PLATTSBURGH -- Jeff Ehrlich is unlocking the vault this weekend.

"The SATs are locked up in Saranac," said the Saranac Central School counselor.

Clinton County's SAT steward is ready with his hand-picked crew to get America's most popular college-entrance exam going today, as students turn out around the North Country to climb one of the steps to college acceptance.

"I know it's important, but it's not that much stress," said Ethan Crockett, a junior at Plattsburgh High School who is taking the SAT today.

"It'll be just like going through a normal school day."

ESTABLISHED TEST

The SAT, first introduced in 1901, is published and developed by the non-profit College Board and measures students' general educational development and capability to complete college-level work in the areas of English, math, reading and science. It now includes a writing test, too.

The test is offered seven times yearly, and today is one of the last two dates of this school year to take it.

About 1.5 million students took the SAT last year, compared to around 1.2 million who took the ACT, first administered in fall 1959 as a competitor to the SAT.

SAT VS. ACT

Most colleges now accept both the SAT and the ACT.

"We will take either the SAT or ACT, and if you give us both, we'll just convert the ACT score into an SAT score," said Plattsburgh State Admissions Director Richard Higgins.

"By and large, about 66 percent of our applicants are showing SAT scores."

Students can score up to a 2400 on the SAT, with the equivalent score on the ACT being a 36.

A 2040 SAT score would be the same as scoring a 31 on the ACT, while other comparisons include: 750 for SAT is 11 for ACT, 1000 for SAT is 14 for ACT, and 1350 for SAT is 19 for ACT.