The SAT has always been the more popular college entrance exam on the East Coast, so many parents and students are understandably unfamiliar with, and sometimes skeptical of, the ACT. Let’s start by answering some common questions:
Do all colleges accept the ACT? Yes, all U.S. colleges accept either test. All 4-year colleges in the U.S. will accept either the SAT or the ACT.*
Do colleges prefer the SAT? No, colleges have no preference for one test over the other.
Do you need to take both? No. Simply figure out which test you can score higher on. Prepare for and take that one.
Don’t believe us? You don’t have to. Go to the admissions page of any U.S. college’s website. Look for the section on testing. Notice no college ever mentions just SAT scores. Rather, it’s always SAT or ACT scores. Here are just a few examples.
We approach the test prep process with the goal of helping students achieve the highest score they're capable of. We encourage all students to start with a diagnostic SAT and a diagnostic ACT so we can identify which test a student will be able to score higher on, after preparation.
Still, some students refuse to try a diagnostic practice ACT. Those students are only limiting themselves: the ACT might be a test on which they can score significantly higher than the SAT. Also, it might not be! But they'll only ever know by trying a diagnostic ACT--and taking it seriously. We’re happy to prepare those students for the SAT, but they need to go in understanding that by refusing to try the ACT, they might be hurting their college applications and decreasing their chances of receiving merit aid, which is often based on test scores and can save families over $100,000.
To try out a diagnostic ACT, check out more info about our diagnostic tests and give us a call to register: 215-884-5789.
*A small handful of test-blind colleges will accept neither SAT nor ACT scores.