<p>S2 is a HS junior. A practice test (NOT PSAT: he took it, we are waiting for the results) puts him around 1800. He was not very serious about this mock test, but still it gives us a range: we ain't talking about something like 2200 as a realistic final outcome!!! we arranged private tutoring since his scores are very uneven: math is his weakness, and even there, it's the geometry that is really killing him, so he needs tailored help.</p>
<p>I understand some kids do much better on ACT, and eventually, he may also have to try that too to see whether indeed he is one of those kids.</p>
<p>Question: if a kid is getting tailored help/tutoring for SAT, does the "learning" also transfer to ACT??? Or, does he need more tailored "ACT tutoring" separately?</p>
<p>We are shooting for SAT 2000+/2400, 1300+/1600. That will put him in a very good position to get an Army ROTC scholarship in a school that is ideal for him, given his EC profile and other things going for him.</p>
<p>Ah.............. all this is new to me: S1 is a minor genius when it comes to standardized testing. S2 complains that his older brother used up the family quota of standardized testing and math genes. But S2 is a much better looking chap - looks smoking hot in military uniform :) :) :) Sigh............ I wish they are like play doughs - mixed them up and divide in half :(</p>
<p>SAT and ACT do have different focuses. ACT has four sections: math, reading, English, and Science reasoning. If he just does poorly in the math section, but well on the other, he might end up ahead. ACT is also way more predictable than the SAT.</p>
<p>DD bombed the PSAT, took an expensive Kaplan class - waste of money, I don’t recommend Kaplan - then took both the SAT and ACT. Did much better on the ACT. Took it a second time, same composite score (up 1 point in math, down 1 point in writing). </p>
<p>I can’t say if the SAT prep helped with the ACT or not, because the course was so poorly run. General consensus I’ve heard is that the best way to prep for the ACT is to practice, using the Real ACT book. ACT doesn’t really have “tricks” the way the SAT does, it’s much more straightforward and knowledge-based.</p>
<p>But I do recommend every kid take both the SAT and ACT once. See which you do better on, then prep to take that one again. I haven’t heard of any colleges that don’t accept the ACT at this point.</p>
<p>Yes, the practice will help for both the math and the english sections. But there are three factors that differentiate the two tests: 1) ACT math includes four trig problems, whereas SAT-math only includes a handful of Alg II problems; 2) ACT is a SPEED test, in that the problems are generally easier, but you have to work faster – I suggest practice with a timer at home; 3) the so-called Science sections is all about reading graphs and charts QUICKLY. </p>
<p>btw: the essay style is different. Just follow the instructions on teh ACT website.</p>
<p>DD said her SAT prep helped her with her ACT. The only prep for ACT she had was a self-test from the big red ACT book. She locked herself in her bedroom for several hours and got a 29. When her real ACT test scores came in, we both screamed - they were way higher!!</p>
<p>I second what bluebayou said. It is all in the red book.</p>
<p>the key to high score on ACT science section is to practice doing those questions on real practice ACT tests. There aren’t as many of them available as SATs, but doing all the ones in the book should be enough.</p>
<p>While some skills (like reading comprehension) may transfer, the tests are quite different and your kid should prep separately for them. Use books of real practice tests. IMO, tutoring isn’t really necessary if a kid can take timed practice tests and go over the ones he missed.</p>
<p>She will need to do a lot of separate prep for each test.</p>
<p>ACT English is pretty heavy on punctuation and other topics that don’t appear on the SAT.</p>
<p>ACT math is straightforward, but covers trig and presses you pretty hard for time. SAT math disguises simple concepts in a manner that makes it more difficult to solve the problem.</p>
<p>ACT reading is mostly just speed reading. You’ll have a lot more time for SAT reading, but the questions are much harder and also test vocabulary.</p>
<p>ACT science is in a category of its own. It’s basically the reading section with numbers (read over stuff quickly, comprehend, and know what crap to not read).</p>
<p>What do you mean there aren’t as many prep books for the ACT? My Barnes & Noble must have a dozen different books , each with several ACT tests in them.</p>
<p>Only one of my ds took the ACT as well as the SAT, and her SAT score was smack dab in the middle of the conversion chart value for her ACT. She did do some of the sections in an ACT prep book; she went through 6-7 of the “10 Real SATs” one section at a time over a period of 3-4 months, so she certainly did more SAT prep. No classes or tutoring. </p>
<p>I know three students whose ACT scores blew their SAT scores out of the water. I think the SAT is just a bear for some people; the ACT seems, as others have said, more straight-forward. I’ve been told that the science section is tricky, though.</p>
<p>As others above have said, the ACT contains some content not included in the SAT. ACT math includes Trig, while the SAT does not. And the ACT has a science section. </p>
<p>SAT prep should transfer in large part, but some additional prep is needed for the ACT.</p>
<p>My D took both once without studying to see which she liked better. Got essentially equivalent scores, and they were good, but she hated the math part of the SAT because it was spread out over 4 or 5 sections. (She thinks one of the sections of math was experimental, which is bad for someone who thinks she’s not good at math.) She retook the ACT after self study using the red book, and raised her composite by 3 points. </p>
<p>Your S2 might also like the ACT better. I think the prep would have to be slightly different (expanded), as stated above.</p>
<p>“S1 is a minor genius when it comes to standardized testing. S2 complains that his older brother used up the family quota of standardized testing and math genes.”…</p>
<p>sounds like my girls; that’s why D2 is taking and is prepping for ACT; less math…and less tricky math (where the questions try to trick you into calculating the wrong answer)</p>
<p>Now an additional q for all you parents: If one is being tutored for ACT, does that easily transfer to SAT (if one wants to “try” that once later on to compare?)</p>
<p>Rodney, I kind of doubt it. The ACT is knowledge based and relatively straightforward, whereas the SAT is, as you said, “tricky,” and half the point of SAT prep is learning the tricks and learning to decipher what the question is actually asking. (Another reason I hate the SAT… grrrr).</p>
<p>As a student, I did no prep for the ACT and got a 28 and 29, sophomore and junior year, respectively. I didn’t study for the SAT and received a 1770. I decided to study for the SAT in an effort to reach 2000, and by doing so, I received a 1920. Two Saturdays ago I took the ACT and I felt like I knew more information than ever before. While multiple variables exist such as it being my third time taking the test, I really believe the SAT prep helped me perform better on the ACT.</p>
<p>grammar is grammar and reading comp is reading comp. Math is almost math, but SAT math is reasoning-based, while ACT includes trig. So prepping for the ACT will help somewhat for the SAT but not as much as the reverse, IMO.</p>
<p>Just prepping to take a 4+ hour test should help, whether for ACT or SAT. Its a long time to have to concentrate and focus, and I am really hoping that all of the private tutoring my S has had for the SAT next Saturday helped him last Saturday on the ACT. That being said, he hasn’t taken trig so there go four questions…unless he guessed well!</p>