My D has been preparing for SAT but finding it difficult with reading section. She is very strong with Math and good with writing as well. She is generally strong with science subjects in her school. For this kind of profile, is it safe to prepare for ACT and go with ACT instead of SAT?
I’ve taken both the ACT and SAT. If she’s good at Science and Math(Stem in general), I think she would do well on the Science section of the ACT. You said she is extremely strong, so I assume she would have no problem with math regardless ACT or SAT. The “writing” is similar for the ACT and SAT. They both focus on grammar, improving passages, etc. The ACT includes a lot more questions than the SAT and tend to include less critical thinking than the SAT. So if you are a fast reader go for the ACT. If you work slower but have strong analytical skills go for the SAT. Lastly is SAT vs ACT reading. The SAT is a lot longer than the ACT reading (65 min vs 40 min). SAT includes more evidence-based questions and you can get away with focusing on only certain sections of the passage. SAT has many questions that often are related to other questions such as line evidence for previous question. ACT does not have line questions, so you have to read the whole passage. I would recommend going with the ACT since your D struggles with the SAT reading. However I would caution that there are much more pressing times when taking the ACT. This is especially true of the reading and science sections
I think you won’t know until she’s tried both. I am also much better at math and science in school, but I found that I didn’t like the ACT math or science section because it was basically geometry/trig and more reading (all things I hate). I took the ACT 3 times to end with a 34, but I just got back my school SAT and I got a 1560. I would say that it would be best to let her try both tests once, and see which one is more naturally comfortable with her.
I had some issues with SAT reading, so I switched to the ACT. Ended up getting a 36 on the ACT reading. Not sure what I would’ve gotten on the SAT but probably not an easy 800.
I reviewd both the ACT and SAT reading/english. The SAT requires more critical thought and has words in context, which the ACT does not. Im an adult, so this is different for most kids, but I found some of the questions on the ACT to be so obvious, I thought they were trick questions. You need to know the same English rules for both. But, as others have pointed out, the ACT requires very quick reading, so lots of practice would help to get the timing down. Have her try both.
My son’s guidance counselor said that 1/3 of students do better on the SAT, 1/3 of students do better on the ACT, and 1/3 of students do the same on both exams. I’d suggest you take practice exams for both and see if one test is better for you.
Personally, I found the ACT easier than the SAT practice tests I had taken as I LOVE reading and strongly dislike math. The ACT tends to be easier to get high scores on due to your composite score being an average vs. a sum like the SAT. However, as @happy1 recommends, take a few practice tests and choose whichever one you like more.
Some free official practice tests can be found here:
- Khan Academy SAT Practice: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
- ACT Academy: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/act-academy.html
I agree that taking the practice tests is the only way to see if there’s a preference for a specific student. Anecdotes about individual results really doesn’t mean anything, imho.