After 15 years of College Board’s ACT test being taken by high school juniors all across Illinois, the state has flipped the switch. As of this past June 30th, the SAT is now given to all students within Illinois.

While a majority of the country’s high school students have been taking the SAT for the past years, Illinois was not. Illinois’ contract with the College Board’s ACT exam ended this year therefore ushering in the opportunity for a new exam to take the spot. With the popularity of the SAT exam across the nation, it was no surprise that it replaced the previous exam. When it comes down to the differences between each exam, it really involves mostly what will be more beneficial to the students. Among the pros of the SAT rather than the ACT is that the SAT exam is state-funded therefore making it free to students. Although that is an advantage of the SAT, Illinois does not currently have the proper budget to be able to satisfy state-wide testing. According to the Chicago Tribune, the SAT exam also has been refined to eliminate penalties for guessing and focus more on the areas of math that “matter most for college and career readiness”. A key difference between the ACT and SAT is that the SAT penalizes for guessing, therefore in certain situations where students are unclear of which answer is correct, it is better to leave it blank rather than lose points for guessing the incorrect answer. With that said, it is beneficial and needed that the refined exam is able to lessen the impact of those types of situations on the students’ overall scores. The SAT also has incorporated into their math section, a non-calculator portion as well as a calculator portion making sure that the students taking the exam are able to test their skills with and without the help of a calculator. The SAT consists of four sections: Reading, Math, Writing & Language, and Essay (optional). The ACT consists of five sections: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. With this in mind, the SAT allows more time per question while the ACT forces students to make rational decisions on their answers based on the time situation.

While there are many differences between the exams, the real question is why are they switching to the SAT? The answers come in many different options, whether it be that the State believes one option is more valuable in life than the other or the nitty gritty of it that the SAT exam is offered free of charge to the students. The ACT has built up a credible reputation over the years and has had many parents preparing their children from a young age to complete the test with the best score possible. With this preparation, for it to be a waste because of the test change is another factor in the switch. These parents paid money to prepare their kids and due to the test change, they will have no end goal. In terms of the purpose that the ACT served, which was to better prepare students on a pathway to college, the SAT is as well-regarded as the ACT is in this subject. Both offer an exam that will better prepare them for life beyond high school and when it comes down to it, money is a huge factor in that life beyond high school.

We reached out to East Leyden’s Freshman Honors & Junior American Literature teacher, Kurt Schuett to ask for his opinions on the change of the exam. When asked if whether one of the exams is more beneficial to a student’s’ lives, he responded that the SAT exam is tested in a majority of the country as well as for the Naval academy or west point, therefore it is better suited for students since it is more common testing. East Leyden’s Algebra II teacher also voiced his opinions by stating that the tests are equally difficult and that the math portion “seems about on par with the difficulty level of the ACT”. Although there are differences between the tests and we don’t know the exact reason why the State has decided to go under a contract with the SAT, we can see that teachers and legislators believe that it is on par with the difficulty and credibility of the ACT exam.