The SAT versus the ACT
Which Test Is Best For High Schoolers To Take?
The hundreds of bubbles are enough to make anyone go batty. A, B, C, D, E, over and over on that green and white scantron. But high schoolers have a choice as to which scantron they'll be bubbling in; there are two major tests colleges accept in determining admissions. And the two tests– the ACT and SAT – differ in both their content and format, and some students would be better served with one over the other.
The SAT
The SAT reasoning test seems to be taken mostly in the eastern part of the United States; in fact, many schools, especially in the northeast, rarely offer or promote the ACT as an option. The SAT, or SAT Reasoning Test as it is now known, is approximately 4 hours long and has 10 sections. The first seven sections are each 25 minutes long; one of those sections is experimental and does not count toward the student's score. However, the student does not know which section it is. Sections eight and nine are each 20 minutes long, and the last section is 10 minutes long.
Section one of the SAT is always the written essay. Students are given a short prompt and famous quote and must pick a side to support with examples. The SAT essay is persuasive; students must pick ONE, and only one, of the sides of the argument to defend. "Hedging your bets" by discussing the benefits of both choices will result in a low score.
Sections two through seven contain a combination of two math, two critical reading and two writing multiple choice sections. Each section's questions are presented in order of difficulty, with easy and medium questions coming earlier in the section than the harder ones. Each question, however, is worth the same number of points, so it behooves students to answer the 'easy' ones correctly and rack up those points first.
Students can receive between a 600 and 2400 on the SAT.
The ACT
The ACT is a popular test in the midwestern part of the country. Like the SAT, it is approximately 4 hours long; however, it can run longer is students choose to take the essay portion. Unlike the SAT, the ACT has only four sections: English, Reading, Math and Science. This chart, courtesy of the official ACT website, breaks the sections down:
English:
75 questions – 45 minutes
Mathematics:
60 questions – 60 minutes
Reading:
40 questions – 35 minutes
Science:
40 questions – 35 minutes
Total:
215 questions
Writing:
1 prompt – 30 minutes
Breakdown of ACT Test Components
The ACT essay, unlike the SAT essay, is optional; however, it is a way to set yourself apart from students who choose not to take it. And in an increasingly competitive college admissions atmosphere, demonstrating strong writing skills is a must. The ACT essay section is structured in a longer format. Students are allowed to present one of the two views given, or create a third point of view and defend that. Additionally, the time allotted for the ACT essay is 30 minutes – five minutes longer than on the SAT.
Science is something unique to the ACT. It does not test rote science knowledge, such as the periodic table or principles of biology; rather, it is testing a student's critical analysis and reading skills on scientific properties, using charts, graphs and scientific abstracts.
The ACT also differs in format. For example, critical reading and writing questions appear next to the respective sentence or paragraph they refer to; not so on the SAT, where a passage appears on one page followed by a string of questions. Also, ACT questions are not presented in any order of difficulty; some students find this less intimidating, but some students find it hard to distinguish where they should be picking up their easy points.
Students can receive between a 1 and 36 on the ACT.
So, Which is Right for You (Or Your Child?)
The SAT is the more traditional test; students who do well with shorter sections and switching between subjects for variety will probably prefer it. Also, students who like their questions listed by degree of difficulty will much prefer the SAT.
The ACT is geared for students who are very strong in language. Of course there is math on the test; but with substantial critical reading, writing and scientific reasoning sections and an optional essay section that is allotted more time than the SAT's essay, the ACT is dominated by those with good critical reading and language skills.
Many students take a college entrance exam twice to boost their score, and some take both the ACT and SAT to see which they do better on. After all, you, or your child, wants to maximize potential and show colleges the best side possible. Go to a library or bookstore and explore test preparation books for both tests to see which test fits best.
**The author is an SAT and ACT preparation teacher for a nationally-known test prep company.
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