SAT or ACT? It could come across as a big, scary decision to make, but it can be quite simple. The SAT and ACT are tests students take mostly in their junior and senior years. The scores students get on these tests can help them get into more colleges or a dream school they have been thinking of since freshman year.
The ACT, a standardized test where everyone gets the exact same questions, consists of four multiple-choice sections that include English, math, reading, science, and an optional writing portion. Students have a limited amount of time for each section, and the total test time is two hours and 55 minutes.
Senior Kailee Foley had taken the ACT twice in her senior year.
“I liked that it was easier than the SAT. It was less reading and writing and more of every subject,” Foley said.
The ACT has only been available on paper, but for the first time in April, students will have the option to take it online or on paper. The online version is shorter with fewer questions and less time.
The SAT consists of two main sections that include evidence-based reading and writing, along with math. There are a total of 98 questions and a limited amount of time for each section. The total amount of time for the test is two hours and 14 minutes.
They have recently changed the SAT to online only, and it is no longer available to take on paper. The test also is not standardized; everyone gets the same questions during the first module of the test, but depending on your score, everyone will get different questions for the second module.
Senior Scarlett Sletteland took the SAT once in her junior year and a second time at the start of her senior year. “I wish I had studied a little more and put more effort into it,” Sletteland said.
If students choose to take either of these tests, it is encouraged that they take them at least two times so they can get a super score for colleges, which is the best score out of both tests.
If you are applying to a harder school, such as an Ivy League or a UC, they will require a higher score than other colleges.
All colleges look at both tests equally, meaning it doesn’t matter if you take the SAT or ACT because they are weighted the same in students’ applications. Over the past few years, many colleges have stopped requiring these tests on applications, but recently, more out-of-state colleges have returned to requiring them for students’ acceptance.
“When the SAT moved to only online, kids have been getting better scores on the SAT and the ACT,” College Board counselor Debra Surber said. Students should pick the test with the specific subjects they are most confident in.
