SAT and ACT are the most popular tests taken by undergraduate applicants to study abroad. Universities and colleges use SAT/ACT scores for admissions & scholarships, and therefore, students generally question the preferences of one test over the other, and also, which exam is easier or will increase their chances of getting into their desired college.
Many students begin the college preparation process by comparing the SAT and ACT tests. Although they generally cover the same topics. Both SAT and ACT scores are used for the college admissions process for providing merit-based scholarships. Most colleges and universities do not prefer one over the other. Well, to begin with, no test is easy or hard but they definitely are different. Students must identify the differences and understand their own liking and comfort zone in order to identify which test suits them. The content and pattern of both the exams are pretty much similar, with some exceptions to be highlighted in this article. And to conclude, we will help you to decide whether you should take the SAT or ACT.
SAT vs ACT: Key Differences
Now, let’s begin our SAT vs ACT comparison. Although both exams share several similarities, here are the key differences for you to consider before deciding whether to take the SAT or ACT.
Time Per Question
Well, time crunches? Then you might opt for the SAT test over the ACT as the SAT gives you more time per question than the ACT one.
The below chart illustrates the differences in time per question (In a given section, if you were to spend the same amount of time on each question):
SECTION | SAT | ACT |
Reading | 75 sec/question | 53 sec/question |
SAT Writing/ACT English | 48 sec/question | 36 sec/question |
Maths | No Calculator: 75 sec/question Calculator: 86 sec/question | 60 sec/question |
Science | N/A | 53 sec/question |
It is quite clear that the SAT offers more time per question on all sections of the test. You’ll have more time per question on the SAT Maths and SAT Reading sections, with the Maths Calculator subsection allotting you nearly 25 seconds more per question than the ACT Maths one!
So, if you’re worried about time management, particularly in the Maths section, the SAT offers much more time and far less stress-inducing time constraints than the ACT.
Scoring | SAT | ACT |
Score | You’ll get an overall score out of 1600. This is generated by adding your score in the Maths section with your score in the Evidence-Based Reading & Writing section (each section is scored on a scale of 200–800). The optional Essay is not included in the overall score. You’ll receive 3 scores for the essay: Reading, Writing, and Analysis, which are all on a 2–8 scale. | You’ll get a composite score on a 1–36 scale. This score is an average of your scores in the 4 MCQ sections (each section is scored on a scale of 1–36). The optional Writing Test is not included in the composite score. You’ll receive 5 scores for the Writing Test: one overall score and 4 domain scores on a 2–12 scale, that are based on an analytic scoring rubric. |
How good are you at pinpointing areas in texts to support your answers to the given questions? If your answer is “YES”, the SAT might be a better go to option for you.
Evidence-support questions are a vital part of the SAT Reading Section but are completely absent from the ACT Reading Section. Questions like these build off of the questions that come before them and ask you to cite particular lines/paragraphs as evidence for your answer to the previous one.
Evidence based questions can be really tricky, especially if you’re unsure about where you found your answer in the passage. If you’re troubled with the interconnected questions, try the ACT test instead (whose Reading questions are always separated from each other).
In the SAT Reading section, all questions follow a chronological order i.e, in the order of the passage to which they refer. But in the ACT Reading section, questions generally flow randomly i.e, do not routinely follow the order of the content in the passage.
As a result, SAT Reading questions are easier to follow and thus simpler to answer than the ACT Reading ones. Chronological order questions can also save your time on the SAT, as you don’t need to look out the entire passage for the area to which a question is referring.
Maths: No Calculator Section
Unlike the ACT, which allows you to use a calculator on all Maths questions, the SAT contains a Maths “No Calculator” subsection for which you can’t use a calculator. As a result, if you struggle with quick solving or without a calculator, you’d probably do better on ACT Maths than you would on SAT Maths. On the other hand, if you’re confident in your Maths skills and can work fast without a calculator, the SAT is a great option.
