<p>Lets put it like this. I bought the Princeton Review, Cracking The ACT book two days ago from Barnes and Nobles because I was curious to see how I would do on it.</p>
<p>I took it for the first time, a practice exam, no studying, and I got a 35 composite. (about a 2340 equivalent on the SAT).</p>
<p>Now, I wonder, how is the ACT considered equal to the SAT? I can barely scratch 1900 on the SAT, but I can get a 35 on the ACT? Makes no sense to me. Maybe its just me, but the ACT is ridiculously easy compared to the SAT.</p>
<p>ACT is more geared towards the high school curriculum. So some students might find it easier than the SAT which has more tricks down its sleeve.</p>
<p>Congrats on the excellent score by the way!</p>
<p>Maybe for you. And the Cracking the ACT book isn’t very accurate. I would try the Real ACT Prep Guide since it is more accurate. Besides a lot of people do much better on the ACT than the SAT and vice versa. They are different tests that test different things. But, they are viewed equally by colleges because they are, for most people, equally challenging. Cases where someone gets a 1900 SAT/35 ACT are very rare, though not unheard of.</p>
<p>They aren’t. College don’t say it, but they aren’t stupid. They know that the ACT is clearly an easier test. And you’ll get a dozen naysayers who will defend the ACT despite its obvious inferiority. But at the end, it is less valued. You can see my numerous other posts for more information.</p>
<p>There are a lot of people like you with a 1900/35. I wonder how many people there are with a 29/2340?</p>
<p>The problem is the way the tests are written.</p>
<p>The ACT questions are all fairly straightforward. If you know all the material that the ACT covers, you WILL get a very good score.</p>
<p>The SAT, however, is not nearly so straightforward. The questions are written to “make you think” (which really ends up meaning that they trick you). That’s why people score lower on the SAT, and that’s why SAT prep is so much more important. If you don’t learn how the test writers will try to trick you, and don’t learn how to game the test, knowing all the material in the world won’t get you much above 2000.</p>
<p>Practice test, nice you got lucky, no one cares. Now go get that score on the real test. There’s lots of people with 36s on the practices and not 36s on the real thing.</p>
<p>
Actually, I find myself getting a lot more questions wrong when I think more. Generally, I do the best when I just read the text quickly and let collegeboard tell me what they think. 90% of anything that a normal person comes up with is not going to be on the test. It’s porly written, which explains it.</p>
<p>the sat is not poorly written. in fact, it is probably one of the most carefully written tests out there and measures abilities (esp. CR) quite accurately. </p>
<p>and if you find yourself doing best when you skim the text and “let collegeboard tell you what they think”, you have serious issues beyond the scope of standardized test taking.</p>
<p>cjgone, I don’t care if you go around praising the ACT and slamming the SAT, but at least use logic rather than make assumptions that conveniently fit your theories.</p>
<p>Regarding CR – I always do best when I get really absorbed into the passages. There’s a difference between thinking deeply about the passages and inserting your own opinions into the author’s meaning, which is usually what trips people up. The key is not to think like collegeboard, but to think like the author.</p>
<p>I too once thought that the questions were designed to be tricky, but after studying them a lot I figured out that they actually do a pretty good job of determining whether you have a general understanding of the passage or a really precise understanding. Usually when I can’t decide between two answer choices, it turns out that there was a subtlety in the passage I missed.</p>
<p>Let’s just leave it at this and I want to see his 35 on the real test. Maybe we should stake some money on it. How much?</p>
<p>I can’t see someone with lower\equivalent then a 1900 on the SAT get a 35. The chances are so low and miniscule, I just fail to believe it. The content just isn’t that different. If you know the grammar rules on the ACT, you’ll know most on the SAT too. If you know the math on the ACT, you should be able to get a similar math score. Reading too. The only specific thing that can change the 2 scores drastically is how the questions are worded. But 1900vs 35 is off the wall.</p>
<p>The only reason why my scores are disproportionate is because I took the ACT long before the SAT and I was never interested in learning the tricks on the SAT. Now with a boosted ego ( the ACt tells me i’m actually capable of something beyond flipping burgers :D), I feel more motivated to actually study the SAT’s format.</p>
