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Lynn Carnegie will talk with freshmen, sophomores and juniors and parents about which test could be right for them. Just a few years ago, nearly all Connecticut students took the SAT when applying to colleges. The ACT’s rise in popularity in recent years has led parents to question which is the better one for their child.
“Every student’s circumstances are different, so there is no single answer to the SAT or ACT question,” says Carnegie, founder of local test prep company Carnegie Pollak. “Creating an individualized plan maximizes the student’s time and reduces stress.”
According to the Connecticut State Department of Education, 73 percent of Connecticut public school students took the SAT in 2010. Only 24.1 percent took the ACT that year, but the ACT reports that 34 percent of Connecticut’s graduating class of 2016 took the ACT. Nationwide, the ACT is now the more popular test.
At the same time, the SAT has replaced the Smarter Balanced assessment (SBAC) in Connecticut. All public high school juniors in the state will take the SAT on April 5 as a means of assessing college readiness. They can also use these scores to apply for college.
For students applying to competitive colleges, the SAT vs. ACT question is particularly significant. Students face increasingly demanding schoolwork, sports schedules, and extracurricular activities, so the prospect of preparing for two admissions tests can seem daunting.
Creating a testing plan for high school students alleviates the stress and prepares students for peak performance on the test – whichever one they choose to take.
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