The Revised SAT's and the ACT's--Are They Really Different?

This paper discusses whether or not revisions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) have created such significant differences between the two tests that a student could conceivably score significantly higher on one than the other. The SAT has been revised to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, and the changes will take effect in 1994. The ACT underwent significant revisions in 1989 and has been renamed the Enhanced ACT Assessment. The SAT is defined as an aptitude test that purports to measure a student's ability to learn. The Enhanced ACT Assessment remains a curriculum-based test that measures academic development in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. Each test claims to be an accurate assessment of student capacity for college-level work. A majority of colleges and universities accept either the SAT or the ACT scores. A review of the characteristics of both tests suggests that a student who is a divergent thinker, an underachiever, a member of a minority group, from a mediocre high school, or good in mathematics could do better on the SAT. A student with a good educational background, good grades in high school, or a weakness in mathematics might choose to take the ACT or both tests. (SLD)