<p>Did any CCers take both the ACT and SAT? If so, mind sharing how the 2 compared? I heard the SAT is more difficult than the ACT but don't know whether that's just hype...I live in the midwest so pretty much everyone only takes the ACT.</p>
<p>im also from the midwest, so basically no one around me knows anything about the SAT (including teachers, guidance..)</p>
<p>anyways, i took the ACT, then the SAT, then another ACT...
results: ACT way way easier!! sat sucked</p>
<p>my advice...most colleges will accept the SAT OR the ACT, so there's no need to take the SAT as i did...go with the ACT, midwesterners tend to do better on it than the SAT simply for the fact that we don't know about the SAT as much</p>
<p>hope this helps</p>
<p>they're supposed to be equal. I prefer the ACT .. it's less pressure (you can choose only to send in your best score), and the essay doesn't factor into the composite score. The English is much more clear cut, too. Try practice tests for both and see how you compare.</p>
<p>Yeah, I was planning on taking only the ACT until I decided I might want to apply to Berkeley/possibly some other schools that require the SAT + subject tests. Ah. So the schools would see all of my SAT scores from every sitting?</p>
<p>"Yeah, I was planning on taking only the ACT until I decided I might want to apply to Berkeley/possibly some other schools that require the SAT + subject tests. Ah. So the schools would see all of my SAT scores from every sitting?</p>
<p>All UCs including Berkeley accept either SAT or ACT with writing. That is true for every college you will find in any USNews ranking list (except for the ones that do not require any test, in which case you do not need one or the other). UCs still require SAT IIs regardless of which initial test you submit. Some that require SAT IIs -- example Yale, Penn and Brown -- take the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT IIs. As to a college seeing all your SAT scores: when you order the College Board to send any SAT or SAT II test to a college, it automatically sends all SAT and SAT II scores it has for you.</p>
<p>Hey. I've taken both the SAT (2200) and the ACT (haven't gotten score back but I'm guess 31 from practice tests). Those scores are pretty much the same. I found that I do about the same on either test. I feel like they test completely different things though. The SAT seems to work better for people who have great logic and problem-solving skills. I feel like it tests your brain more than what you have learned in high school. The ACT tests more of the things that you learned in high school. It seems to me that people who are really good students because they work so hard would do better on the ACT. The math covers many more topics and skills than the math on the SAT. A couple of questions on the ACT were based on skills I actually learned in pre-calc D: I think the time-constraints on the ACT are much tougher. I used all my time on every section and needed 5 more minutes on the science. I can usually check my work on the SAT =x, so if you are a slow worker than the ACT might be tough. Take practice tests of both. You might be surprised how well you could do on either of them.</p>
<p>My son likes the pacing of the ACT better - no going back and forth between reading and math and such. Another difference is the essay - with the SAT, you take the essay section first (is your brain functioning properly at that time?), whereas the ACT essay is optional and last (is your brain fried at that point?)</p>
<p>Took them both and got comparable scores (1430/2180 on the SAT vs a 33 on the ACT). SAT math questions are designed to make you think, so I think people with higher IQs (i.e. smarter people) do better on that. ACT math questions are designed to test rote skills under extreme time pressure, so I think people who work hard, memorize the necessary procedures, and practice those skills a lot will do better there. ACT math tests trigonometry, which the SAT does not. If you haven't or aren't taking trig, then the SAT is a natural choice until you do. There was once a question on the SAT that would have been a lot easier to solve if I had remembered a certain trig formula, though...</p>
<p>Also, the most you are allowed on the ACT is a TI-84. Compare to being allowed a TI-89 on the SAT. If you have one, can buy it, or can borrow one, that could be a big factor in your scores.</p>
<p>Reading is comparable, but I liked the SAT format better. ACT makes you stop mid paragraph to answer questions. SAT lets you go until the end and then come back to answer them.</p>
<p>Oh, the ACT science section has nothing to do with knowing scientific concepts. Its all about knowing how to read graphs with very short time, and maybe some scientific method questions. On the plus/minus side (depending on who you ask), that section is somewhat more conceptual and requires thinking.</p>
