An Undeclared War between the SAT and ACT?

Some would argue that there has always been a friendly competition between the makers of the SAT and the ACT. But Fortune Magazine reports the rivalry has escalated to an “undeclared war.” In his article headlined, “The Standardized-Test Smackdown,” reporter David A. Kaplan says the College Board, owner of the SAT, and American College Testing, owner of the ACT, are vigorously vying for both market share and mind share. Kaplan points out that the SAT has lost market share to the ACT in recent years and the two tests reached virtual parity for the class of 2009. That parity may have prompted the College Board to launch its new Score Choice policy, which allows students to avoid submitting bad scores to universities and presumably means more repeated tests, Kaplan says. But with millions of students taking both tests each year, both organizations are doing just fine in what has become a billion dollar industry, according to the article. Perhaps the biggest threat to market share may be the 800-plus colleges and universities that have opted to make standardized tests optional for applicants.