My S is currently a sophomore and dreams of going to Notre Dame. He is in all honors courses at a private school. Next year, he’ll have 5 - 6 APs. He has a 3.95 UW GPA and doesn’t struggle too much with school. Math and science come pretty easy to him.
PLAN test in Freshman year predicted a 29 - 33 ACT (I’m assuming a 33 is more than possible with some good preparation.)
PSAT test in Sophomore year was 187 - Not bad, but the breakdown was 69 M, 68 W and 50 CR. (He’s never been a “bad” reader… read a lot as a child. Books were often rewards in our house. But, he’s always struggled with the wording of the questions in CR sections of standardized tests.)
I met with a test prep coach who said he could “teach” him techniques to improve CR. He would also like my S to take endless test prep courses - ACT and SAT. I would rather my S have a life, be social, concentrate on school, ECs, volunteering and friends. My S is not complaining, at all, about prep courses and studying for a test or tests.
But, I’m wondering what your advice is regarding the NEW SAT vs the ACT. For my S, would it be recommended to stick with the ACT? My D ('15) never took the ACT at all. Did well on the SAT and stuck with it. I’m not opposed to having son never take the SAT at all. My sister said, in her area, they are recommending skipping the SAT for the class of 2017. I suppose I may get a thousand different opinions. 
Should we just wait to see how he does on the new PSAT in the Fall and then decide?
Thank you all, in advance, for your help.
I would not be concerned about it at all. Our son (also in private school, and very much a math and science kid) had a similar score on the PSAT (186) in 10th grade and improved to 221 in the official 11th grade test. He also took the ACT in his sophomore year and got a 33 (no studying), then improved in junior year to 36 (studied). He took the SAT but didn’t do as well (2100- no studying) - but good enough for NMS Finalist which was his goal. (he said the SAT was exhausting - over 4 hours- and had too many sections (10 vs 4 on ACT) and confusing questions.)
Though ND does not require it, he should consider taking subject tests (SAT II) which are about 1 hr each. Most schools only require 2 subject tests (Math 2 + Science of the student’s choice). Our son said AP classes were good preparation - he scored 780-800 on the ones he took with a minor review of his class notes.
The ACT helps STEM kids showcase their talents and the questions are much more straightforward. Taking it early in 10th grade helped reduce his anxiety too - I can’t emphasis this enough. It also allowed him to target his study time in his weaker areas. The math is very basic (algebra, some geometry) so your son may need to brush up if he is in an advanced math track. The writing section (optional) also takes some getting used to and practice (for speed) helps too
As far as a class, that very much depends on how your son learns. The best thing he can do is go through the official study guides (the online version is very handy to use on his phone if time is short) and get a good idea of how to take the test and pace himself. Make sure to brush up on the math in particular. We ended up getting 3 or 4 books from Amazon which were only somewhat helpful (check the reviews). Take the ACT and see how he does. If he doesn’t do well enough, take it again and possibly take a class. Remember that most of the classes are designed to take a student from 23 to 28 or 29. Almost none are designed to take a student from 29 to 35. It may take a little searching.
The junior year is the most difficult and time will be very limited. 5-6 AP’s may be too many in a single year (perhaps skip AP English) - talk with your counselor about it. He may want to take the ACT Prep class over the summer should you decide you need it. (Driving classes too!)
May 8th, 2015 is the deadline for June 13 ACT. If you register later pricing goes up. I’d sign him up just try it out even if he does not have time to study.
Given the uncertainty of the new SAT and the adherence to Common Core I would avoid it - especially as he is in a private school (Catholic?) unlikely to follow the CC curriculum.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response!
The prep materials that are available from the ACT official guide, and even the free online tests are currently not strenuous enough to help a lot of students go from a 33-36, IMHO. However, I find motivated students who complete one practice SAT per month and review it on their own or with a tutor, can go up by hundreds of points as long as they are competent in maths, English, and with the new SAT, document-based history classes as well.
It really depends on your son’s strength’s and weaknesses. Is he a good test taker? If he is, I would recommend that he study with the SAT blue book (the official study guide) over the summer and take the old test before it changes (which is what I’m planning to do). It also depends on his target score. If he wants a 2100, then it is certainly possible to raise it before the test changes. If he wants something like a 2300+ (only a 160 point increase from my PSAT score, and my target right now), then I would recommend that he wait until the new SAT and study for that one. A 500 point increase is really too much for one summer, although it is certainly possible studying 6+ hours a day. If he is better at remembering content from STEM classes and the sciences, then maybe the ACT is for him. Remember that the SAT is the test taker’s test, while the ACT is the STEM student’s test.