ACT or SAT? More Students Answering 'All Of the Above'

College entrance tests remain vital to the admission process, even in an era when dozens of colleges have waived them as a requirement.

The SAT, introduced in 1926, has evolved from its origins as a quasi-intelligence test for Ivy League applicants. Today, the test spans three hours and 45 minutes and three sections in reading, writing and math, including an essay. The ACT was introduced in 1959 as an alternative, focusing on curriculum, with sections in English, math, reading and science and an optional essay. It is most prevalent in the middle of the country. The core test, not including the essay, takes two hours and 55 minutes.

Each SAT section yields a score from 200 to 800, while ACT section scores top out at 36. A typical applicant to a competitive college might boast section scores in the upper 20s for the ACT and above 600 for the SAT.

To an extent, the recent popularity of ACT reflects backlash against changes to the SAT. The College Board expanded the exam from two sections to three in 2005. The result was a longer test that some students did not care to take twice.

A Montgomery school system analysis shows that the number of students who retook the SAT dwindled from 5,049 in 2005 to 4,361 this year. About one-quarter of this year's Montgomery graduates took the ACT.

"They're voting with their feet," said Montgomery School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast, who was among the first educators in the region to note the migration from one test to the other.

College Board officials did not furnish comparable data for the nation but confirmed that fewer students are retaking the test. Klein said the number of repeat customers stabilized last year after declining in 2006.

ACT hype has crept into the local test-prep field, "and with good reason," said Erik Kimel, founder of the Peer2Peer tutoring service in Montgomery. Local school systems recently have begun reporting ACT results alongside SAT scores. Parents at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda give practice SAT and ACT tests on different Saturdays.

"Clearly, the ACT is beginning to challenge the SAT's dominance in our local college testing market," said Christopher Garran, the school's principal.

College Board officials say the ACT's gain is not necessarily the SAT's loss. The number of students taking the SAT nationwide is up 30 percent since 1998. For the ACT, the totals are up 43 percent. In the Washington region, where the ACT is booming, SAT participation is steady.

Still, the College Board seems to be fighting back. Last summer, the New York publisher announced that students would soon be permitted to pick their best scores from multiple SAT tests to show colleges. At present, colleges receive all of a student's scores.

The change, effective with the Class of 2010, seems tailored to encourage repeat business. Vincent Abadsantos, a junior in the International Baccalaureate program at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, said the new policy is "the primary driving factor" for choosing the SAT for himself and his friends, many of whom will take it two or three times. He does not plan to take the ACT.

Last month, the College Board also announced a new test to prepare eighth-grade students for the rigors of high school. Promoters said the ReadiStep exam helps create a "college-going culture." Some industry insiders say the test is more about test-taking culture: steering ever-younger students onto the SAT track, a role filled by the Preliminary SAT.

"It's a business move, and it's an intelligent move," Kanarek said.

Klein, of the College Board, said the new test "is completely unrelated to the college admissions process." ReadiStep will be rolled out next fall. Maryland officials said it would be piloted in three middle schools in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties. Virginia and D.C. officials had no set plans.

Analysts say some of the region's best students take both tests to see which yields the better score.

Of 11,636 applicants to William and Mary for the class that entered this fall, 3,800 took the ACT, Broaddus said. Most of those students also took the SAT.

"What we see is more and more students who want to take both exams," he said.

Staff writer Maria Glod contributed to this report.