How should I choose between taking the SAT or ACT?

Answer 1

1. Test Structure:
2. The SAT emphasizes reasoning and problem-solving, with more time per question. Its math section goes deeper into algebra and data analysis.
3. The ACT has a faster pace and includes a science section. It’s more straightforward, with a focus on quick reading and interpretation.
4. Strengths:
5. If you’re strong in math and prefer a slower pace, the SAT might be better.
6. If you excel at reading comprehension, data interpretation, and work well under time pressure, the ACT may suit you.
7. Practice Tests:
8. Take a practice SAT and ACT. Compare your comfort level and scores. It’s often clear after trying both which one feels like a better fit.
9. Timing:
10. The ACT is more time-intensive, with less time per question, so if you struggle with speed, the SAT might be easier to manage.
11. College Requirements:
12. Most colleges accept either test, so check if any of your target schools prefer one. However, for most students, either test is equally valid.

My best advice? Take a practice test of each, and pick the test where you feel more confident and perform better. That’s your best guide!

Answer 2

The short answer to the question of "Which one should I take" is this: choose one of the following 4 methods:

---Method 1: Take and compare diagnostic assessments in both through a test prep company

---Method 2: Take and compare real ACTs or SATs 

---Method 3: Take and compare PSATs or PACTs

---Method 4: Discuss (in a free consultation) the student's academic history and testing record (including a PSAT score and/or PACT score, if the student has taken them) with a few test prep experts.

There are pros and cons to the first 3 methods; the 4th method is the best way to decide by far.

If you have the time and patience for a LONGER, more nuanced answer, read on.

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The 4 methods (and their pros and cons) are:

METHOD 1: Take diagnostic assessments through a test prep tutoring company

(a) PROS:

1. these assessments are generally free of cost.

2. student gets a free look at the quality of the test prep company's teachers and methods if they review the test with them 

(b) CONS:

1. the test may not be a REAL SAT or ACT, but the test prep company's own creation, which may not be an accurate simulation. Most diagnostic assessments through brand-name companies produce unfaithful score results.

2. the test may be little more than a sales tool:

----the tests AND/OR the way they are administered and/or reviewed may simply be little more than tactics used to aggressively push the company's own course or offerings onto the client for whichever test they feel more confident in preparing students for. 

---the diagnostic may be deliberately manipulated to be much harder than the real thing, thereby artificially lowering the student's starting point, and making the student feel they desperately need help (making them vulnerable to a well-timed pitch or offer from the test prep company). It also allows the company to gain the student's confidence on false pretenses as the student might subsequently be given much easier exams after some prep to artificially boost the student's overall improvement thanks to the increased gap between the starting and end points.

METHOD 2: Take and compare real ACTs or SATs 

(a) PROS:

1. No chance of inaccurate or manipulated results

(b) CONS:

1. If you take them in an official test center:

----NOT free if you take them in an official test center. 

----Also, students are generally advised NOT to take the tests too many times. It seems foolish, therefore, to throw away one of their limited official attempts merely for the purposes of creating a baseline (since there are other ways) 

2. If you take the published exams from the College Board and ACT Inc (some of which can be obtained free of cost):

----these tests, depending on the exact forms you take and when they were published, may be easier than the real thing. In particular, at the time of writing, the first 4 of the 6 official practice SATs are universally considered to be MUCH easier than the real thing, leading to inflated confidence.

3. Either way - Too often, the decision ends up being made on the very subjective basis of which test the student feels "comfortable" with. The trouble with this is that (very often) the student may feel VERY different about which test is better after they do some prep work and get some solid strategies under their belt. Many students, for instance, take the SAT over the ACT simply to avoid the ACT Science section, but this turns out to be an extremely easy section to improve with a good strategy, whereas the more advanced language of the SAT Reading passages can prove to be an insurmountable barrier for some students. There are factors to be considered here, many of which go well beyond the student's initial "comfort" level. 

METHOD 3: Take and compare PSATs or PACTs

(a) PROS:

1. Free. Administered via school at no cost to students

2. Reliable - no chance of inaccurate or manipulated results

3. Do NOT count as official attempts, so the student does not have to use up one of their precious limited attempts at the real SAT or ACT.

(b) CONS:

1. Again, too often the students make the decision on the basis of which is more "comfortable", which is problematic for reasons I discuss above. Overall, however, this method is the wisest of the 3 methods that involve taking the tests "cold" to see how the student does.

******Before I discuss the 4th Method, I would also like to point out that there is ONE, UNIVERSAL CON that applies to ALL of the above 3 Methods. That drawback is that, by choosing to go with whichever test upon which the student appears to have some "initial advantage", the student and their parents are NOT NECESSARILY choosing the test on which the student stands to GAIN MORE POINTS. 

Consider for instance, that the student take a diagnostic SAT/PSAT and a diagnostic ACT/PACT and gets a 1350 on the SAT and a 28 on the ACT. Percentile-wise, the SAT score looks better, so that is where the initial advantage lies. 

BUT what if - owing to their unique strengths/weaknesses - the student stands to gain only 100 points on the SAT and 6 points on the ACT? Their final scores would be 1450 on the SAT and a 34 on the ACT, in which case their final ACT score belongs in a higher percentile than does their final SAT score. Clearly, such a student would NOT have put their best foot forward by taking the test on which they had an initial advantage in this situation. *******

This universal drawback to the cold-testing approach is why, in my opinion, the 4th and final method is the best approach.

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METHOD 4: Discuss the student's academic history and testing record (including a PSAT score and/or PACT score, if the student has taken them) with a test prep expert to determine which test would be better on the student's specific combination of strengths and weaknesses. 

There are so many factors that most students and parents don't even consider, and so many questions that most don't even think to ask. Talking to an expert can yield deeper insight into which test is better than the student or parent is likely to attain on their own.

When choosing an expert to consult with, be sure to:

(a) look at social proof in the form of testimonials from past clients to see what kind of results their clients typically see. 

(b) find instructors who handle the ENTIRE tests, not just specific sections. This will make it easier to work out which test is HOLISTICALLY better for the student as opposed to which test is friendlier on the basis of Math or Verbal alone.