Mostly everyone I know and every thread I see people do better on ACT than SAT. Does anyone do better on SAT over ACT?
I’ve seen it both ways here at CC…i just think the SAT > ACT crowd is more vocal.
It depends on what type of person you are. The ACT and SAT have subtle differences that play up your strengths and weaknesses.
My son did better on the SAT. In our area the ACT is more common, but I’m glad he tried the SAT.
Absolutely. SAT was a better choice for my son. My understanding is that it’s often a better choice if your strengths lean towards things like reading / vocabulary / complex passage comprehension and if math and/or science is a weakness. Apparently the ACT tests higher level math skills than SAT; also, SAT has no science.
ACT is supposedly better if you’re not quite as good at decoding questions that may be phrased in a more abstract, obscure or “trickier” way – it’s more straightforward and concrete. But that’s not a weakness for my son, so he preferred to get the comparative advantage. It’s also preferred by some school districts, so if you’re in a heavy ACT-taking area, then you may be getting more preparation for it. Again, not our situation. ACT is supposedly more of an “achievement” test rather than an “aptitude” test, so if your curriculum doesn’t dovetail with the national norm (private school, homeschool, overseas, etc.), SAT may also be a safer bet for that reason.
Oh, another pro of the SAT for my son was the shorter sections. You do something like 20 minutes of math, 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of math, etc. I think the ACT is shorter overall but you have to spend longer slogs on each topic. My son is a highly verbal, math-averse ADHD guy, so SAT fit his strengths better. He ended up doing well on it.
Just google SAT vs ACT, there’s lots of info out there 