<p>It is important to note that a far lower percentage of students applying to midwestern schools like Chicago and NU submit the SAT. Most students in that part of the country prefer the ACT for whatever reason. The students that do submit the SAT are obviously those that have performed better on it than on the ACT. It is almost like a selection pressure is being applied, and that is what could be causing the average scores to be inflated. The small sample size amplifies this effect, leading to skewed data.</p>