<p>
Definitely true here. I’ve started to notice this too. One answer always seems to have some relationship to a line in the text nearby. It’s subtle as you said.</p>
<p>@ cjgone: Way to be a complete *******. The Math section of the SAT, I’ve consistently got a 730 or higher. The part that puzzled me on the SAT was the CR section, where I constantly struggled on vocabulary. The Reading Section of the ACT, I found to be substantially easier than the comprehension section of the SAT. (Maybe because I spent too much time on the vocab, and had less time to read the actual passages). The writing section of the SAT was never really a problem either, and I find that the ACT English section is structured in a way that is much easier for me to answer the questions. </p>
<p>And I’m sorry, would you care to evaluate on how I got lucky on the ACT? I took no random guesses, every single question was carefully looked at and therefore I only got a few wrong on the whole test. But sure man, I got “lucky”.</p>
<p>There’s no use in denying the truth, I asked for people’s opinions, not your personal bashing of my score. Oh, and if it makes you any happier, I took the reading section again for you in the ACT and I got a 34. </p>
<p>As for the other people who posted, thanks for your opinions, I think I can finally see how some people would actually prefer the SAT over the ACT.</p>
<p>The problem is that the way you posted the topic. It sounds like that you’re trying to undermine anyone who succeeded at the ACT and did not do as well on the SAT (ironically you’re criticizing yourself too). </p>
<p>I take this thread as a direct attack on the skillsets of hard-working people by demeaning their abilities. It makes me angry that you can just toss all the hard-work people put in for their decent scores like garbage and you can merrily say “Oh yeah, who the hell cares, its just an easy test”. Great, i’m happy for you that it’s easy for you, but show some courtesy to other people. A high ACT score is as legitimate as a high SAT score. The SAT isn’t better, nor is it more difficult-- it’s perspective. Someone with a higher SAT doesn’t make them better at all. If you get a legitimate 34+ on your ACT in September, i’ll be happy for you and congratulate your achievement. But until then, undermining the ACT as a test of skill is ignorant just becuase you can do decently on a practice test or two.</p>
<p>I feel warranted to criticize your remarks. Your brazen attitude is offensive to the people I am part of and represent.</p>
<p>From what I’ve gathered, the ACT rewards quick, agile thinking while the SAT rewards thorough, deep thinking. Which quality is more desirable is debatable – I would argue that a good balance is best. Those who possess both qualities tend to do well on both tests.</p>
<p>@jayay, take your **** and shove it right back from where it came from. apparently you cant read at all. not only that, you’re quick to make dumb assumptions. not gonna waste my time answering people like you</p>
<p>@cjgone, didn’t mean to come out and be a prick or anything, I just gave an example of what happened, and I asked a question about it. Of course I’m unfamiliar with the ACT considering I had little to no exposure to it, and was looking for people’s opinions on the situation. I was looking for answers like 112358’s or amarkov’s. Anyways, my bad if I offended you in any way, it wasn’t my intention to do so in the first place.</p>
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<p>That’s the answer I wanted in the first place.</p>
<p>It’s all perspective. I feel like the ACT is a better fit for me because there’s less sections, and once you get a section over with, there’s no more of that particular subject on the test. I’m notoriously bad at reading comprehension, so it suits me best that there’s only one reading section on the ACT. </p>
<p>Plus, I’m more of a quick thinker. I’m not all that great with analysis and critical thinking in my opinion, so I tend to sway away from the SAT.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, both tests are equal. Whether one is more valued than the other to admissions officers is another story, though.</p>
<p>Who cares if one test is harder? The fact is, a 34-36 ACT will get you into any school in the country. So wouldn’t you want to take the allegedly easier test?</p>
<p>Whoaaaaa Genre. I wasn’t trying to be mean to you, but I could understand you making this thread if you had actually taken the test. But just doing a practice test and then being like ‘oh this is sooooooo easy!’ sounds like pointless bragging. No need to get so upset about it lol. Or be insulting…
And I did answer your question. Neither test is hard it’s just how you think.</p>