ACT vs NEW SAT

Test Preparation
1

I took the old SAT and did mediocre.
I want to study for either the ACT or the NEW SAT. How does each test differ? I already know what categories they test. But is one test over the other more similar to the old SAT? Also which test has easier reading comp Q’s? Because that’s my weakness.
What test do you prefer and why?

2

The biggest difference is that there is a lot of official practice material available for the ACT, and almost none for the new SAT. The easiest way to improve your score is to practice a lot with official practice material. You can’t do this for the new SAT. If you only need to improve a little, you can piece together such resources as there are

In terms of content and format, there are not as many differences as there used to be between the ACT and the SAT, but there definitely are some.

The best way to know which test is best for you is to complete one full practice test of each kind under simulated test conditions. If you don’t have time for that, you can just complete one reading section of each. However, there is a lot of reading in the other sections as well, so it’s best to do a whole test.

Because the tests will be concorded, most students will score the same on both, but many students who score the same might still prefer the subjective experience of one test to the other.

Here are some clear differences:

Reading:

  1. The SAT Reading passages are drawn from the Core Curriculum. On average, the readings are of higher complexity and include more unusual rhetorical style and/or difficult technical language than do the ACT readings. If you study Core Curriculum well in school, you might like this.
  2. Timing: The SAT Reading section lasts 65 minutes for 52 questions. The ACT Reading section lasts 35 minutes for 40 questions, so there is less time per question. You still have to be a relatively fast reader for both. For the ACT, you have to be a little faster. For the SAT, you have to have a little stronger overall reading skills, especially vocabulary. For the SAT, you have to be able to concentrate on reading passages well for 65 minutes under test conditions. Some students will like having more time to think things over. Other students will have trouble concentrating so long.
  3. The SAT reading now has two-part questions. To answer these, you have to go back to the passage. If you are a skimmer, or answer-the-question-based on the choices type person, you might have to change strategy.
  4. There are graphs in the new SAT Reading section. There are no graphs in the ACT reading.
    Sniff test: ACT reading is still easier overall than the SAT reading.

Math:

  1. The new SAT has a non-calculator section. You need to be good in basic algebra and arithmetic of fractions, decimals, and negative numbers without a calculator.
  2. The SAT allows a CAS (algebra) calculator for the calculator section. For the ACT, you can’t use a CAS calculator.
  3. Timing: The SAT no calc section allows 25 minutes for 20 questions, and the calc section allows 55 minutes for 38 questions. That makes a total of 80 minutes for 58 questions. The ACT Math allows 60 minutes for 60 questions. Again, you have to be faster for the ACT.
  4. There is a LOT of verbiage on the new SAT math. The word problems go on and on. If you don’t like reading, you probably won’t like the new SAT math. On the other hand, the ACT science section has a lot of reading too.
  5. There are some small differences in math areas and skills covered by the two tests. The SAT eliminated many question areas (e.g., properties of integers) that remain on the ACT. The SAT emphasizes “real world” math, in line with the Core Curriculum.
    Sniff test: ACT math is now harder than the SAT math, unless you are bad with non-calculator math.

SAT Writing/ACT English
These two sections are now the most similar, but the SAT still has harder vocabulary and more unusual idioms.
Sniff test: SAT Writing a little harder than ACT writing.

ACT Science
This section is very challenging for some students, primarily because of the timing. You have to be able to read technical material and locate information in tables and graphs in very, very little time. For some students, this could more than make up for any advantage you get from the easier ACT reading section.
Sniff test: ACT science is conceptually easier than the statistics questions scattered throughout the new SAT, but has much harder timing. It’s good for people who are fast with easy questions, bad for people who don’t like extreme time pressure.

Honestly, I think both tests are completely inadequate standards for who should go to Harvard. But that’s a separate issue…

3

^That is an outstanding post.

4

One more reading difference.

ACT answer choices are rarely paraphrased from the passage–they’re usually verbatim, or very close. The ACT’s way of adding “difficulty,” then, is to make the questions non-sequential; that is, ACT reading questions don’t follow the order in which their answers appear in the passage. This means that finding answers is very easy, but hunting for them can be time-consuming, esp. for weaker readers or those with poorer recall of what they’ve read. In my opinion, this is a pretty boneheaded way of adding difficulty/time pressure, but that’s how it goes.