2013 Parents; Act registration deadline 1/10

My son took the ACT's twice, second time he scored 2 points higher and it made a significant difference in the academic scholarship money offered to him. He did much better on the ACT's than the SAT's.

They say the ACT is better for kids whose best subject IS NOT English. Also, it is recommended that you take it at the end of your Junior year unless you are in very advanced classes. My son took it in Feb of last year and again in June and improved 5 points which is substantial just because he had been taught the subject matter fully by that point. He took it again this year, his senior year in November and got the same score!

It is a good idea to try both. But know that the ACT has a higher level of math (it includes some trig). It also has longer reading passages so that a very slow reader might not score as well. While it has less emphasis on vocab than the SAT, it stresses grammar more.

The plus to the ACT is that is is more straightforward. The SAT is testing 'aptitude' which is a trickier approach for some students, whereas the ACT is content based. And, no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT.

Mine is registered for the Feb test also, but thanks for the reminder!