Not at all. If you go to the Common Data Sets for the various colleges and universities, it tells you the percentage of kids in the freshman class who submitted ACT vs. SAT. These numbers are for 2013-14. While it does appear that more kids submitted SATs that year , it is likely due to the fact that SAT is still favored among East Coast kids and International Kids but that is shifting at least here on the east coast in favor of ACT.
When I was young, the SAT was used predominantly by schools in the Eastern US and the ACT was used by schools in the Western US. Now, students choose the test that's best for them. Some seem to do better on the ACT, but others do better on the SAT. Try a practice test of each and see which one you prefer.
Erin's Dad33351 replies4079 threadsSuper Moderator
All colleges accept both the SAT and ACT. Only one college has a stated preference and that is one college in VA for the ACT. I agree with trying both.
There can be major differences in how well you do on ACT vs SAT. D got only a 2070 on SAT but a 36 on ACT. The SAT score is respectable but marginal for top LACs but the ACT score seems to be opening doors. Take both and use whichever score is stronger
AsianDoctor
249 replies113 threads Member
Replies to: SAT vs ACT
Princeton
Percent submitting SAT scores 86% 1105
Percent submitting ACT scores 33% 427
Yale:
Percent submitting SAT scores 81% Number submitting SAT scores 1,098
Percent submitting ACT scores 35% Number submitting ACT scores 478
Cornell
Percent submitting SAT scores 82% 2656
C9 Percent submitting ACT scores 39% 1258
Stanford:
Percent submitting SAT scores: 86%. Number submitting SAT scores: 1,438
Percent submitting ACT scores: 39%. Number submitting ACT scores: 660
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/education/edlife/more-students-are-taking-both-the-act-and-sat.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0