Which test is right for you, SAT or ACT?

Finding the right test, whether it's the SAT or ACT, that best showcases you or your student’s academic achievement is a necessary plan to maximizing your effectiveness in the college admissions process. Both the SAT and ACT can get you admission to a university or college, but one of the tests will feature you’re skills more so than the other will. Take a look at the following advantages and challenges.

SAT Test Advantages

• One quarter of the Critical Reading section questions are based on vocabulary, so those students who are strong in vocabulary and reading will perform better in this format.
• The SAT math section reviews mostly 9th and 10th grade math, with a bit of reasoning concepts. This is great for students who haven’t yet mastered trigonometry or calculus.
• Each of the 10 sections of the SAT test is 25 minutes or less. This is friendly for the student who likes short, quick bursts of attention.

SAT Test Challenges

• The SAT penalizes ¼ point for each question answered incorrectly.
• This test is also a long one – 3 hours and 45 min. The mental stamina required can be grueling.
• For students that do not enjoy the essay writing portion, this test begins with the timed essay.

ACT Test Advantages

• The ACT test format is simpler than the SAT with only 4 sections, the longest being 1 hour.
• The ACT is only 3 hours long, which is not quite as mentally challenging as the SAT test.
• The ACT doesn’t penalize for questions answered incorrectly.

ACT Test Disadvantages

The ACT Features a Science section that might be more difficult for students that haven’t been exposed to reasoning with graphs and numbers. The Math section includes trigonometry concepts. Some students find this format challenging if they haven’t prepared for this. The ACT English section challenges skills and aptitude in colons, hyphens, commas and other grammar. This can also be challenging for students without formal training.

One way to reach a decision is first to find what the college or university you or your student plans to attend and find out which tests are accepted. If the college accepts both, then take a full-length, timed practice exam for both the SAT and ACT test. Look at your results and what percentiles you fall in. Figure out which format you were most comfortable in. Then take the scores and let your instincts guide your decision.