Will Colleges Accept the Old SAT for Class of 2017 or 2018 30+ Schools Interviewed

Will Colleges Accept the Old SAT for Class of 2017 or 2018 30+ Schools Interviewed SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Image via College Board. The SAT wasrevamped in March 2016 in an effort to make it more modern and accessible. If you’re a current high school student, you’ve probably heard about this change. If you’re a current senior(Class of 2017) or junior(Class of 2018) this raises some questions.What if you tookthe SAT before it changed last spring? Will colleges still accept scores from the "old" SAT? Or will they require you to take the new SAT?This has big implications for how you prep, when you take the tests, and possibly even whether you should switch to the ACT. In this exclusive, first of its kind breakdown, we personally spoke to admissions counselors from dozens of colleges to get some real answers on how they willhandle the transition. Overview: What's In This Guide To get accurate info that's most relevant to you as a student or parent, we posed as a parent and asked college admission officers directly how we should handle the SAT transition for two children: one a risingsenior(Class of 2017) and one a junior(Class of 2018). They did not know I was affiliated with PrepScholar. In most cases I talked to an admissions representative or someone higher up in the office. Also, since we couldn’t call every single school in the US, we will also include a guide to help you find out about the new SAT policy at any school you’re interested in. (Please share this info with us in the comments!) For the purposes of this article, "old SAT" refers to the 2400 version of the SAT that wasadministered up until January2016. The "new SAT" or "redesigned SAT" refers to the redesigned test thatwas first administered in March2016. We will cover some overall trends we noticed before diving into a school-by-school guide. Next, we will outline a guide to help you call admissions offices for schools you're interested in. Trends about Accepting the New SAT Every school we spoke to is accepting both the old and the new SAT for the Class of 2017 (current seniors). This is because the SAT is typically taken during junior year, and for the Class of 2017, the old SAT wasavailable for half of your junior year, and the new SAT for the second half. One caveat to this is that many colleges will not "superscore" between the new and old SAT, since they consider them to be different tests. This means that they won’t automatically look at your highest section scores like they normally do with two different SAT score reports. Keep this in mind if you think you will need to retake the SAT. As far as some colleges are concerned, comparing the old and new SAT is like comparing apples and oranges. In terms of the Class of 2018, colleges fall into two main camps. In the first camp, they will let the Class of 2018 submit scores from the current SAT. As of July 2016, this camp is about three-quarters of schools we interviewed. In the second camp, they haven’t made a decision yet for the Class of 2018 – though some are leaning one way or the other, based on our conversations. This camp has six schools. Finally, there are two schools who have decided not to accept the old SAT for the Class of 2018. Additionally, many colleges cautioned against taking the SAT too early, as they tend to see the highest scores from juniors and older. That means if you’re in the Class of 2018, it would likely make more sense to take the new SAT,unless you are confident your score from the old SAT is stellar. We will continue to monitor college admission websites as policies are updated. The New 2016 SAT: A School-by-School Guide We called the admissions offices at many popular schools to find out their policies – or what they know so far. We also checked to see if they have official policies up on their websites, and will include those where available. Since we couldn’t call every single school, we are also including a guide to getting this info on your own after our list. We contacted and are posting the policies (or what we know so far) from the schools below. We contacted all of the Ivy Leagues, top schools like Stanford and MIT, and other popular colleges and universities from around the country. Barnard College Brigham Young University Brown University Bryn Mawr College Cambridge University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Harvard University Johns Hopkins University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mount Holyoke College New York University Northwestern University Oxford University Pennylsvania State University Princeton University Stanford University University of California Berkeley University of California Los Angeles University of Chicago University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Washington University in St Louis Wellesley College Yale University We organized our list based on the redesigned SAT policy schools are adopting. Again, since every school we spoke to will continue to accept the current SAT for the Class of 2017, we are organizing this list based on the policy for the Class of 2018. We will first look at the schools that are not accepting the old SAT for the Class of 2018. Next, we'll list the schools that will officially be accepting the current SAT for the Class of 2018. Finally, we will go through the schools that have not yet decided on a policy. Class of 2018 Cannot Submit the Current SAT Duke University Duke has decided that, although members of the Class of 2017 may submit either the old or new SAT, members of the Class of 2018 (and younger) must submit the new SAT. Furthermore, if a student in the Class of 2017 submits an old and new SAT score, they will use concordance tables to determine the higher score. Northwestern University Can a student in the Class of 2017 submit scores from the current SAT? â€Å"We’ll definitely still accept his scores.