Illinois high schools will stop giving the college entrance exam ACT and instead give the SAT to high school juniors. The company that provides the ACT protested the potential cancellation of Illinois’ contract. The ACT has been used for 15 years. Many schools provide ACT preparation classes.

“The SAT requires more like memory, and it tests how much you know and your skill rather than how well you can read and answer questions based on it,” said freshman Claire Reband.

With the switch, teachers will need to adjust their tactics to suit the SAT.

“Our systems are built around [the ACT] and we want to take advantage of that,” District 121 Superintendent John Ahlgrim said. “There will be time and energy and money spent trying to refocus around the SAT.”

Schools fund the ACT exam and usually pay $39.82 for the non-writing portion of the test. In the future, if the state of Illinois provides funding to take the SAT, all students will take SAT for free.