<p>Also, since the sections on the SAT are 2 language for 1 math, whereas on the ACT they are 2 for 2, people who are better at quantitative disciplines might prefer the ACT. Even factoring essays in, that's 3 languages to 1 math for the SAT and 3 languages to 2 quantitative sections for the ACT, clearly indicating the SAT has a better ratio for those good at reading and writing. Of course, most schools ignore the SAT writing/essay section anyways. XD See Many</a> Four-Year Institutions Ignore SAT Essay Scores - The Tech. You can apparently get a better score on the essay simply by filling up the pages and using a lot of difficult sounding vocab.</p>
<p>Speaking of essays, for the SAT you take it at the beginning of the exam and its mandatory. On the ACT it is taken at the end of the exam and it's optional (although I think most colleges which take the ACT want you to take the essay portion for it to count). Like someone above mentioned, ACT essays don't factor into the composite, which is good; after plowing through the other 4 sectors of the exam, you are hardly in condition to write the stupid thing and its probably going to be lower than your other scores. I got an 11 out of 12 on the SAT essay; compare to an 8 out of 12 on the ACT essay.</p>
<p>I would recommend to just take both. XD Worst case scenario, the college is probably going to give more importance to your better scores, right? Try both once to see which one you are more comfortable with and/or which one you get the higher score on and then retake it to try to raise your scores.</p>
<p>So what happens if I do very poorly on the SAT but still need to send in my SAT II scores? Would I be able to send my ACT with writing (took it yesterday) and my SAT IIs without the SAT I scores?</p>
<p>No. Sending in ANY SAT score, either SAT I or SAT II, automatically sends all the SAT scores you have ever received. But like I said, most schools are probably going to give more importance to your higher score, so don't worry too much about it.</p>
<p>I found a little more info on that SAT essay thing, too.</p>
<p>SAT</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The</a> New York Times > Education > On Education: SAT Essay Test Rewards Length and Ignores Errors</p>
<p>I live in the midwest too and took the ACT and SAT. </p>
<p>ACT English v. SAT Writing</p>
<p>ACT: Grammar dominates, just like in the SAT. But the grammar is all basic (dangling modifiers, verb agreement, etc). The big difference is the "how would you improve this?" part. This dominates. They ask you questions like "Which sentence would connotate this better" or "Which way should this be organized?" or "Should this be included?" This is a really great feature that should be added to the SAT.</p>
<p>SAT: The Writing section from H<strong><em>. Though it should be called the grammar section from H</em></strong>. It's all grammar. And the worst part is where they give you paragraphs to look at and determine whether or not there's an error orwhere it is. It's unpleasant</p>
<p>Winner: ACT in a landslide.</p>
<p>ACT Math v. SAT Math</p>
<p>ACT: Nothing really notable here. The vast majority of it is algebra, but some coordinates here.</p>
<p>SAT: More reasoning problems here. Less "plug these into an equation" and more "come up with an equation to plug this into." </p>
<p>Winner: SAT.</p>
<p>ACT Reading v. SAT reading</p>
<p>ACT: All reading comprehension. I may have a biased opinion, because I took a particular ACT that had an absolutely horrible passage, which falls into the genre of "Southerners with DNA shaped family trees talk about nothing." Many of the questions, especially the nonfiction ones, are low level "find this" type questions.</p>
<p>SAT: Reading comp and vocab. I think the analogies disappeared. The vocab was slightly difficult for me. The reading comprehension is much harder than the ACT reading (except for the horrific passage I got, see above). </p>
<p>Winner: ACT. Excepting the one passage, it was much easier and less ambiguous.</p>
<p>ACT Science v. SAT Nothing</p>
<p>ACT: Learn to read dense things. The science section is less about science than about reading of convoluted garble. The point is for you to penetrate the endless drivel and complicated diagrams. A pain, but I didn't find it as torturous as some did.</p>
<p>Overall: ACT. Kudos for trying to encourage aptitude instead of knowledge of the curriculum, but you tried to hard, SAT. And what's with all the grammar?</p>
<p>Note: I am irrevocablly biased toward the ACT as I got a 36 on it. Just a heads up.</p>
<p>I need opinions for my daughter. Here's the scenario: ACT 31 & 32; SAT much lower comparably 1260 w/out writing. Writing 750. National Merit Commendable. She is scheduled to retake the SAT next week. We are thinking at this point, that better to avoid retake. Her math (560 SAT) is her weak link. This will most likely not change much (maybe to 600) with SAT retake. Do you think it is better to submit as is--perhaps admissions will look at lower SAT as fluke? Her GC thinks she should take SAT again so as not to try to outguess college admissions. Her university goals are lofty. </p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>All my friends said that getting a 34 or above on the ACT is not really hard if ou prepare for about a month or 2. Is that true</p>