† But will you superscore between the old and new SAT? â€Å"As far as how we’re going to be using the new test, we don’t have a policy yet.† (Northwestern has since posted a policy that clarifies they will not superscore between the old and new SAT.) So what about a student from the Class of 2018 – could they submit scores from the current SAT? I was told last year the policy had not been decided yet. Since then, Northwestern has posted their official policy and it looks like they are not accepting the old SAT for the Class of 2018: "beginning with those seeking to enroll in fall 2018, we will only accept the new SAT." So if you're in the Class of 2018 or later, you have to take the new SAT for Northwestern. Class of 2018 Can Submit the Old SAT Barnard College When I asked about the Class of 2017 last year, the Barnard representative said, â€Å"We will be accepting both tests still.† When I asked about the Class of 2018, I was told they hadn't determined their policy yet. I reached out to the admissions office again via email and learned some good news: the Class of 2018 can also submit the old SAT! "Yes, you may submit results from the old and/or the redesigned SAT. When evaluating applicants, we will consider only the highest testing results reported from one version of the test, not across both versions. In the redesigned version of the SAT, Barnard will not require the writing test. Results from two SAT Subject Tests will no longer be required." Note that Barnard is not superscoring across the old and new SAT, and that they no longer require two SAT subject tests. Brigham Young University BYU has a relatively relaxed, straightforward policy regarding the new SAT. The admissions representative told me, â€Å"We’ll take whatever [SAT score] is highest [for a current senior]. If he gets a better score on the new SAT we’ll accept that.† So not only can you submit either the old or new SAT if you’re in the Class of 2017, BYU will superscore between the two tests. What about for the Class of 2018? â€Å"We’ll still accept the old one [for a current junior]. If he takes it again, it will be whichever one is highest.† So for BYU, you can submit scores from either the old or new SAT up through the Class of 2018. Brown University Image via Wikipedia. When I asked about the SAT transition last year, I was told by an admissions representative, â€Å"We haven’t made a decision yet†¦We’ll be posting it on our website as soon as we’ve decided.† Luckily, Brown has now decided on a policy for the new SAT, and it's very flexible.According to their FAQ page, they "do not have a preference for either the current SAT or the redesigned SAT." So if you're in the Class of 2018, you can definitely submit the old SAT. Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke While looking at some of the Seven Sisters schools (some of the top women-only colleges in the US) we noticed that some of them don’t require standardized testing at all. This is still a fairly rare practice among schools in the US, but it’s interesting to note that for some schools, including Bryn Mawrand Mount Holyoke, sending standardized test scores is optional (exceptions include international and home-schooled students). Since scores are not required, you can send in any standardized scores you do have, including ones from the current SAT. Carnegie Mellon Image via Wikipedia. Carnegie Mellon also falls in the camp that is accepting either the old or the new SAT as long as they were available while the student was in high school. â€Å"If they’re offering both SATs it’s up to them which one to take,† an admissions representative told me. Even for a current junior? â€Å"Yes, as long as they have the choice we will accept either one.† As of October 2015, Carnegie Mellon's standardized testing requirements page doesn't list any information about the new SAT. However, they do note that "Carnegie Mellon would prefer that applicants take these required tests in their junior or senior year." This means that if you're in the Class of 2018 and tookthe oldSAT as a sophomore, Carnegie Mellon prefers (but doesn't require) that you re-take the SAT or ACT as a junior or senior. Columbia University Columbia has a posted policy about the new SAT: "Columbia will continue to accept scores for both versions of the SAT for applicants applying for admission for fall 2017 and fall 2018." That means if you're in the Class of 2018, you're free to take the current SAT. They will continue to accept either version of the SAT through Fall 2018 (which would include current freshmen). That said, they will not superscore between two versions of the test. So if you take both the old and new SAT, they won't automatically look at your highest section scores. Cornell University When I asked about the Class of 2017 and 2018 submitting the current SAT, I was told, â€Å"We would accept whatever test they take during the transition period. Whatever they end up taking we’ll use.