Juvenis

I mean, is there something about the SAT that makes more sense to superscore that the ACT doesn't have?

sylvan8798

I don't know the answer, maybe simply because the ACT is newer and the SAT is more mainstream. I have a feeling that as more schools are using the ACT for a long time, we will see more of them resorting to superscoring it, and even cross-superscoring as a few do now, but that may take many years to fully develop.

SerenityJade

Maybe it's because of the difference in the way they are given a composite score. Isn't the ACT added then divided by the number of tests (i.e. averaged)? Compare that to simply adding the scores. It's different. A bit more complicated.

fralixjm

Well, maybe they are trying to separate them. Many colleges rely more on the SAT, so maybe they care more about that. Also, SAT is higher numbers, where ACT is lower, and that might have something to do with it...

drusba

There are a number of colleges that actually superscore ACTs. However, large majority do not. One reason is historical. SAT always sent all test scores it had for you, past and current, whenever you ordered any score sent and thus the student never had to pay more than one fee to send all scores to a college. ACT has always treated each test separate and you must make multiple orders and pay multiple fees to send multiple test scores to one college. Many colleges thus did not adopt superscoring for the ACT because students had to spend too much to send multiple tests. The other reason is that ACT's stated position to colleges is that it is against superscoring its test because it does not believe a superscore accurately reflects the test score and ability of the student.

Juvenis

Do you believe that it doesn't reflect the test score and ability of the student?

jennieling

Sylvan, the ACT isn't new at all (perhaps you live on the East Coast, the only area of the country where it does not seem to be taken often). I am in my 50's, and when I was in HS all of my friends took the ACT; in fact, back then I took only the SAT because Carleton required it (now Carleton, as almost every college including HYPS, takes ACT or SAT) and I was the "oddball". Here in Missouri my son has taken both tests, but the majority of the students in his HS take only the ACT. Also, there is nothing tricky about calculating the ACT composite (add the 4 scores, divide by 4; 0.5 and up rounds up). More and more colleges superscore the ACT now (I found a link to the list on CC), but there are still some that superscore the SAT but not the ACT. This makes absolutely NO sense to me. Why not look at your top score in each suject and use those to make a "superscore composite", whether in the SAT or ACT? And as to the money issue, students can choose whether they care to spend the money to send those separate ACT's or not. Does anyone have a good understanding of why there is this difference?

proflamel

I think some colleges already superscore the ACT.

Juvenis

@jennieling - Exactly my point. The SAT and ACT may calculate scores differently, but both use VERY simple methods in doing so such that I don't see where the complications of superscoring the ACT may lie.

And yes, I know that some colleges superscore the ACT, but its very uncommon to say the least, from what I hear

phone40

Hi jennieling, could you please share that link to the list of colleges superscore the ACT with me? Thanks in advance

allyphoe

Colleges that superscore the ACT College Admissions Counseling