordance tables that translate SAT scores to ACT scores and vice versa. This lets the officers quickly see how well you did in comparison to all the other applicants.
Do I have to take BOTH the SAT and the ACT?
When I give presentations to parents of students at specialized NYC high schools about “Demystifying the SAT and the ACT,” one of the first things I do is make an analogy that they can all understand: the SAT and the ACT are like Visa and Mastercard.
Yes, you might prefer one over the other for whatever reason (more perks, more points, more miles, etc.), but at the end of the day, if you walk into a store and want to purchase a jacket, do you give them BOTH of your credit cards to pay for it? No, of course not! You hand the store clerk only ONE of them (whichever’s easier to get from your wallet, maybe) to pay for your item. And does the cashier care which one you gave him? Of course he doesn’t…so long as the transaction was approved, and they get the money to pay for the jacket you’re buying!
It’s the same deal for the SAT and the ACT. YOU may prefer one over the other, but they both do the same job (provide a standardized test score), so long as whichever test score you provide in your applications represents your abilities well!
When my audience is students rather than parents, I often change the analogy slightly: The SAT and the ACT are like Coke and Pepsi.
Yes, people have STRONG PREFERENCES about which one they like better! People are loyal to their brand and won’t switch. (“Oh, you only have Pepsi? I’ll take water!”) However, if your “goal” is to consume a sugary, caffeinated, carbonated beverage made with lots of high fructose corn syrup, EITHER ONE fulfills that task! And you don’t need to drink both of them (your poor blood sugar!); you only need one.
So, substitute “SAT and ACT” for “Coke and Pepsi”—and take out the high fructose corn syrup part!—and it’s basically the same idea. Make sense?
Overall, is the SAT or ACT better for college admissions?
In short, neither test is “better” or “worse”: what matters is which one is “better” FOR YOU! As in, which one will show off your strengths better to admissions officers? Which one will YOU get a higher score on?
How to decide between the SAT and the ACT
Luckily for you, I offer two ways that you can pick your test:
The first way is to sign up for my “SAT or ACT?” Cheat Sheet and email series that will walk you through the differences between the two tests AND how to actually pick between them. Bonus: it’s totally FREE and you can get it here.
The second way is to have me do it FOR you! It’s so simple: all you have to do is take a diagnostic SAT and ACT, have an idea of 5+ colleges you’re considering applying to, and then book your Ace the Test: Game Plan™ session with me over Zoom!
I do the rest: pick your test, create your target scores, figure out exactly which concepts and strategies you need to learn to reach your target score in as little time as possible, plan your testing timeline, and in general, take the management of the entire standardized testing process off your plate! Sound like a helpful set of tools? Let’s get started here.
