What were your scores on both? A student who was struggling with the SAT (sub 1300) was recommended to try the ACT and got a 34. That seems to be an unusual gap between the 2 tests. She said she had a friend who had the same experience and they thought it was because the math mattered less. What experiences have others had?
I got a 35 ACT after two months of rigorous prep. I got a 1560 SAT (new SAT) with no formal prep. My ACT studying might have helped me do well on the SAT without studying, since the two tests are similar. But I do think it’s possible for a student to do significantly better on one test than the other. This may be because the ACT is “easier,” so to speak, for those who can read and understand wordy passages faster.
S got a 1560 on the SAT with good prep. He took the ACT the same month with zero ACT-specific prep and got a 34. Of course the two tests are similar enough that the SAT prep surely helped on the ACT, but there were enough differences that if he spent time prepping specifically for the ACT he could probably get a 35 or 36. He’s not going to retake either test though.
I was in a similar situation. I prepped for months for the old SAT and my superscore was an embarrassing 1920 (I’ve blocked out my section scores, I apologize for not remembering). Decided to try the ACT on a whim, and on my first sitting I scored a 32 (34W, 33S, 27M, and 32RC). Since it was already significantly better than my SAT score, I decided to solely focus on increasing my math score by a few points. Ended up with a 36W, 30M, and 34RC. (Unfortunately my science score was so abysmal that it ended up dropping my composite, and I didn’t have the chance to try one more time before sending my scores to colleges… I’m happy with a 33 superscore, but even a single section point higher would have given me a 34. Ugh)
Interestingly, math was my strongest section on the SAT and my weakest on my ACT. Not sure what that says about me or the tests, but figured it was worth mentioning.
The ACT has easier questions but you have to get through them at a very quick pace so it can be difficult to finish the sections. The SAT has harder questions but gives you more time per question.
I agree with post 4. I am a test prep tutor and this is true. It’s a case of choosing your poison.
@wormholes Congrats, that’s great! My son is studying for months now for ACT and keeps getting hung up on math. Reading, English and Science are no problem but math composite can’t climb above 28-30. He keeps making mistakes he could have avoided but the fast pace is a challenge.We’re running out of sample ACT tests.
Do you mind sharing what materials or method you used for your rigorous prep? He’s starting to consider SAT but questions are a little tougher for him. He’s a junior in high school so time is running out.
I should mention that he’s currently reviewing all questions he got wrong on previous tests but he has a knack for memorizing answers so he instantly recognizes the correct answer even weeks later. We seem to need fresh problems for him to review weak areas.
@Food4theSoul Look at CRACK ACT for previous tests