Latest College Prep News & Tips

It is staying light later, and while it may seem like it will take an eternity to get here, spring is not that far away. With spring comes standardized test season for high school juniors. In this month’s article I am going to focus on the key differences and similarities between the SAT and ACT.

First, let’s start with timing. Here is a breakdown of the length of each section, and number of questions, for both tests.

You will notice that there is much less time per question on the ACT than there is on the SAT. So, if time is an issue for a student, then he or she should consider taking the SAT. However, if a student tends to overthink questions and second guess him or herself constantly, then he or she might consider the ACT, as on the ACT, there is no time for second guessing.

In addition to timing, the major difference between the two tests is that the ACT has a science section, whereas the SAT does not. The science section is a 35 minute section with 40 questions. Students do not need specific biology, chemistry, or physics knowledge. In fact, all students need is a general understanding of the scientific method and an ability to read charts and graphs and apply the answers to questions.
Another difference is in the scoring. The SAT is scored from 200 to 800 in two sections: Evidence Based Reading and Writing and Math. The ACT has 4 sections that are each scored from 1 to 36. Those scores are averaged, and a student is then given a composite score. Colleges in our area tend to use an ACT SAT concordance chart to convert the ACT scores back to an SAT. Both tests have a variety of subscores, but the subscores tend to not be important for college admission.

Both tests also have an optional essay that comes at the end of the test. I strongly recommend that students take the SAT test with the essay at least once, and the same for the ACT. While not many schools require the essay for college admission, some do, and a student is better off having an essay score and not needing it than not having taken the test with the essay and needing it. Also, many colleges that don’t use the essay score for admission will use it for placement in freshmen English classes.

The math sections on the tests are also different. The SAT is broken into two sections: a 25 minute non-calculator section and a 55 minute calculator section. Students can use the calculator on the whole ACT math section. The SAT gives students many of the needed geometry formulas, but the test only has approximately 4 geometry questions. The ACT does not give students any formulas and it contains approximately 18 geometry questions. While the questions tend to seem more straight forward on the ACT, the content does get slightly more difficult. There are log and matrix questions on the ACT, but not on the SAT.

While understanding what is on both tests helps, but best way for a student to know which test is best for him or her is to take an actual practice test.  We offer practice SAT and ACT tests in our Milford office several times a month. Here is a link to the schedule for upcoming tests.  If you have specific questions, or you would like us to email you a test that you can take at home, email jmaroney@firstchoicecollege.com.