† Translation: the Class of 2017 or 2018 can take either version of the SAT. However, the Cornell officer cautioned pretty strongly about taking the SAT too early, in reference to someone in the Class of 2018 fitting in the old SAT: â€Å"I would wait a little while before taking that standardized test because even though we’ll see the highest scores, we’ll have access to all those scores.† So even though Cornell would accept the current version of the SAT through the Class of 2018, make sure you don't take the SAT before you're ready. If you want to read more about how Cornell will compare scores between the old and new SAT, you can check out their new SAT FAQ. Dartmouth College Dartmouth has updated their FAQ page with info about the new SAT. They confirm that they will take the new or old SAT for the Class of 2017 and beyond: "If you are applying for admission to enroll at Dartmouth in the fall of 2017 or later, your results from either the current or the redesigned version of the SAT will be accepted, we do not have a preference." However, Dartmouth is not superscoring between the old and new SAT: "we will consider your highest â€Å"superscored† results from either the current or the redesigned SAT; we will not combine scores from both versions." Howard University If you want to go to Howard, you’re in luck, because they have a very straightforward policy about the new SAT. â€Å"We only consider the math and critical reading scores, so we will superscore between new and old [SAT scores], and consider any tests taken while in high school,† the admissions representative told me when I asked about students in the Class of 2017 and 2018 taking the oldSAT. The bottom line? Both the Class of 2017 and the Class of 2018 can take the old or new SAT and submit it to Howard. Johns Hopkins When asked if Johns Hopkins would accept an old SAT score from a student in the Class of 2017, the admissions representative replied, â€Å"Absolutely.† And when asked about if a student in the Class of 2018 could also submit the old SAT, the representative said, â€Å"He can take it.† So both the Class of 2017 and Class of 2018 can take either version of the SAT and submit it to Johns Hopkins. Their website now says that "For 2017 applicants, Johns Hopkins will accept both the new SAT and old SAT." We emailed the admissions office to clarify the Class of 2018 can still submit the old SAT as well and they replied, "if you take one old test and one new test, we will convert the old math and reading scores into a comparable new score." This presumably means the Class of 2018 is good to go, and furthermore, explains their policy if they get an old and new SAT score: to compare them using concordance tables. New York University Image via Wikipedia. NYU has a policy about the new SAT posted on their admissions website. As stated on their standardized testing page, â€Å"Either [the old SAT or the new SAT] are fine.† Furthermore, I spoke with an admissions representative who clarified this is true for students in both the Class of 2017 and Class of 2018. So feel free to submit either version of the SAT to NYU. Oxford University I was able to send the Oxford Admissions office an email about the redesigned SAT, and asked whether students graduating in 2017 and 2018 would be able to submit scores from the current SAT. â€Å"Yes, we will continue to accept any test taken before the changes are implemented," said the email. "In general we expect a candidate to have achieved their entry qualifications within three years of applying.† So Oxford will continue to accept scores from the current SAT, as long as a student applying took it within the last three years. Princeton University When I asked the Princeton officer about students in the Class of 2017 and the Class of 2018, they said, â€Å"We are accepting either of the two †¦ Your son who’s a sophomorecould still submit his old one though he would probably end up taking the new one due to timing†¦ We’ll accept the old one for as long as it’s valid, which I believe is for five years after the test date.† So Princeton will accept either the Old or New SAT for the Classes of 2017 and 2018 – maybe up to the class of 2020 if they follow the SAT’s five-year score expiration policy. Additionally, Princeton has posted a short answer about the new SAT on their FAQ page: "We will accept either version of the SAT, or the ACT with Writing. We do not have a preference for the â€Å"old† or â€Å"redesigned† SAT. The â€Å"old† SAT, or redesigned SAT with Essay and ACT with Writing are treated equally." So again, Princeton seems ready to accept the old SAT for as long as it's available. Stanford University Will Stanford continue to accept the current SAT for students in the Class of 2017 and Class of 2018? â€Å"We will be taking both tests,† the admissions representative told me. â€Å"We do have a preference for having them take it when they’re a little older, but we will be accepting both tests.† Stanford has now also confirmed on its Testing page that they will accept both the old and new SAT. They require applicants to take all three components of the test (Reading and Writing, Math, and Essay) and caution they will not superscore between the old and new SAT. So even if you’re in the Class of 2018 and take the old SAT, Stanford will accept it. However, heed their advice about taking the test only when you’re ready! University of California Berkeley â€Å"Yeah, we will be accepting both [the old and new SAT],† an admissions representative at Berkeley told me when I asked about students in the Class of 2017 and 2018. â€Å"At this point †¦ as long as you take it before they make that change, we will accept it.