ACT vs. SAT

The other day, I had a conversation with a student who said he was planning to take the ACT (American College Test) because some friends at school said it was easier than the SAT.  I asked him if his friends had taken both the SAT and the ACT and were, therefore, in a position to judge.  He admitted that they had only taken the ACT.  I said that more students in this area are taking the ACT today compared with just ten years ago, but that may just be because more students are becoming aware that they have a choice.  I went on to say that I preferred students to make informed decisions rather than rely on hearsay and the “word on the street.”

For many years, the popularity of these exams was regional.  The SAT used to be the preferred test on the east and west coasts, and with independent school students.  The ACT was seen to be more of a Midwest test.  In November 2007, a New York Times article reported that the number of students taking the ACT in the East had increased 66%, and 42% in the West.  That one article led to further increases.  Does this change suggest that one test is “better” than the other?  Not necessarily.  Some students do better on the SAT and others earn higher scores on the ACT.  So how do you decide which test to take?  Weigh the differences between the two tests. 

Before you consider whether to take the ACT or the SAT, there is an important first step: check with your colleges of choice.  While most admissions departments will accept either exam, some schools may require a specific test.  Just to be safe, do your homework and check the application requirements for the schools that are of interest to you.  If those colleges accept both tests, then these sixteen differences should be considered:

