<p>My scores just came back from the ACT with Writing. My scores were: English 31 and Writing 29 with a writing score of 8, Mathematics 23, Reading 29 and Science 27, for a composite score of 28. My SAT scores from January were Critical Reading 64, Mathematics 63, Writing Skills 62 and an essay score of 7, for a composite score of 1890. I looked at the conversion chart for both tests and I am almost even, with a slight edge to the SAT. Math is my weak score on both, so I know I have to get up to speed. I did not finish the essay on the SAT, which probably accounts for my low essay score. </p>
<p>So, I am comparing 28 ACT with 1890 SAT. This was my first time for both tests with no preparation. Which one should I concentrate on for next time?</p>
<p>There’s not a tremendous difference between the two scores in terms of national percentiles. I’d take both again in your situation after a couple weeks of prep. I don’t think there’s any reason that you couldn’t get to about 2100/31 with some minor work if you can get those scores without preparation. That way, you can choose whichever test you got the bigger improvement on when you’re applying for colleges.</p>
<p>I always wonder why would someone take these tests with “no preparation”. Before you take any of them again, do some practice tests on both and see which one you have better improvement. Most preparation books have a score chart for your reference. Taking the test unprepared not only waste money, the scores will be on your record and taking the tests too many times does not look good on application.</p>
<p>Did you prefer one test over the other? I’d focus on whichever test you would enjoy preparing for more. I know it isn’t fun to prepare for either test, but you’re more likely to spend time preparing for a test you find more tolerable. I tutor for the ACT and SAT and I have no doubt you can bring that ACT math score of 23 up substantially. The math questions on the ACT are more predictable (at least the first 40 of the 60 questions) than those on the math section of the SAT. If you take several sample ACT math tests, you’ll find that certain types of problems occur over and over on the ACT (slope related problems, solving for “x”, basic SOHCAHTOA trig problems, etc.). I’d recommend doing practice tests from The Real ACT Prep Book. It is put out by the makers of the ACT and the practice tests in this book are actual, retired ACT tests. If you practice using these tests, you’ll be well-prepared for the next time you take the ACT. I also think, with a relatively small investment of effort, you can bring up your English (grammar) score. Frequently, students will make several of the same type of error on the English section of the test. For example, you may be consistently selecting answers where the ACT uses a colon before a list of items. However, the cardinal rule of when to use a colon is that the portion of the sentence before the colon MUST BE a complete sentence. Most students think you can use a colon before a list of items, even if the portion of the sentence before the colon is not a complete thought. If you take some practice tests, you’ll be able to read the explanations in the back of The Real ACT Prep Book to see where you’re consistently making errors. That’s a relatively efficient way to drive your score up quickly. In my experience, most students do comparatively better on the ACT. I do recommend picking one test, either the ACT or the SAT, and focusing on it, rather than continuing to take both tests. The tests are quite dissimilar, and focusing on one test doesn’t simultaneously improve your performance on both tests. Instead, I find it dilutes the effort. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Honestly, take a few more practice tests and do a bit of self-prep (if you have time for it) and see if anything changes. If they’re still the same, I’d say pick the test that you prefer and think you could improve upon the most.</p>
<p>If they do remain the same, I’d recommend that you work on the SAT more, as your SAT scores are all in the same range, whereas your Math ACT score is way below the rest of them. In fact, even if you get your math up 6 points (and that’s a lot), your composite only goes up one point to a 29. For that reason, unless you feel as though you can significantly improve your math score, I’d focus on the SAT. But this is only my opinion; do what works best for you.</p>
<p>I personally like the ACT better simply because it is shorter, but both tests are composed of similar material. I got exactly the same score on my ACT as my SAT the first time I took it, but did much better on the ACT the second time (and worse on the SAT). It all depends on what you like and what your colleges want.</p>
<p>It really depends on what type of test taker you are and which colleges you prefer. I believe the majority of all private institutions superscore SAT. For me, ACT is a test for overachievers. SAT seems to be more of a test for those who coast throughout the school day using very little of their brain power…more reasoning.</p>
<p>Practice does help a lot, but you need to learn how to practice in an efficient manner. If you miss something, -understand exactly why- you missed it. Be really hard on yourself… Best of luck.</p>
<p>IME, the ACT doesn’t budge a ton with work, but the SAT can - the ACT is more factual, so if you’re shaky on knowledge, review can certainly help, but since the SAT is more about strategies, once you learn those the score can go up significantly. I personally think the SAT is more predictable since they always ask the same types of questions, whereas the ACT can ask anything from Algebra to pre-Calc, a broad range of Reading passage types, etc. I usually recommend ACT once just in case it’s your forte, and then SAT 2-3 times with prep.</p>