November 1, 2012

College entrance exams, a new popularity contest?

Nov. 1, 2012 at 10:00 AM | By W. Kent Barnds | Comment Count

I’ve snickered throughout the fall as I’ve read some reports about the ACT® surpassing the SAT® in “popularity” among students seeking admission to colleges nationwide. I snicker because neither of these exams is exactly popular among prospective students who are in the midst of preparing for one or the other. However, I acknowledge the importance of these exams in the college selection process and understand the attention they garner from students and the media. The fact that in 2012 the ACT was taken by more students than ever before causes me to think a little bit about “popularity.”

There are five likely reasons for the increase in ACT test takers: a perception of breadth; the admissions counselor’s message; demographics; misuse of the ACT; and, the application and scholarship “arms race.” ACT or SAT?

A perception of breadth

The ACT is making a strong case that it offers a broader, more complete view of student achievement in the high school classroom. The ACT’s English, Math, Reading and Science sections offer strong symbols of breadth to those students who might feel that the SAT’s assessment of math and critical reading is too narrow. While I certainly recognize that creators of both tests would present far more complex analysis (and justification of their test), I think perception of the ACT’s breadth has established some traction with students, parents, and also college counselors who promote the narrative that the ACT offers a more complete representation of a student.

The admissions counselor’s message

Admissions counselors, particularly those at more selective colleges, have the capacity to help shape behavior and message. It’s my belief that over the last 20 years admissions counselors have been aiding the ACT. Before I started working at Augustana College in 2005, I worked at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. At Augustana the ACT is the exam, and at Elizabethtown the SAT was the exam.

In both cases it was because of geographic location that one exam was preferred. However, because the ACT was not yet as well known, and seemed a bit mysterious at the time to students and parents from the middle Atlantic states, it offered an opportunity to counsel prospective students—particularly those dissatisfied with their SAT performance—that another option was available to them. I am certain that in the 13 years I served Elizabethtown, I counseled hundreds of students dissatisfied with their SAT score to give the ACT a try.

This counseling was based less on a study or report and more on the experience of seeing many students perform better on the ACT than the SAT. While I don’t know how widespread this message is, it’s my perception that it extends beyond the Office of Admissions and is now recommended by college counselors, independent counselors and coaches in many places.

Demographics

Perhaps one of the primary reasons for this shift in popularity can be attributed to demographic change. The historic bastions of the SAT—the East and West Coasts—are changing considerably in terms of demographics. In particular, the New England and Middle Atlantic stronghold is experiencing a generational decline in college-aged students. California is experiencing dramatic changes in college-going patterns, causing many students to apply to colleges outside of California. Simply put, there are fewer students in the areas where the SAT has historically been the strongest.

Misuse of the ACT

While not a primary reason, there continues to be problems with district- and state-wide requirements of students taking the ACT as an assessment of the quality of the school or school district. This is not necessarily new, but making a formerly elective test mandatory does put more test takers into the pool.

The admissions and scholarship “arms race”

More students are applying to more colleges. Why? To hedge their admissions and scholarship bets as college admission becomes more competitive. Applying to more colleges and spreading out across the country—especially all of those California students looking for options out of state—naturally result in applicants responding to new criteria, like taking the ACT.

Some may remind us that almost all colleges will accept either exam, and these changes in applicant behavior shouldn’t change test distribution because colleges will consider either one. However, applicants are pleasers and they will do whatever they think will increase their odds of admission and scholarship awards.

Applicants are very likely to take the test that appears to be preferred by the college. That’s why we’ve historically seen students from the Midwest take the SAT when seeking admission to colleges on the East Coast, and we see kids from the coasts taking the ACT when looking toward the interior.

Admissions professionals don’t always understand the nuances influencing behavioral changes in prospective students and families. Who knows? Next year we may write about the restored dominance of the SAT. The one known constant is that the number of students taking these exams—whether the ACT or SAT—is not a reflection of their enthusiasm for either test.

W. Kent Barnds is the vice president of Augustana College and has developed a reputation for innovation and excellence as a result of his admissions and enrollment management expertise. Check out Kent's blog, @bowtieadmission, for his personal commentary on higher education and admissions.

Photo by dbking licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.