People often wonder which of the two main pre-college tests is better for them, SAT vs ACT. The easy answer is: take both and see which one gives you a higher percentage score. There are a couple concerns regarding the time commitment in preparing for two tests, and wondering if your college of choice will accept one score and not the other. Also of concern is which are you likely to score higher on.
The SAT vs ACT are the only two pre-college standardized tests that are accepted by accredited American universities, so you must take one, but which?
Why choose? Take both tests. It is very unlikely that you will score identically on both tests, so you will have a higher percent score on one than the other. Since nearly all colleges accept both the SAT and the ACT, you may submit whichever score is higher, and not submit the other.
Which will you score higher on? It is largely believed that the ACT is the less coachable of the two tests. The ACT markets itself as a general knowledge test, whereas the SAT markets itself as a reasoning test. So whereas you can coach someone on strategies for reasoning, it is much more difficult to coach someone on general knowledge. The ACT believes that by testing a wider variety of topics, they will more accurately assess the aptitude of a student and how well they understood their high school curriculum. The SAT believes that by testing the reasoning and logic abilities of a student they will gauge how well that student will be able to succeed in college. Numerous studies both prove and disprove the validity of both tests’ assumptions. However, if you excelled in high school and have a good retention, take the ACT. If you did not excel in high school but feel you can reason your way through questions, take the SAT.
Will I have to prepare for two completely different tests? The SAT vs ACT are remarkably similar. The SAT has three sections: Writing, Math and Critical Reading; the ACT has Science, Writing/English, Math and Critical Reading. The ACT doesn’t penalize guessing and has an optional writing section whereas the SAT penalizes guessing and has a non-optional writing section. The ACT Science section does not actually test science knowledge, but rather critical reading of scientific passages—science knowledge is nearly useless for this section. The ACT covers a bit of trigonometry, whereas the SAT does not. The ACT is a shorter test, clocking in at 3 hours 25 minutes, while the SAT is 3 hours and 45 minutes. The materials, formats, and subject matter are so similar that only a small amount of preparation is required to move from one test to the other.
In conclusion, simply prepare thoroughly for whichever test you like, SAT vs ACT, and then take it. Spend 2 weeks cross training over to the other test and then take that one. Submit whichever score is higher—as a percentage, and enjoy the results.