Until recently, the SAT was taken by students applying to colleges on the East and West Coasts, the ACT by everyone else. Now, most colleges accept either test and students are often overwhelmed by choice. Which test suits whom? Is there any advantage to taking one test over the other? Or should students just hedge their bets and take both?
The same but different
The tests are about the same length, about 4 hours long. They both test reading, math, grammar and usage, and require an essay of about the same length (25 minutes for the SAT, 30 minutes for the ACT). Most students score comparably on either. Both tests are offered around 7 times a year and offer the option to submit only the best date's scores to colleges. For students who have better scores in one section on one date and another section on a different date, the Common App allows students to list all and colleges generally create their own "superscore" from the best composite of either ACT or SAT results.
There are some important differences between the tests, however. The SAT Critical Reading section includes Sentence Completion questions which reward students who have strong vocabulary knowledge. The ACT doesn't have that kind of question, but has a Science Reasoning section in addition to the math, reading and writing they have in common. The SAT has a reputation for "tricky" questions and scares some students with its error penalty provision: every four errors in any of the three sections results in one raw point off. The ACT has no penalty for errors.
For students who are applying to colleges that require SAT Subject Tests + SAT or ACT test alone, the ACT would be a natural choice if they do not have good scores to submit in two or three otherwise required SAT Subject Tests. Also, for students applying for special accomodations, if one test service grants the accomodation and the other one doesn't, the choice is clear.
Which test is better?
The best way to answer that question is to take a full, timed practice test in each, under similar test conditions. That's two 4.5 hour time investments, however – an exhausting proposition to many students. An easier way is to take a practice test in either one and if your results seem inconsistent with your overall academic achievement, then consider the other brand. Generally, students who have weak vocabularies (especially those who do not do much reading, or enjoy reading much) BUT are strong in math and science would do better to choose the ACT. Students who are uncomfortable with the SAT's abstract essay topics might be more comfortable with the ACT's student-friendly essay prompts, and the fact that on the ACT, the essay comes at the end of the test. The SAT essay is the first section, which some students find that exhausting. Since the essay is the least important section of both tests, students whose attention seriously flags over the course of such a long exam might score higher if they get to work on multiple choice questions first.
Choose one!
But in any case, choose one test! Top college coach Michele Hernandez advises students to pick one and prepare well. Note, too, that college admissions officers may look askance at too many test scores on an application, wondering why this student hasn't found other things to do with his or her time. At a recent panel on college admissions strategies in New York, Ms. Hernandez stated her preference for the SAT because students can use the error "penalty" strategically to leverage partial knowledge and raise their score. Some test prep tutors prefer the SAT for that reason, too. Students tend to take whatever test is popular at their school, but the key consideration should only be this: On which test can I score higher?
.
Comments