<p>I took the SAT last March (I'm a Junior) and got a 2020, and I'm pretty happy with that for now. I will retake it senior year to attempt to raise/improve that score. However, I have been hearing several of my peers/friends who did better on the ACT than they did on the SAT, and the general consensus around my school seems to be that the ACT is easier to do well on than the SAT. One of my friends that I talked to got a 1700 on the SAT, and got a 31 on the ACT (roughly equivalent to a 2040 on the SAT). Is there any truth to this? Should I even bother taking the ACT in my senior year, and having to worry about and study for another test, in addition to retaking the SAT senior year? Or should I focus on improving my SAT score by just taking it again my senior year and not taking the ACT at all? By the way, I took the PLAN test 1st semester sophomore year and got a 26 on it, and it estimates that your score will improve by 5, which would be a 31 ACT, roughly equivalent to a 2040 SAT score.</p>
<p>no, it is not easier for everyone, because it it was, everyone would take it an no one would take the SAT! Most students do equally well (or poor) on both tests, but some do better on one than on the other. The only way for you to find out which is better for YOU is to take a practice ACT test at home.</p>
<p>No, it is easier for some people and harder for others.</p>
<p>I personally find the SAT to be easier because you have more time per question, which is quite helpful for a reading section.</p>
<p>I’ve heard people say that the SAT is an aptitude test that’s heavy in advanced reasoning, while the ACT is an achievement test that is more “what-you-learned-in-school” intensive. I think that’s a pretty accurate statement.</p>
<p>Personally, I found the ACT to be easier. As 777Blue777 pointed out, you have more time per question on the SAT, but I just thought that the ACT questions were much more straightforward.</p>
<p>Agree with friendbynote. ACT questions aren’t as “tricky” as those on the SAT, but the time factor is much more pressing on the ACT. If you’re curious, just download the free practice test from the ACT website and give it whirl. More than likely your score won’t be that much different than your SAT, but it doesn’t hurt to try it. I tell my students to take practice tests of both before committing to one or the other, and unless you see a drastic difference on that practice ACT you’re going to be better off sticking with the SAT anyway since it’s familiar. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’ve taken both and I found the ACT to be much more suited to be. I’m a linguists person though, but I can do math. The guessing penalty will kill you though. That is a huge bonus on the ACT. My SAT score was a 1750…but I got a 31 on the ACT</p>
<p>I find the SAT to be harder because it seems as if all the questions are trying to trick you (and the vocabulary really kills me). The ACT is easier but more time intensive. When I took it, I barely finished any section and was worried on the English because I knew I was behind time throughout the middle portion of it. I got a 2050 SAT and 33 ACT, both first and only times I’ve taken it.</p>