<p>I've taken the SAT twice, and my superscore is CR660, W780, M750. Clearly I need to work on the reading...</p>
<p>So today I decided I would practice an ACT test. I got a E 36, M 30, R 31, and S 36, composite of 33. It was the first time I've ever cracked open an ACT book, and a cold shot at taking the test. I felt like the ACT was easier, I just need to figure out how to time the reading and stay focused on math. (any tips for that, btw?)</p>
<p>I'm now debating between trying one last time for the October SAT or taking the September or October ACT. Thoughts?</p>
<p>First of all, most of the colleges consider ACT composite score, and consider SAT section scores. Your CR score can really hurt you! If you are sure that you can improve your CR, then only retakr SAT as you don’t really need any improvement in other sections and improvement in those sections will be worthless without good CR score. I think you should retake ACT. 33 is really good.</p>
<p>33 & 2190 are a wash, but I agree with Science Freak that the CR score will hurt you. Colleges all seem to report the three section scores of the SATs but I never see the ACT section scores listed separately, so that 33 will be more forgiving than your 660CR.</p>
<p>Given that you scored the 33 cold, I would spend some more time with that red book to see if you can push that score higher.</p>
<p>My problem with the ACT was the speed. It was WAYY faster than the SAT, and that really hurt me. Make sure if you’re practicing it, you practice it with the proper speed.</p>
<p>Your math and critical reading scores combined gives you a 1410. An ACT score of 33 is equal to a score of 1440-1480 on the SAT. So basically, your ACT score is better. </p>
<p>ACT 33 and SAT 2190 are pretty comparable. However, different schools may put emphasis in different sections so the conversion chart is not really universal. Even most of the ACT admission stat show only the composite score, schools would definitely look into each section score too. The ACT has a science section which is basically technical reading and data interpretation. If you are a more science person, the ACT may give you a small advantage. It seems to be the case for you. Anyway, different person would favor different tests.
Last but not least, do not estimate your ACT performance based on a single practice (or even multiple practices from a single source). Try a few more to see whether you can consistently get the same score level. You are already too late to register for September 21 ACT if you have not done so. You still have a few weeks to register for the Oct 26 one though.</p>
<p>Aim at 33+ for competitive schools. You are in that range already.</p>
<p>Okay, great thanks! I have been doing some more studying out of the Barrons 36 and official ACT book. I’ve signed up for the Sept ACT and October ACT…so hopefully everything will work out.</p>
<p>The 2 tests are equal, but different. ACT has more questions per minute, but doesn’t punish you for incorrect answers. The ACT also puts a bit more emphasis on material you should have learned in school than on ‘raw IQ’. More of difference in flavor like between, say, chocolate chip and mint chocolate chip ice cream: if you’re allergic to or dislike one, you’ll likely be allergic to or dislike the other as well. </p>
<p>The best estimate of your future ACT score is a translation of your SAT scores. If you test at, say, the 97th percentile on the SAT, then (with equal preparation) you’ll likely test very close to the 97th percentile on the ACT – could be slightly higher, or slightly lower. </p>
<p>Neither test is superior to the other; they are simply different. If anyone tells you differently, they’re revealing a DEEP lack of knowledge. Nationally, there are regional biases in terms of the numbers of students taking one test versus the other, but that’s it.</p>
<p>Each test has a sample size over 1 million each year AND many kids take both. At these sample sizes together with today’s statistical tools & the partial duplication of test takers, each test is normalized to give the same percentiles for equivalent performance. </p>
<p>EVERY university I am aware of takes either the ACT or the SAT I. It’s your choice.</p>
<p>Don’t buy into the marketing hype: only a few schools ‘super score’, most only evaluate you on your single ‘best’ score. Think about it, who really benefits if every school super scored? Just the testing industry. Not you. Not the school. It’s more work for the school and introduces even more confusion into process: the distribution for a maximum is different from that of the underlying variable. How now does the school compare a kid with a super score with a kid that only reported one test? It’s a nightmare and a further bias against those of modest means for whom paying the test fee is not trivial. You think schools want to expose themselves to even more admission law suits? Track the suit against the University of Texas for even considering using ‘race’ and you’ll see that schools are trying avoid getting sued. Getting lawyers and judges involved is bad for everyone.</p>
<p>Take the test you feel most comfortable with. Proper preparation, a good night’s sleep, and a positive outlook will help more than one test versus the other. Good luck.</p>
<p>It depends on what test you’re more comfortable with. Do the Universities you’re looking into superscore the SAT? If they do, and you think you can increase your SAT to ATLEAST a 700, I think it’d be a pretty good score. I’m slightly biased in my answer, however, since I prefer the SAT over the ACT.</p>
<p>I don’t know man. It looks like the SAT will be transforming to be more like the ACT. In addition, for the first time last year, the ACT surpassed the SAT in market share. Perhaps the ACT is the way to go in the future.</p>
<p>The future is unpredictable as SAT will be changed next year while ACT will follow soon with the addition of electronic version.</p>
<p>Another difference I noticed is the inclusion of essay score. For ACT, since the essay writing is optionally, the writing score is separated from the English score and therefore the composite score. For SAT, the essay is part of the writing score. If one does so so in essay (e.g. getting 8 or below), it would not show in your ACT composite but it may drastically decrease your SAT writing score and affect your SAT composite score.</p>