For the first time, the ACT college entrance exam is more popular that the SAT. This year is the first time high school in which more students chose to take the ACT exam over the SATs.
However, ACT surpassed the SAT with only a margin of 2,000 test-takers among the 1.65 million who took each exam, according to AP.

The reason for the ACT becoming more popular could be down to the fact that it could be taken virtually by in nine states under the state testing regiment. The SAT has always been more popular in the East and West coasts.

The stats below show how the pattern of college board exams have changed over time, according to FairTest.

1986: 730,000 students took the ACT compared with 1,000,748 who took the SAT.
1996: 924,663 took the ACT; 1,084,725 took the SAT.
2006: 1,206,455 took the ACT; 1,465,744 took the SAT.
2011: 1,623,112 took the ACT; 1,647,123* took the SAT
2012: 1,666,017 took the ACT; 1,664,479* took the SAT

The ACT exam is an abbreviation of American College Testing. It consists of four tests: English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. The ACT is popular in the Midwestern, Rocky Mountain and Southern United States. But more recently, it has become more popular on the East Coast.

The SAT exam once stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test and later changed to Scholastic Assessment Test. However, it does not stand for anything at present and remains an empty acronym. The exam covers critical reading, writing and math.

Taking the standardized ACT and SAT is required for entry to many universities across the United States.