Note this: In both the SAT and ACT, you can technically solve all Maths questions without using a calculator. The “No Calculator” questions aren’t all that different from “Calculator” ones. The “No Calculator” questions are meant to be easier to solve without a calculator and are thus mostly more reasoning-based than arithmetic ones.
Maths Concept: Types and Balance
In regard to Maths content, the SAT and ACT both have a big emphasis on algebra. But the ACT also tests a couple of concepts that the SAT doesn’t really focus on.
The ACT has a much larger focus on geometry, which makes up about 30-45% of the Maths section. When you compare it with SAT, geometry accounts for less than 10% of the Maths questions. In addition, trigonometry accounts for less than 5% of the SAT and about 7% of the ACT, so on the ACT there’s a slightly larger emphasis on trigonometry than the SAT.
The ACT also tests a few concepts that the SAT doesn’t. These include things such as matrices, logarithms, and graphs of trigonometric functions.
So, what does this all mean? If you’re good at algebra and data analysis, you’ll most probably do well on the SAT. But if you’re a fan of geometry, trigonometric functions, and are comfortable with logs and matrices, the ACT is going to be the better choice.
Maths Formula: Reference Guide
Here’s another Maths-related difference: The SAT test provides you with a diagram of Maths formulas, whereas the ACT does not.
Before the two SAT Maths subsections, you’ll be provided a diagram containing geometry formulas and laws. Although, all these formulas and laws pertain to geometry that doesn’t make up a huge part of the SAT. What this also means is that you won’t need to spend a ton of time memorizing formulas beforehand (though you must memorize some important formulas not included in the diagram).
Unlike the SAT, the ACT doesn’t provide you with any formulas meaning you need to memorize all potential formulas before appearing for the test.
Now making it clear for you, if you’re concerned about forgetting certain formulas, the SAT offers a little more of a crutch than the ACT.
Maths: Number of Answer Choices
The two exams also vary in the number of answer choices they give you in the Maths section. Both the SAT and ACT Maths sections are predominantly MCQ. While ACT Maths gives you five possible answer choices (A-E or F-K) for each question, SAT Maths gives you only four (A-D).
As a reminder, both exams have no negative marking, meaning you’ll never lose a point for an incorrect answer. So, if you were to guess on an SAT Maths question, you’d have a 25% chance of getting that right. But if you were to guess on an ACT Maths question, you’d have only a 20% chance of getting it correct.
Hereby, if you think you might need to guess on Maths, SAT offers a slight advantage over the ACT, with a 5% higher probability of getting it right.
Maths Questions: Grid-In
If you’re a MCQ lover, especially when it comes to Maths questions, you might want to stick with the ACT. The SAT test, though mostly offers multiple choice, has student-produced response questions(grid-ins), which are Maths questions for which you need to fill in your own answer. In short, you’ll have no answer choices to choose from on these questions!
ACT Maths has only multiple choice questions. If you’re not a fan of Maths questions that don’t offer you any answer choices, the ACT is the go to option.
Maths: Importance in Final Score
How big of a role does Maths play in your final score? The answer depends on whether you’re taking the SAT or ACT. In the ACT, Maths accounts for ¼ th of your total score (your score is averaged with your other three section scores). However, in the SAT, Maths accounts for half of your total score, making it very much important!
So, if Maths isn’t your strong suit, consider going for the ACT. With the ACT, a lower Maths score won’t negatively affect your total score as much as it will on the SAT.
To understand this clearly, let’s consider an example. If you were to score in similar percentiles on the SAT and ACT with significantly lower Maths section scores you might think that your total percentiles on both the exams would be mostly the same. But as you look down below, this isn’t the case.
SAT percentiles:
- EBRW: 700 (94th percentile)
- Math: 460 (33rd percentile)
- Composite: 1160 (68th percentile)
ACT percentiles:
- English: 32 (92nd percentile)
- Math: 16 (33rd percentile)
- Reading: 32 (91st percentile)
- Science: 30 (93rd percentile)
- Composite: 28 (88th percentile)
As this example indicates, even if you were to score in a similar manner on every section of the SAT and ACT with lower Math section scores on each test, your composite score percentiles would differ dramatically. In this case, your final ACT percentile is 20% higher than your SAT percentile.
