FAQ #12: How do I know if the ACT or SAT is a better test for me?

ANSWER: First of all, determine which test the colleges to which you are applying require. If they accept either, then find out which test better fits your skills and style. You can do that by taking a practice test with one of the commercial groups such as Stanley Kaplan or Princeton Review, who often offer this service free to students online or in person at a test center.

Test tutors seem to think that if your strength is in English and writing, then you might want to take the SAT. If your strength is in math and science, then you might decide on the ACT.

FAQ #13: I have heard that some colleges accept the ACT in lieu of both the SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests?

ANSWER: You heard right. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling listserv, the following colleges accept the ACT in lieu of both the SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests: Amherst College, Barnard College, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Case Western Reserve University, Connecticut College, Davidson College, Duke University, Franklin and Marshall College, Hamilton College, Johns Hopkins University, McGill University, Canada, Middlebury College, Pomona College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Swarthmore college, Trinity College, Tufts University, Union College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Richmond, Vassar College, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Yale University.