SAT or ACT? Which college entrance exam will KY high school juniors take this spring?
As part of Kentucky’s move away from the ACT for college entrance exams, every high school junior in Kentucky will take the SAT starting this spring.
The standardized test will come at no cost to students and families, Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher said in a statewide message Wednesday.
“This is a big change, but one we know will have a tremendous impact on supporting students in reaching their goals after high school,” Fletcher said.
The Kentucky Department of Education previously used the ACT as its primary college admissions exam provider, but that contract ended June 30.
A KDE announcement on the Kentucky Teacher website said the SAT will become the state-funded college admissions exam beginning in spring 2026 under an initial, four-year contract. It will cost the state $30 per student, a price that’s locked in.
The move has the potential to save Kentucky up to $350,000 annually, the announcement said.
KDE is required to follow the Kentucky Model Procurement Code, which governs how state agencies purchase goods and services, including large-scale contracts like statewide tests. This process is designed to ensure fairness in vendor selection and was facilitated by the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet.
Students will take the exam as part of The College Board’s SAT School Day program. The SAT Junior State Administration is an online exam administered by school staff, and schools select the dates they plan to test during a six-week window beginning March 2.
The SAT is a multistage, adaptive exam. The reading and writing section and the math section are divided into two equal-length and separately timed modules. Based on the performance of the first module, the second module of questions will either be more or less difficult overall, Fletcher said.
The digital exam takes two hours and 14 minutes, with reading, writing and math sections each scored on a 200 to 800 scale. An additional “analysis in science” score is generated based on relevant questions. That means the SAT does not have a standalone science section, but those skills are assessed within the other modules, making the test shorter.
Fletcher said the move gives Kentucky students access to free, personalized practice and a new, shorter digital SAT format designed to be student-friendly with fast score reporting.
The SAT is accepted at colleges and universities across Kentucky and throughout the U.S. It also connects students to national scholarship opportunities, Fletcher continued.
Kentucky students previously took the ACT during the spring of their junior year. They could then opt to retake the ACT on their own, which they can still do under the new contract with SAT. The contract applies only to juniors taking the mandatory School Day program exam.
But the move hasn’t come without critics. KDE received a protest on the shift, as of July 14, regarding the contract awarded to the College Board/SAT. Education officials have not said who lodged the protest, but KDE reported it worked with the Finance and Administration Cabinet to ensure compliance with all procurement laws.
As of Sept. 23, the cabinet determined that the protest lacked merit, and it was denied.
“We are excited to partner with the Kentucky Department of Education and schools across the Commonwealth to deliver a state-of-the-art testing experience that will give educators actionable insights into student performance,” Priscilla Rodriguez, head of The College Board’s SAT program, said in KDE’s announcement. “Additionally, the SAT will provide students and their families with information and resources about college and career pathways to help them plan their futures.”
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 12:22 PM.