† The University of California website now also has a section clarifying that the old SAT is okay for the Class of 2018, but the Class of 2019 and younger must take the new SAT. University of California Los Angeles Image via Wikipedia. UCLA, as a fellow member of the UC system, has the same policy as UC Berkeley, but we did call just to make sure.Whenwe asked if UCLA willswitch over to redesigned SAT only by the time the Class of 2018 is applying, the admissions officer said,â€Å"Nope, we’ll still be accepting [the old SAT].† So, just like Berkeley, you can submit either version of the SAT to UCLA, even if you're in the Class of 2018. Also, UCLA is reminding applicants on their website that if they take the new SAT, to sign up for the essay, which will be optional on the new SAT. University of Chicago Will the University of Chicago accept scores from the current SAT for students in the Class of 2017 or 2018? The admissions representative said, â€Å"We will still accept either test.† The University of Chicago has now clarified on their website that they will accept either the old or new SAT as long as scores are valid. If you are in the Class of 2018 and took the old SAT, your score will still be valid by your senior year and you can use it to apply. However, Chicago will not superscore between the old and new SAT. University of Pennylvania Penn has now posted an official policy about the new SAT which is quite flexible: they will allow the Class of 2018 to submit the old or new SAT. "For students with the option to take either exam, Penn will accept scores from both the current SAT and the redesigned SAT." Additionally, they won't require the essay portion of the new SAT and they will not superscore between the old and new SAT. Vanderbilt University Will Vanderbilt be accepting old SAT scores from students in the Class of 2017 and the Class of 2018? â€Å"Yes, as long as the old SAT was available while the student was in high school, we will accept those scores†¦We will absolutely accept it, if he takes it now.† However, Vanderbilt did caution that they will not be superscoring. â€Å"If you take both the old and the new one, we won’t cross super-score those tests. If you take two old SATs, we will superscore those two, but if you take an old and a new SAT, we won’t superscore between those.† Vanderbilt has now posted this policy on their website. If you scroll down to "A Note Regarding the New SAT," you can see Vanderbilt will continue to accept the old SAT as long as it's available to students, but will not superscore between the old and new tests. Washington University in Saint Louis So how is Washington University in Saint Louis handling the SAT transition? â€Å"We are going to work with the old SAT as it phases out. [We will take it] until it is no longer possible to take the old SAT,† an admissions representative told me. So is this true for a student in the Class of 2018? â€Å"If that’s the score he wants to send and he likes it, then that’s fine.† So for Washington University, you can send either the old or new SAT even if you are in the Class of 2018. But will they superscore between the old and new SAT scores? â€Å"We actually don’t know how we’re going to handle [superscoring] yet because we haven’t seen the new test yet. We would hope to superscore but we have to wait until we know more.† So be aware that if you end up taking the old SAT and the new SAT, Washington University might not automatically look at the highest score from both sittings. As of July 2016, there isn't a policy posted regarding this on their application website, so we'll keep you posted. Wellesley College I had a long conversation with an admissions officer at Wellesley back in June. I was told then, â€Å"We clearly will be taking the old SAT [for the Class of 2017]. I don’t know about [the Class of 2018], as we have no official policy yet.† But now, Wellesley has posted an expanded section about the redesigned SAT on their FAQ page, which affirms that the Class of 2017 can submit either the current or redesigned SAT.The FAQdoessuggest that they are pushing for a transition to the new SAT, "Applicants to Wellesley for 2017 and beyond should take the new test, but can submit scores from the pre-2016 version." We emailed the admissions office at Wellesley and confirmed that someone in the Class of 2018 can still submit the oldSAT, even though the new SAT is preferred: "We would still consider those scores, however, since we often see scores improve dramatically between a student's sophomore year and her senior year, she may want to consider taking them again in the future." So while the Class of 2018 could submit the current SAT to Wellesley, remember you may get a better score on the new SAT (or the ACT!) if you take the test your junior year. Yale Yale has posted a policy for the SAT redesign. They will be accepting the current SAT for the Class of 2018 as well as the Class of 2017. This is in contrast to the original policy they had posted last year, which stated that the Class of 2018 could not submit the current SAT: Yale's first policy for the redesigned SAT. Yale's current policy for the redesigned SAT. So if you're in the Class of 2018, and you've taken or will take the current SAT, you will be able to submit it to Yale. No Clear Policy Yet for the Class of 2018 Cambridge University Cambridge's different colleges have various admissions policies and standards. We got in touch with a few to get a sense of how Cambridge as a whole will handle the transition. This is what we found out. "We accept the qualifications which the