As the second semester of the school year begins, juniors in the Atlanta Public School district can add the March 12 American College Test to their school Calendars. APS families got the news in an email sent out on Jan. 5th, changing the previous decision that the ACT would not be administered this school year.
APS explained in the email that by offering the ACT to students during an instructional day, they are breaking down barriers that could potentially prevent students from having this opportunity otherwise. As a result of this, former Midtown Testing Coordinator, Phoebe Chung explains expectations for March 12.
“Juniors are all expected to sit for the School Day ACT,” Chung said. “I’m presuming [additional details] such as testing locations won’t be available until late February, but I am not certain.”
In recent years, the average composite score on the ACT has been on the decline, but participation through state and district programs in 2024 was at an all time high of 78%. This is in large part due to states adopting the school-day testing, covering the cost of $68.
Similarly, participation levels for the SAT are on the rise. 68% of takers took the SAT on a weekday through the SAT School Day Program, which allows states, districts and high schools to offer their students the official SAT. Midtown AP Language teacher Alexis Smolko occasionally offers SAT tutoring for students.
“I focus on principle grammar rules and punctuation with students,” Smolko said. “I know the school is doing a program to help students study for the school SAT, but I think it is really great that the district decided to give the ACT this year too.”
According to Best Colleges, only nine states have 100% of their high school student population take the ACT: Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming. On the other hand, in the year 2023, Georgia landed in 26th place in terms of percent of participation with 27% and a composite score of 21.2.
“I have heard and noticed, based on Midtown students, that the SAT is normally favored,” Smolko said. “However, many of my students only take the ACT, and I know they were bummed at first when they thought there wasn’t going to be a district exam this year, so I’m glad that it was brought back for their sake.”
The ACT is graded on a scale from 1-36, while SAT scores can range from 400-1600. The core three sections of the ACT — English, Math and Reading — in addition to the now optional fourth core section, Science sums to a total of 171 questions. While the SAT has a total of 98 questions and is focused solely on the two components of Math and Reading & Writing. However, an official conversion chart for ACT and SAT scores is offered by ACT.org. Junior Nora Goodman explains her experience with scores from both exams.
“I originally got the same ACT and SAT translated score,” Goodman said. “After getting my scores though, I decided the structure of the ACT was much better for me, and I liked how the sections of the ACT are more diverse and less repetitive.”
Other key differences between the two exams include their content. The ACT tests students on their mastery of high school subjects, while the SAT has been considered closer to an aptitude test. However, neither test is necessarily easier or harder than the other. Both exams are designed to have similar levels of difficulty per question, making it come down to a student’s preference. Goodman reflects on her perceived benefits of the ACT in contrast with the SAT.
“I also specifically like having the Science section because it gives you a chance to show your abilities without having to focus on just Math and English,” Goodman said. “Even though the ACT timing is more challenging, I never had an issue with it, and I personally think the questions on the ACT are easier for me to understand and answer.”
