Standardized tests have always been somewhat of an enigma to many families approaching the college search process. The SAT, which has been the standard-bearer for more than 80 years, has been a necessary evil that high school juniors must endure in order to gain access to most colleges and universities around the country. However, the angst over the SAT and its place in college admission began to wane back in the mid-1990’s, when many colleges gave students the chance to opt out of the test. Over 700 colleges have now waived the SAT requirement altogether while all others give students the option to try a different standardized test: the ACT.
The ACT is not new. It’s been around for over 40 years but its place in college admission, particularly in the Northeast, has only taken hold within the past 10 to 15 years. Today, over 1.3 million high school students take the ACT and every college in the country that requires standardized testing will accept either the SAT or the ACT. Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California was the remaining holdout but just announced that they, too, will accept the ACT beginning in 2007-08.
For New Hampshire students, the test has been more elusive, primarily due to lack of access. In the fall of 2006, the ACT was administered at 17 test sites in the State, compared to 38 SAT test centers. In addition, the test is not administered as frequently as the SAT. Tests are offered in September, October, December, February, April and June, but both the September and February tests are not offered at any centers in New Hampshire. In spite of these frustrations, interest in the test has grown as families have become more savvy about the admission process and college admission has continued to get more competitive. Every student is looking for an edge and many feel the ACT is a more user-friendly exam. The SAT continues to be the most widely used test, but many students are beginning to ask: What are the differences and which test is best for me?
There isn’t an easy answer. Students respond to the test formats and content differently, but on the whole most student’s test scores end up being somewhat commensurate with one another. The primary reason for choosing one over the other involves the student’s test taking style, the level of coursework they have completed at the time of testing, and access to the test. At TAIS, we have witnessed an increased interest in the ACT and have had a 40% rise in the number of students prepping for the test over the past year. Mostly, we are seeing students choose to prep for one exam (the preps are different due to the differences in format) but take both tests. This can be a good and bad. It gives students the opportunity to select which test scores they would like sent to the college admission offices, but adds one more exam to their very busy lives, especially in the spring of their junior year.
So what is our best advice to this already confusing and anxiety-provoking process? Plan early. Talk to your guidance or school counselor as early as your sophomore year to start thinking about a time line for the college process. We are seeing more and more students begin the prep program over the summer of their sophomore to junior year. Our programs are designed to work with students in one-to-one tutorial sessions over 12-15 weeks. (We recommend one session per week during the academic year due to the program’s homework load). Don’t overload the spring of your junior year. There are way too many activities: sports, AP exams, prom, finals, and warm weather! It can be a very hectic time, so think about the best way to relieve the stress load so you can concentrate on the most important component of your college application: your grades!
Finally, there is no panacea for taking the test. The best advice is to plan ahead, prep for the test, and don’t try to take on too much at once. Taking the stress out of this stressful time is the first step toward higher scores.
For more information about our test prep and college counseling programs, call TAIS.