applicants have taken and assess them carefully and on an individual basis on academic merit alongside all others applying for the same subject," said an admissions coordinator at Christ's College. Translation? Any standardized test will be looked at, including the current SAT. "I have contacted our Admissions Tutors and the feedback is as follows: ‘Yes: old one is fine,'" said an admissions officer at Churchill College. "The University of Cambridge will probably consider both versions of SAT (a decision will be made later this summer). Please note that we do not accept SATs on their own and they need to be accompanied by Advanced Placement Test or the International Baccalaureate," said an Admissions Officer at Pembroke College. So while some of the colleges seem prepared to accept the current SAT, others are waiting for an official policy to be set. If you're curious about any of the other individual colleges at Cambridge, see a full list here with contact info. Harvard University When I talked to a Harvard representative about how they will handle the SAT transition, I was told, â€Å"For a year or so we will accept both [the old SAT and new SAT].† This means for students in the Class of 2017, who will be juniors when the SAT changes, they could submit either test. When I asked about the Class of 2018, I was told, â€Å"I can’t tell you at this point†¦Probably for up to two years we will accept the old SAT.† Basically, this is a maybe. Indeed, if you look on Harvard’s admission website, you can see the following policy: â€Å"We will accept both the current and the redesigned SAT scores for the foreseeable future. You should submit scores from tests taken in the past three years." Unfortunately the â€Å"foreseeable future† is not terribly specific. If you follow the three year rule, someone in the Class of 2018 could take the old SAT as a sophomore and still have a usable score by their senior year. So it appears that Harvard will accept the old SAT for the Class of 2018, which would put them in line with other Ivy League schools like Brown and Dartmouth. You may want to double check with the admissions office before you assume you can use an old SAT score. MIT So could a current sophomore submit a score form the old SAT? â€Å"We will still be accepting [the old SAT] for the Class of 2017.† What about the Class of 2018? â€Å"That is likely we will as well†¦.We’re still reaching a decision on everything at this point. But we will always accept previously-taken tests.† Translation? If you’re in the Class of 2017, you can submit either version of the SAT. If you’re in the Class of 2018, you can certainly submit a score from the current SAT, but MIT hasn’t decided yet if by that point they will require the redesigned SAT as well from applicants submitting the SAT. As of July 2016, MIT hasn't decided on an official policy. They say on their FAQ page that: "We have not announced our policy and/or requirements for the 2017 admission cycle...For students interested in applying to MIT in 2017, and registering for the new SAT - we will accept all test results regardless of format or our final requirements. We will also accept all test results from exams taken before the new SAT." Penn State Can the Class of 2017 and the Class of 2018 submit scores from the current SAT if they have them? â€Å"As long as we have at least one score†¦We haven’t set a policy but as long as there’s at least one test score that’s all we need,† the Penn State representative told me. What about superscoring between the old and new SAT? â€Å"If [they take] the old and new one, whatever one is better we will accept.† So, tentatively, Penn State not only appears to accept both the old and new SAT up through the Class of 2018, they will also superscore between the old and new. Again, keep an eye out for official policy to go up in the Penn State admissions website, but for now, you can plan to take either version of the SAT. As of July 2016, no additional information has been posted on their website regarding the new SAT. University of Michigan Will the University of Michigan be accepting the current SAT for a student in the Class of 2017? â€Å"We will still accept the old SAT if they take it.† So what about for a student in the class of 2018? â€Å"They haven’t made a final determination on that †¦ we’re probably going to decide this next year, which is when the new SAT will roll out.† The admissions representative did say, â€Å"We will still accept previous scores and take them into consideration.† So while Michigan will certainly look at scores from the old SAT from a student in the Class of 2018, the jury’s still out on whether they will accept that as the official standardized test score, or if they will require the new SAT by then. As of July 2016 their website has not been updated. University of Virginia UVA has decided on a new SATpolicy, for the Class of 2017 at least: they can choose between the old SAT, new SAT, or the ACT when submitting their standardized test scores. However, there is nothing listed about the Class of 2018, so you'll have to wait to find out whether they will accept the current SAT for your class. How to Call Admissions Offices You’re probably wondering about other colleges we didn’t reach out to for this guide. From local state schools to small liberal arts colleges, every school is going to have a policy for the redesigned SAT. So how do you find out for yourself? The first step is to check their website to see if they have posted a policy. Check first their standardized testing