<p>I think that between SAT and ACT, the difference is on the content and what it requires.</p>
<p>ACT has more sections, including science, so it is broad but not thorough. Because of this reason, if you are pretty good at all sections (verbal, math, science, and whatever), you will do well on ACT. It’s similar to high school.</p>
<p>SAT is much difficult because the concepts tested are so much narrow. Basically, for verbal, no outside information is required (whereas ACT is better with outside information), and in some cases, it might hurt you by giving you false ideas. Also, SAT tests critical thinking. That’s right, critical thinking, and this is the same skill that is tested on GRE, MCAT, and LSAT.</p>
<p>I never took ACT so ACT could test you some on critical thinking. But really, SAT does a far better (and more sinister) job on this. For anyone going into medical field, just wait till you see MCAT Verbal section… Critical Reading will look like a joke.</p>
<p>“Only” a 32? When the highest score is a 36?</p>
<p>As for what scores equal what, here is the concordance table:</p>
<p><a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/act-sat-concordance-tables.pdf[/url]”>Higher Education Professionals | College Board; - College Board’s
[ACT-SAT</a> Concordance](<a href=“http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/index.html]ACT-SAT”>http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/index.html) - ACT’s</p>
<p>The concordance only works from for CR + M if you are doing SAT to ACT. Here’s an unofficial one that shows them with New SAT scores:</p>
<p>[SAT-ACT</a> Conversion chart](<a href=“http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/lccounseling/SAT-ACT_Conversion_chart.htm]SAT-ACT”>http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/lccounseling/SAT-ACT_Conversion_chart.htm)</p>
<p>Supposedly the source is Princeton Review.</p>
<p>According to this, I scored slightly higher on the old SAT (1460) than I did on the ACT (31), but I didn’t take the official ACT – just a school administered practice test – and I took it in the beginning of the 11th grade, which was before I took the administration that made my superscored SAT scores a 1460. Honestly the 31 is very similar to the first score I made on the SAT, which was a 1360.</p>
<p>As for the question about why there are two tests, well, it’s because two different companies decided to make entrance tests. These entrance tests are multimillion dollar enterprises – not just the money from the actual test-taking but the prep books, classes, etc., that these companies and others make.</p>
<p>32 for some reason seems like a low score for the top 15 schools.</p>