<p>I always hear stories about how people do "astronomically better" on the ACT than on the SAT, and they say it's because the ACT is "fair." True or false?</p>
<p>I don’t know statistically which test is better for more people. I don’t know about fair either. I do know some kids who did better on the SAT than the ACT, and vice versa. I think more kids I know did better on the ACT when they took both tests, in terms of relative standing. (The score was more impressive on the ACT than SAT). Someone told me that the ACT is better for the good, strong reader, the one who does well on school work but is weaker on standardized tests.</p>
<p>It can go either way, but ACT can be beneficial for some people because it has a science section.</p>
<p>How do you define “fair”? Some people do noticeably better on one test or the other, and many do about the same on either test.</p>
<p>Some people say the SAT is completely unpredictable. However, the ACT exactly the same amount of questions. For example, there will always be exactly 10 questions dealing with punctuation, 5 questions dealing with idioms, etc. I don’t know the exact number but that’s what I meant. I guess “fair” as in which do you score better on lol. I got a 2200 on the SAT, but I’m a much better student than I am a tester. However, critical reading is my lowest… so does that mean I’m off to a bad start with the ACT?</p>
<p>My son calls the ACT the “American Reading Test.” The ACT is all about reading, even in the math section, and ESPECIALLY in the science section.</p>
<p>False. There’s no point in having the ACT be the same as the SAT; they attempt to measure different things (which others can better articulate). Schools being different, they select students in different ways, and a given school can also choose a more diverse class by using various available applicant measurements.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, I think that the ACT has much more straightforward math problems that require less “reading” than the SAT. </p>
<p>Yes, the science section is about reading; however, testing knowledge in this section would be against what the ACT is meant for. It’s not a test about what you know already but how you will succeed in college. And an important part of that is being able to comprehend highly scientific text and interpreting graphs in one’s textbook.</p>
<p>hmm…I’m way more lit-oriented (800 CR vs. 680 M)…do you think I could do better on the ACT b/c it is all reading? I’m just interested if anyone has had similar scores, and how they did</p>
<p>I believe the ACT has much harder math problems. That being said i did much better on the ACT than the SAT because I don’t do well on long tests. An hour and a half was much more do-able than 3 hours+</p>
<p>Try the actual tests </p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> The Real ACT Prep Guide: The Only Official Prep Guide From The Makers Of The ACT (Real Act Prep Guide): ACT Inc., Wallie W Hammond: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Real-ACT-Prep-Guide-Official/dp/0768926750/]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Real-ACT-Prep-Guide-Official/dp/0768926750/) </p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> The Official SAT Study Guide: The College Board: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874477182/]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874477182/) </p>
<p>to compare the two brand names and see which one fits you best.</p>
<p>I personally prefer the ACT over the SAT because it doesn’t have any of those stupid traps to trip you up. With the ACT, you really need to work on timing, not test strategy. It’s more straightforward.</p>
<p>You can do a free test for both without having to buy a book, if you just want to test them out. [Sentence inserted by moderator: both test publishers offer free sample tests to high schools and post preparation materials on their websites.] </p>
<p>I wonder if there are stats anywhere comparing how people did on both, compared to their grades? i.e., did those better in English and science do better on the ACT?</p>
<p>Thanks for mentioning that there are online preparation materials. </p>
<p><a href=“https://satonlinecourse.collegeboard.com/SR/satprepcenter.do[/url]”>https://satonlinecourse.collegeboard.com/SR/satprepcenter.do</a> </p>
<p>[ACT</a> Online Prep](<a href=“The ACT Test for Students | ACT”>The ACT Test for Students | ACT) </p>
<p>In my opinion, it is very important to use genuine previous test questions from the actual test publishers if you want to compare the two main brands of college admission tests. The books containing previous test questions are often available in public libraries. They also aren’t particularly expensive. Presumably, anyone with enough Internet access to read College Confidential can also go to the test publisher sites to access online preparation materials.</p>
<p>i did pretty much exactly the same on both tests</p>
<p>Easier to get a 36 because it’s an average, you don’t actually have to ace the test like a 2400 on the SAT</p>
<p>I don’t think thats right…you have to get everything correct to get a 36. Plus you said it. It is the average. You have to get 36s on all the sections for that to average out…
I know a kid who got 3 questions wrong on the test and he got a 35</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, you can miss some questions. For example:
36E, 35M, 35R, 36S, would equal a 36 composite. The average is 35.5, which rounds to a 36.</p>
<p>I think the math on the ACT is easier and more straightforward than on the SAT. I think it’s because I’ve done more of it more recently than on the SATs when I’m trying to recall stuff from 7th grade.</p>
<p>They test different things and therefore are inherently different… So some people will do better on one than the other. Sample variability XD</p>
<p>i think, at times, that the SAT is more of an elitist test. it tests your thinking and problem solving versus the ACT which tests what you have learned in high school. </p>
<p>also, i does seem less common to score a 2400 than a 36…i think the SAT is harder but both are basically “fair.”</p>