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PLAN (Pre-ACT) Test on Nov. 1

By Michelle Yun
<myun@hilite.org>

Last year, senior Kevin Wang earned a perfect composite score on the ACT. Though he took both the SAT and ACT, he said he prefers the ACT because he did better on this test.

According to counselor Stephanie Payne, Indiana promotes the SAT more than the ACT. But for sophomores wanting to take the ACT, the school will give the Pre-ACT, or PLAN, on Nov. 1. This test provides an indication of how students would do on the ACT exam.

“We’re traditionally in Indiana more of the SAT state,” Payne said, “which just means, for whatever reason, we promote the SAT more than the ACT. Most of the Midwestern states are more focused on the ACT.”

Payne also said that this preference is the reason sophomores and juniors no longer pay to take the PSAT. She said, “The state department pays and provides the funding for all juniors to take the PSAT in the fall. And so, ever since they’ve done that, we’ve just made it a day that every junior takes the PSAT.”

However, the state does not cover the cost for PLAN. Payne said, “We offer it to students on a Saturday where there is also a SAT test going on. We offer it to sophomores to pay for it and take.”

Wang said he felt that the ACT held certain advantages over the SAT.

“I feel like the ACT is more straightforward; there are less trick questions. It’s also shorter. Towards the end of the SAT, I didn’t even care anymore; I just wanted to get out of that testing room. I also cared more and was more interested about the ACT’s writing prompt than the writing prompt on the SAT.”

In addition, Payne said she recommends students who are strong in science and math should try the ACT because the test covers English, reading, math and science, whereas the SAT covers only English and math.

Payne said, “The ACT adds that science component in there so it sort of spreads out how much that English and reading impact the overall score. So I always recommend the student who are strong in math and science to try the ACT.”

In contrast, Payne said that the SAT should be taken by students who excel at reading and writing.

“The SAT is just purely English and math,” Payne said. “The math level only goes up to Algebra II.”

However, the ACT math section is different. “On the ACT the math level hits a few pre-calculus type questions,” Payne said. “So the math level is a tad higher, but I’m seeing more and more where if students maybe don’t get the score they want on the SAT, they try taking the ACT and they tend to do better.”

In addition, Payne said, “And colleges will look at either tests. They have comparison charts and they will determine which score is the higher score and that’s the score then that they will look at for admission (and) scholarships.”

—

TEST DATES

ACT

• Oct. 25
• Dec. 23
• Feb. 7, 2009
• April 4, 2009
• June 13, 2009

SAT

• Nov. 1
• Dec. 6
• Jan. 24, 2009
• March 14, 2009 (No subject tests)
• May 2, 2009
• June 6, 2009

COLLEGEBOARD.COM / SOURCE

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