page for freshman applicants. If the policy isn't there, take a look at the FAQ section. If they’ve posted a policy for the redesigned SAT, it will likely appear on one of those two pages. Unfortunately, many schools haven’t posted their policies online yet. Many are waiting to learn more about the redesigned SAT before they do so. If that’s the case, you can use our guide here to help you call college admission departments and ask. Even if they don’t have an official policy yet, an admissions officer can give you their best guess, which can help clear things up for you. In many cases, a policy has been decided but just not posted yet, and this is the best way to find out. If you just read the words â€Å"call college admission departments† and started thinking about slinking away, sending an email, or waiting for the official policy – stop! I realize that a lot of high school students are nervous about talking on the phone, and especially nervous about talking to admissions officers. Keep in mind that answering questions is part of the job of an admissions officer. Furthermore, they are really nice and happy to talk to you! Also, in case you're wondering, they’re not secretly taking your name down and writing notes about you. First of all, you don’t have to give your name, but even if you did, they don’t care. Colleges don’t track phone calls (or visits, or emails) by name. Calling an office will not affect your future application one way or the other. Step-by-Step Calling Guide First of all, to get the phone number, search for "[Name of College/University] Admissions Contact Info." This will pull up the page with the contact information, including emails and phone numbers for the admissions office. Dial the number for the admissions office. Here’s what to say to get the info you need. In most cases you’ll get through to an admissions representative first, not a counselor. (The difference is that representatives handle communications and outreach while counselors or officers actually read applications.) Briefly introduce yourself. For example, say, â€Å"I’m a high school student graduating in 2017† or â€Å"I’m the parent of a high school student graduating in 2017." This will help the representative put you in context. Succinctly say why you’re calling, for examples say, â€Å"I have a question about the new 2016 SAT.† At that point the representative will talk to you if they believe they have the answer, or will transfer you to an admissions counselor. Questions to Ask Jury's still out on whether waiting for your crush to text back or gathering the courage to call a college admissions office is more excruciating. First ask, "Are you still accepting the oldSAT for my class, the Class of 2017?" (Or the Class of 2018, as the case may be.) If they say yes, you can reconfirm by asking, "If I tookthe oldSAT before spring 2016 and gota good score, can I apply to your school with this score?" Also, if they say yes, ask, "Will you superscore between the old and new SAT?" You'll want to find out if they will take your highest scores if they take both the old and new SAT. If they will not be superscoring, ask how they will compare your scores if you take both the old and new SAT. If they will not be accepting the oldSAT for your class, ask which standardized tests they will be accepting for your class. It might be they will only accept the redesigned SAT or the ACT. You could also consider asking about SAT versus ACT, and if they would suggest taking the ACT instead. (Most colleges will likely affirm they take both tests equally, and perhaps encourage you to take the ACT during the transition period since it may be simpler.) If you have any other questions about applying or that school's specific application process, be sure to ask. Remember to thank them for their time before signing off. Also, for any school that you call that's not on the current list, leave a comment below so other students will benefit! Closing Words It’s important to put your best foot forward with standardized tests, which is why we spent so much time doing this research. However, it’s also important to remember they’re not the only part of your college applications. Many admissions counselors were eager to remind me over the phone that they use holistic review processes, so your SAT score is not the be-all end-all of your application. While it’s tricky being in the Class of 2017 or 2018 and having to deal with the SAT transition, remember to keep your grades up, take challenging classes, and get involved in things you care about. Finally, keep in mind that you can always take the ACT instead! The vast majority of colleges accept it equally, and the ACT isn’t changing. If you’re stressed about dealing with the redesigned SAT, remember you don’t have to take it! You can take the ACT instead. What’s Next? Read in-depth about the new SAT to understand how it's changing. We have a summary of major changes, and detailed guides to changes on the Reading, Writing, and Math sections, as well as the Essay. So what should you do if you decide to take the new SAT? Check out our study guide for the new SAT. Thinking you should take the ACT instead? Get guides to ACT scoring and ACT timing, and also try a free ACT practice test. If the ACT seems manageable to you, consider taking it instead of the SAT to avoid the transition headache. Want advice for getting into top colleges? Read our exclusive guide about what college admissions officers are actually looking for. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: