BY PATRICIA ALEX
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The SAT is no longer the only game in town. The ACT -- a college entrance test widely used in the Midwest -- is making inroads in New Jersey, with the number of test takers nearly doubling in the past two years.

The venerable SAT still dominates, with 85,511 New Jersey students choosing to take it last year. But more college applicants looking for an edge in admissions sign up for the ACT, too, to see if they score better on it.

Both tests are mostly multiple choice. The ACT tests what a student has learned during high school, and is less abstract than the SAT, which purports to measure aptitude. Colleges and universities nationwide accept both tests.

Critics have called the SAT culturally biased, and the College Board, which owns the test, had to acknowledge mistakes recently in scoring. Students and educators have also complained that the writing section added in 2005 has made the test too long.

READ MORE: http://www.northjersey.com/education/16409966.html

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