The first thing you should realize is that not all colleges require the SAT or ACT as part of their admissions process. However, the vast majority of the nation's colleges do require completion of the SAT or ACT. Some colleges even require completion of subject tests as well. To determine whether the college you are interested in applying to requires completion of the SAT, ACT and/or subject tests, you should contact the college's admissions office or consult their website.
The SAT is administered by the College Board and the ACT is administered by ACT, Inc. Information regarding test dates, registration and testing centers is available on these websites.
1) What is the difference between the SAT and ACT?
Topics
SAT
ACT
No. of Sections
Comprised of 3 compulsory sections
Critical Reading
Math
Writing
Compulsoryessay writing section
Comprised of 4 compulsory sections
English
Math
Reading
Science
Essay writing sectionisoptional
Test Score Calculations
The test is worth 2400 pts (800 pts / section)
The test is worth 36 pts (36 pts/section)
Total score is determined by adding the scores obtained from each section
Total score is determined by taking the average (composite score) of the 4 compulsory sections
Critical ReadingSection
Critical Reading is composed of 2 multiple choice sections:
Sentence completions (which tests vocab & the context in which it is used)
Passage based reading
Reading test comprised of:
Passage based reading only
Math Section
Emphasis is on mathematical reasoning (incl. math concepts & skills)
Emphasis is on skills acquired in math courses taken
Complex formulas & extensive computations not required
Complex formulas & extensive computations not required
Writing Section
Writing score is comprised of compulsory essay (30%) and multiple choice writing section (70%).
If optional essay is chosen, test takers will be given an additional“combined writing score”
The essay is worth 1/3 & the English section is worth 2/3 of that score.
Multiple choice writing section incl.
Improving sentences
Identifying sentence errors
Improving paragraphs
Multiple choice English section incl.
Usage & mechanics (punctuation & grammar)
Rhetorical skills (writing strategy & style)
Not all colleges consider scores from the writing section as part of their admissions process
Scores from the English section are an integral part of the test taker’s composite score.
Science Section
No science section
Compulsory science section
Science section requires general knowledge acquired in introductory science courses
Science section seeks to measure analysis, evaluation, reasoning & problem solving required in natural science
2) Should I take the SAT or the ACT?
Many students find that their SAT and ACT scores are not dissimilar. However, there are students who perform considerably better on one or the other.
In order to determine which test is best suited to your abilities, simply take both tests. You can do this by: a) taking an actual SAT and ACT, or b) taking the sample test provided by the College Board and the ACT, Inc.
