Improving on ACT vs SAT

Test Preparation
1

I took PSAT in my freshman year, and my scores were honestly embarrassing xD But I’ve take in every year since, and I’ve improved from about the initial score of 150 to my most recent, junior year, at 190. Earlier this month, I took a full length practice SAT Test I received from my counselor, timed myself properly, and I got a 2030. I was aiming for approximately 2150, but the math questions are just bizarre IMO, and the only way to legitimately improve my critical reading would be to memorize 500 to a 1000+ vocab words, which I REALLY REALLY prefer not to do.

Ultimately, I took the practice ACT, also from a booklet provided by my counselor, and being the first time I had taken it, my composite ended up around 32. About two months later, I got another copy of the same test and redid it, and I got a 34; I’m not sure if that was due to the isolated things I remembered from the initial testing, or an improvement from some studying. In any case, I honestly do feel more confident on the ACT as it’s more straight forward.

At this point, in accordance with my counselor’s instructions, I’m signed up to take the SAT in March and ACT in April. So my question is, which one should I focus on? On a comparison chart, both the 32 and 34 are significantly higher on the ACT.

I’ve purchased both the ACT Red Book and the SAT Blue Book, and I’m not really in the financial situation to be able to spend lots of money on buying 3 or 4 additional books from like Barron’s or PR or anything. Maybe a single really good one, but yeah, I’m poor, lol.

So yeah, just what should I do from this point on?

2

Based on what I’ve heard, SAT is easier to improve because you can fine tone your skills and get in the mindset. ACT on the the other hand is just an accumulation of what you’ve learned over the years, so you either know it or you don’t. That’s why I’m confused as to which to focus on, because I know a stroke of luck might lead me to a 34.5 or something on the ACT, which would end up as a 35, and I’d be perfectly happy with that, a 36 of course would be better. But again, SAT is supposedly easier to improve, and I have been getting exposed to it longer.

3

There are students who get better at ACT with practice as compared to SAT. ACT is a speed test and with practice you can get better at it. Similarly the Maths questions in ACT are higher level though straight forward as compared to SAT Maths. Also the CR section has more inference based questions then ACT, usually the ACT answers are right there in the passage.
If you took that 32 in timed conditions then its pretty good as first test and you can improve on that. Forget about that 34 if it was the same test, doesn’t count. My suggestion is go for ACT if you got that 32 in first practice test in timed testing conditions.