For students preparing for college, standardized testing is a valuable part of the application process and a notable stress inducer during junior and senior year. While the SAT is significantly more popular, the ACT has multiple distinct benefits, making the decision of choosing between the tests complicated.
The SAT is nearly twice as popular than the ACT, with around two million test takers annually. In comparison, the ACT has around one million. For some, this popularity makes the SAT the default choice. “Most of my friends were taking the SAT, so I just took it too,” senior Kaia Moore said.
The SAT offers seven practice tests on Bluebook, the same testing application used on exam day. The SAT has also partnered with Khan Academy to provide further official SAT preparation.
The test consists of two sections: English and math. Each section is split up into two modules. The SAT is an adaptive test, meaning that depending on the performance in the first module, the second will be respectively more or less difficult.
Students are allotted 64 minutes for the English section and 70 minutes for the math section, totaling 134 minutes. Each section is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, and the total score is the sum of the two numbers.
Students have criticized how the SAT is adaptive, especially in the math section. “It almost starts as easy as the first [module], and then they lump all the really hard questions into the last [module], so you barely have any time to finish it,” Moore said.
“The better you do, the harder the questions are. I think the really difficult questions are very hard,” senior Carey Maletis said. Maletis took both the SAT and the ACT, but ultimately preferred the SAT because it was faster to take.
Since the SAT has fewer questions, test-takers have more time to answer each question.
“Even though some of the problems were harder, I feel like I had more time to work through them, compared to the ACT, where you are really rushed,” Maletis said.
The ACT has five sections, two of which are optional. They offer English, math, reading, and optional science and writing sections. Students are given 35 minutes for the English section, 50 minutes for the math section, and 40 minutes for the remaining sections, for a total of 205 minutes.
The ACT scores students on a scale of one to 36 for the English, math, and reading sections and gives a composite score based on the average of the three scores. Students also receive separate STEM scores based on the average of their math and science sections and ELA scores based on the average of their English, reading, and writing sections.
The ACT, while longer and faster-paced than the SAT, has several benefits. The ACT’s optional science section may be helpful for students interested in STEM majors.
“I like that it had a science section and a harder math section, because I like STEM, and the English section was much easier, and that’s what I usually struggle with,” senior Sam Shirley said.
The ACT also provides students with more resources after they have taken the test. Following completion of the test, students are given access to an answer key to review the mistakes they made, so they can target specific concepts to practice.
Both tests report students’ highest score from each section and compile them to create their composite score, also known as a superscore. This allows students to present their highest possible score to colleges.
The decision between the tests can be daunting and stressful for many students. If they are unsure where to start, the best way to explore their preferences is to take a practice test. Both the SAT and the ACT have their advantages and disadvantages, but the real key is to find the test that matches students’ strengths and talents.