1. ACT questions are often more straightforward and easier to understand than those encountered on the SAT, so you won’t have to spend time trying to figure out what is really being asked before starting to identify the correct answer.  To say this a bit differently, the SAT phrases its more challenging questions in ways that many students say are “tricky” and sometimes difficult to decipher.  Some students thrive on the SAT approach, while others find the ACTs more intuitive, content-based approach to be less intimidating.  While the ACT questions may be easier to understand, they are sometimes longer than those found on the SAT.  Some students prefer to be given shorter questions.  Other students find the ACT’s approach reduces their test anxiety.
2. The SAT places a stronger emphasis on vocabulary, while the ACT places more emphasis on grammar, punctuation, and syntax.  The ACT relies more on how words sound in context in “normal” sentences, i.e. its sentences are more likely to resemble those that we use in daily conversation.  Some students find identifying misplaced commas or errors of subject-verb agreement easier on the ACT because a sentence just does not sound right.  The SAT is more likely to use compound sentences that make identifying the error more complicated.  If you have a strong sense of grammar, then the SAT approach will not be an insurmountable hurdle. If you have an average or weak vocabulary, you might want to consider the ACT, but if you absorb vocabulary easily and are a great reader, you might lean toward the SAT. 
3. The ACT is more curriculum-based; the SAT is aimed more at general reasoning and problem-solving skills (which probably explains why students might think the questions on the SAT are more difficult).  The ACT is viewed as an exam that measures what was learned in school, while the SAT uses this to measure your thinking and reasoning skills.
4. College admissions counselors and coaches say that bright underachievers who are bored in school tend to do better on the SAT.  Often, these students have good reasoning skills (and they are bored, perhaps, because they do not get to use them in school).  These are the students who resonate with SAT questions.  If this sounds like you, take a look at the sample questions that the College Board posts online.  Highly driven students usually do better on the ACT.  The average to above average student who works really hard also tends to do better on the ACT than the SAT because, for them, the ACT more closely resembles another classroom test.  This last category of students finds the SAT to be much more challenging, and we recommend that they stay away from the SAT if possible.
5. The ACT has a science section while the SAT does not.  You do not have to know science to be able to answer the questions correctly; all the needed information is provided in the question.  The ACT uses science to test reading and reasoning skills.  If you like science you might feel you have an edge, but if science makes your skin crawl, you might want to stick with the SAT.
6. The ACT tests more advanced math concepts, including trigonometry.  Sometimes it also includes logarithms, matrices, radians, and unreal numbers.  But its math questions are more straightforward than those found on the SAT.  This approach does not necessarily mean that the ACT is easier; you will just spend less time trying to figure out what you are being asked to do.  If you have not yet studied this level of math, then you might want to take the SAT.
7. The 25-minute writing sample is required on the SAT, and it is the first part of the exam.  The score on the writing sample is included in the composite score.  The 30-minute writing test is optional on the ACT.  It is the last part of the ACT, and its score is not included in the composite score.  Colleges see it separately.  The SAT writing prompt tends to be more abstract, while the ACT prompt tends to be about high school life.  If you do not write well, you might be tempted to consider taking the ACT and opting out of the essay.  Check first with your colleges of choice.  Most schools do require the writing sample.
8. Consider your testing pattern preferences.  Do you like to have shorter periods of testing or prefer to be tested for longer periods?  The SAT is broken up into smaller sections, while the ACT is administered in larger chunks.  The ACT lasts 3 hours, 25 minutes (with the essay); the SAT lasts 3 hours, 45 minutes.  The ACT has 215 questions; the SAT has 140 questions.  Because the ACT asks more questions that are easier to understand, you are able to spend less time interpreting each one, but you have to work faster in order to finish.  As a result, the ACT is a faster-paced exam.
9. The level of difficulty increases as the student moves through a section on the SAT (except for the reading passages).  Students who take the SAT are able to take advantage of this format.  On the ACT, however, the level of difficulty of the questions is random.   
10. On the SAT, students are sometimes asked to read two passages and then compare them.  Reading comprehension questions on the ACT are always about the single, preceding passage.  While materials and classes can help students can help students prepare for the SAT approach, some students prefer the greater simplicity of the ACT approach.
11. All other criteria being equal, boys tend to score slightly higher than girls on the SAT.  Girls’ scores are much closer to those of boys on the ACT.  [According to the College Board, since 1972 high school boys have outperformed girls.  On the 2012 SAT math test, for example, boys’ average score was 532, while girls’ average score was 499.  These data should not be interpreted to mean that boys are better at math than girls.  More girls take AP math, honors math, and four years of high school math than boys.  Soar For Success believes the answer will be found to lie in gender differences in the way the brain’s parietal lobe reacts to these timed math tests.]  The point is that your gender might help you decide which test to take.
12. The SAT is offered seven times a year.  The ACT is offered six times a year.  Some students do not find the scheduling differences to be significant, while others appreciate the greater flexibility offered by the SAT.
13. The SAT deducts ¼ point for wrong answers as a penalty for guessing.  The ACT counts only correct answers, so there is no penalty.  Students misinterpret this difference to mean that the ACT is easier.  For both exams, guessing is always the strategy of last resort.  In any case, the lack of a penalty for guessing has no bearing on the real difficulty of the test.
14. Soar For Success finds that students with learning disabilities and have trouble processing information may do better on the ACT.
15. There are some people who claim earning a high score on the ACT might be more difficult than on the SAT.  Their thinking has to do with the notion that everyone benefits from the ACT’s more straightforward approach and its policy regarding guessing.  As the raw score is converted to a scaled score, any such advantage is negated.  At Soar For Success, we have seen no evidence to confirm or reject this belief, but it makes sense that the conversion factor that produces the scaled score does have to include some sort of compensation factor.  This means, these people argue, that the student who prepares for the exam will have a greater chance of standing apart from the crowd that takes the SAT than from those taking the ACT.  We cannot validate this argument, but we do support the notion that test preparation helps.
16. Most students in this country do not prepare for the SAT or the ACT.  That is like walking in to the classroom to take a history test without having read the text or doing any studying for it.  You will find that the SAT is easier to prepare for simply because there is more material available for it.  There are also more test-specific concepts and strategies to teach for the SAT.

Obtain sample test questions for both examinations.  Determine which format and style you like better. 

Some advisors tell students to take both exams and then submit only the higher score.  Soar For Success thinks this approach places most students under unnecessary stress.  We strongly recommend that you take one exam or the other and then devote appropriate energy toward preparing for it.

The differences between the SAT and the ACT are not about easier or harder.  You need to compare and contrast the two exams and then choose the test with which you feel most comfortable.  This is what so much of the college application process is all about, or at least it should be if you approach it correctly – learning who you are and making informed decisions accordingly.