In other words, if Maths isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll have a better shot at hitting the total percentile you want on the ACT than you will on the SAT.
Science Section
Another major difference has to do with the science section. The ACT contains a section entirely devoted to science, the SAT doesn’t.
The ACT Science section contains 40 questions and lasts 35 minutes. Like the other sections, Science constitutes ¼ th of the total ACT score. So, if you’re someone who loves the idea of having the complete section based on graphs, data and hypotheses, then ACT might be a great fit for you.
With that being said, the SAT definitely tests scientific concepts but not through a separate Science section. In the SAT, you’ll generally come across questions dealing with scientific passages, data, and charts in the Reading, Writing, and Maths sections.
As you are very well aware, there’s no Science score on the SAT as there is on the ACT test, but there’s an analysis in Science cross-test score, which is one of the many subscores given on the SAT exam. That said, most colleges won’t pay much attention (if any) to your SAT scores, whereas they’ll take into consideration your ACT Science score.
SAT vs ACT: Which Test Should You Take?
At last, it’s time to ask yourself: Which test is right for you—the SAT or ACT? Here are a few ways to help you make your decision.
Instead of just guessing whether you’ll be better at the SAT or ACT, the best way to decide is to actually take our Free SAT/ACT Diagnostic Test and then check your strength and weakness. To do this, you’ll need to register yourself.
Method 2: Take Practice Tests
Practice tests are the one that can get you to the real deal. Here at ReWiser, we’ve got all SAT and ACT practice tests compiled for your convenience.
Here’s what you’ll do: Select one official practice test for each exam and then decide on the days to take. As you’re already aware, each exam takes approximately four hours, so make sure you set aside enough time to complete each exam without any interruption. Please avoid taking the tests on the same day or even two days in a row. In addition, make sure that you’re taking the tests in a quiet place keeping an eye on the clock as you would be on the actual exam.
Once you’ve given both SAT and ACT practice tests, calculate your scores using your practice tests respective scoring guides and then compare your scores.
Alternatively, you can compare percentiles for your SAT and ACTscores to see on which test your percentile was more. At last, whichever test you scored higher on is the one you should ultimately start preparing for and use for college admissions.
If your SAT and ACT scores are nearly equal or exactly the same, you’ll probably perform equally well on either exam. So the decision is up to you, then, to decide whether you’d like to try taking both exams or prefer to take anyone out of the two.
Method 3: Take SAT vs ACT Quiz
Another way to determine which one is right for you is to take a short quiz. In the below chart, check whether you agree or disagree with each and every statement.
Statement | Agree | Disagree |
Good at solving math problems without a calculator | ||
Normally do well on math tests | ||
Can’t recall math formulas easily | ||
Like coming up with my own answers for math sections | ||
Struggle with geometry and trigonometry concepts | ||
Science isn’t my forte | ||
Easy to analyze something than to explain opinion | ||
Chronologically arranged questions are easier to follow. | ||
Tight time constraints stress me out | ||
Easily find evidence to back up my answers |
Now, count up your check marks in each column to find out the number of Agree and Disagree.
Mostly Agrees — The SAT is your match!
If you agreed with most or all of the above statements, then SAT is what you should go for. With the SAT, you’ll surely have a lot more time for each question and won’t need to deal with a ton of geometry questions or a pesky science section.
Mostly Disagrees — The ACT is the one for you!
If you disagreed with most or all of the statements, you should prefer the ACT over the SAT. In the ACT, you don’t need to come up with your own answers to Maths problems, and in writing, you get to let your opinion shine.
Same Agrees and Disagrees — Either test will work!
If you checked “Agree” and “Disagree” an equal number of times, either the test will suit you. Unless you decide to take both, we would recommend taking our Free SAT/ACT Diagnostic Tests (as described in Method 1 above) and Practice Tests (as described in Method 2 above) to check which test format you are more comfortable with.
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