Week One is Done

To those new subscribers, Welcome to the Griffin Guidance Blog!

It has been a busy week and I do believe the students are getting back in the rhythm of school.  They have become proficient at opening lockers, finding their classes, and acclimating to new teachers.  

There have been some questions on whether we at Father McGivney are going to be giving the SAT or staying with the ACT, so I would like to provide some information on that topic.  

Both the ACT and the SAT are used for entrance into colleges and universities across the country.  Students may take whichever test they prefer depending on the entrance requirements of their desired university.  Most colleges and universities will accept either exam for entrance, but some prefer one over the other which is why you want to be certain of the requirements for the university to which you apply. 

The colleges and universities in our local area will accept both and do not have plans for discontinuing the acceptance of either.  Until we are certain that the ACT will no longer be accepted by colleges and universities, we will continue to give that exam to Junior students on our campus.

Differences lie in the type of assessment as well as the questions asked.  The ACT exam is more curriculum based where the SAT is more of an aptitude and reasoning test.  So, which should your child take? 

• ·         ACT questions are more straightforward and easier to understand on a first read.  On the SAT, you may need time to decipher the question before answering.
• ·         The SAT has a stronger emphasis on vocabulary
• ·         The ACT tests Science where the SAT does not
• ·         The ACT tests more advanced Math concepts
• ·         The SAT writing is mandatory and optional on the ACT
• ·         The SAT is broken up into more sections
• ·         The ACT is a ‘big picture’ exam where if you score well in one section and poorly on another, you can still achieve a high composite score

The ACT is popular across the entire United States where the SAT is more popular on the coasts.  Regardless of the test, colleges and universities use this information as one part of the admissions process and have no strong preference for one over the other.  There are instances where the college or university will have a student take a particular exam based on their preference. 

Students must look at the admission requirements for any colleges and universities to which they apply, as this will help them decide which test to take or if both are needed.  When either test will be accepted, it is up to the student to decide which test he or she has a better chance of attaining a high score.

We do recommend that students take their first ACT between their Sophomore and Junior years.  Information on registering for the ACT can be found on this Blog in the links section.  

Although we do not give the SAT in house, I have information on registering for the SAT in my office.  Any Junior or Senior interested in taking the SAT can stop by and pick up this information.  A great source for SAT prep can be found at Khan Academy as well.

We do give the ACT to those Junior level students who wish to take it on our campus in April.  The cost of this will be published at a later date.