Should I take the SAT/ACT?

Answer 1

In my personal opinion, I believe it's worth it to take either the SAT or the ACT. Post-Covid many U.S. universities have made test scores optional, which resulted in a marked decrease in students taking the exams, or sending their results. Sending your scores is a great way to make your application stand out in a way that many others don't. If a University is provided applications that are practically identical in GPA and volunteering, your test score could be what sets you aside from the rest and makes your application more valuable. If you are not a strong test taker or cannot devote the time to study for these exams, then I would say hold off and focus on your extracurriculars or essay questions. Otherwise, go for it!

Answer 2

Yes, you should.

Answer 3

As a college admissions advisor with over 11 years of experience, my answer is: it depends on your college goals, strengths, and the schools you're applying to.

Reasons to Take the SAT/ACT

✅ Boost Your Application: Even in a test-optional landscape, a strong SAT/ACT score can enhance your application—especially if your GPA is lower than you'd like.

✅ Competitive Edge for Merit Scholarships: Many colleges and private organizations use SAT/ACT scores to award scholarships. A high score could save you thousands in tuition.

✅ Required for Some Schools & Majors: While many schools are test-optional, some still require test scores, particularly for competitive programs like engineering, business, or pre-med.

✅ Demonstrates Academic Readiness: If you have a rigorous course load but slightly lower grades, a strong score can help validate your abilities.

Reasons You Might Skip It

❌ If You're Applying to Test-Optional Schools & Have a Strong GPA: If your high school grades, AP/IB coursework, and extracurriculars are already strong, you may not need test scores.

❌ If You Struggle with Standardized Testing: If you've taken practice tests and your scores don't align with your academic performance, it may not be worth the time and stress.

❌ If Your Colleges Truly Don’t Consider It: Some schools are test-blind, meaning they won't look at scores even if submitted (e.g., University of California schools).

My Advice?

1️⃣ Take a diagnostic SAT and ACT (both are free) to see how you perform.

2️⃣ Check your target schools’ testing policies—do they require scores? Are they test-optional?

3️⃣ If your scores are competitive, submit them. If not, apply test-optional and focus on other strengths in your application.

I hope you found this information to be helpful. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out. Good luck! Take care!

Dr. Christal-Joy Turner

Answer 4

Do what is for you. Sat Act is not for everyone. Focus on what os relevant to your needs. No matter what you decide, just make sure you study and prepare when the time comes. Short and simple, If and when you are ready, I will coach you through every step until you get the final grade. Let's go!

Answer 5

It depends on the specifics of your situation. If you don't need to take either test for college, I don't think it's useful to do so, but colleges in the United States typically require ACT or SAT scores. Nearly all universities in the US will take either the ACT or SAT.

Treat your score in these exams as a threshold to reach to keep you in the running, not as a boost to your application. Low test scores can make you stand out negatively, but as long as you reach an acceptable score for whatever school you are applying to, these exams won't really help or hinder your application. Perfect or nearly perfect scores are not going to make you stand out, especially at Ivy League and similar highly competitive schools where most students have very high SAT/ACT scores. They can be the cherry on top of an application with a strong personal essay, good grades, and notable extracurriculars, but high exam scores won't make up for an otherwise weak application. Test scores tend to be evaluated alongside grades on an application, so high grades in school can sometimes make up for a weaker exam score, and a high exam score can offset some of the more middling grades, because together, they show your academic strengths.

If you are applying to schools outside the US, only take the test if you are required by your program; these exams have little to no impact outside of the US, and even getting very high scores probably won't help you get into international schools.

The ACT gives you a score out of 36, with 35 and 36 being the highest scores (and treated the same as one another on applications). A score of 31-34 is considered competitive at most selective schools, but many schools will also consider 27-30 competitive. The ACT traditionally has four sections (English, Reading, Math, and Science) as well as an optional Writing section. Recently, the ACT has made the Science section optional as well. The main sections are scored out of 36 and give you a composite score for your total ACT score. The Writing section is scored separately and goes only to 12. The Science section no longer contributes to the composite score, but I believe it still goes to 36.

The SAT is composed of two types of sections: a Reading and Writing section, and a Math section. You take two modules for each section. As of 2023, the SAT only offers digital exams, so how you perform on the first module in each of the two sections determines the difficulty of questions on the second. It used to be the case that one of the SAT math sections was no-calculator, while the other allowed calculators, but that is no longer the case. Calculators are now allowed on all sections of the SAT. The SAT is scored out of 1600, with half of that score attributed to the cumulative score of each section. A score of 1300 is considered competitive for state schools, 1450 is considered good at the more competitive schools, and a score above 1550 is considered excellent.

A rough comparison of scores:

ACT: 35-36, SAT: 1530-1600

ACT: 31-34, SAT: 1390-1530

ACT: 27-30, SAT: 1260-1390

Historically, the SAT was taken for east and west-coast schools, while the ACT was generally taken for schools in the center of the country, but these days, any university or college in the US will accept either. Pre-COVID, the SAT also offered optional subject tests in subjects like biology and history, but these have since been discontinued and now most programs that recommend taking additional subject tests focus on the AP tests.

Over the last few decades, the advice has generally been that the SAT was good to take if you were good at math, and the ACT if you were stronger in reading. The ACT is often considered to be a little bit easier of the two, however, both tests are still pretty similar in what they test. The ACT Reading section gives you large passages to read and interpret, and this tends to be one of the more challenging sections on that exam. The Writing section on the SAT is comparable to the English section on the ACT, though the SAT also includes some graphs and paragraph-long passages for interpretation, which is similar to a slimmed-down version of the ACT Reading and Science sections. The ACT Science section trips up a lot of students because it is mainly focused on reading long descriptions of science studies and interpreting results or graphs. The Science section mainly tests your ability to understand graphs and retrieve information from passages, not your existing science knowledge, so some students who are good at science may struggle on the ACT Science section. The ACT Writing section has you write two short essays, and grades based on the proficiency and clarity of the writing.