<p>Can anyone share any info. on how the math on the ACT compares to the new SAT? My daughter is taking the new SAT but is considering taking the ACT as well. What is the difference in terms of difficulty and math level (i.e., the new SAT will include questions up to Algebra II/trig - same with the ACT)?</p>
<p>Wish I could answer that ... actually, I'd love some information on the ACT in general as we live in "SAT country" where no one seems to speak about the ACT at all! When do students generally take it - junior year? Is it similar to the SAT situation in that students often take it more than once? Will SAT preparation prepare one for the ACT? How do you register for it?</p>
<p>Sorry for so many questions - Carolyn - hope someone can answer you first!</p>
<p>That's why I'm asking Twinmom. I have looked at the ACT web site and my daughter has tried some of their online math questions but we can't really tell if there's a difference in level or difficulty. So, hopefully someone will answer!</p>
<p>My daughter is thinking about taking the ACT in April in between taking the SAT in March and either May or June.</p>
<p>I think I need to ask another question - how difficult is the science section? The examples they give on their website seem more about interpreting scientific data than knowing specific scientific "facts." Is this correct?</p>
<p>By the way, the site for the ACT, where you can register also, is <a href="http://www.act.org%5B/url%5D">www.act.org</a></p>
<p>My S found that studying for the SAT prepared him for the ACT. He studied a lot for the SAT and did not do well, did not study for ACT and did great. The science test is reasoning not knowlege, more interpreting data, it helps to take the practice test to get a feel for it. Some kids love the ACT, it was my S's ticket but my D did not like it.The great thing is that you only send the tests you want not all of them. My D scored about the same for math for ACT and SAT 690 and 31. You register at <a href="http://www.act.org%5B/url%5D">www.act.org</a> I believe.</p>
<p>I can't speak to the differences between the math on the ACT and the new SAT, but we live deep in ACT territory, and I can talk a little bit about the ACT in general. It's offered in October, December, February, April, and June. Because students are able to screen the scores that go to schools, and send only their best composite score, I think it makes some sense to take the test cold or with a modest amount of self-prep in October or December of Junior year, see where the weaknesses/strengths lie, follow up with some addtional prep to fill in any gaps, then take it again. Many kids around here take it multiple times. According to the professional tutors (almost universally used in our community) prep for the ACT and SAT differs significantly. The ACT is ostensibly curriculum based, the SAT more aptitude based. Not sure what that means, but I do think certain kids just do better on one test or the other. Of course, tutors have a vested interest in stressing any differences between the tests, but I do know that some kids do separate tutoring for the SAT and ACT. </p>
<p>My daughter never took the SATI, as she scored well on the ACT. But for what it's worth, she did find the science section of the ACT to be the most difficult, by far. On three tries, it was always her lowest subscore.</p>
<p>There are a few topics that are fair game on the ACT that didn't used to be fair game on the SAT I, but they make up such a small portion of the item content on the ACT that it really doesn't matter. My son takes these tests for talent search testing, not for "keeps," but he doesn't notice much difference between them as to math level. The really hard tests in math are the AMC tests and other competition tests. To be well prepared for the ACT, just do well in your high school courses, and get the book Getting into the ACT Assessment, published by ACT. (It's like 10 Real SATs, except that it has only two real tests, which MUCH more explanation of answer choices.)</p>
<p>My DD took both the SAT and the ACT - twice each - the ACT is very curric driven - you can take it in early high school and it will be a good measurement as you can compare it to school grades and progress. DD found that SAT prep really did nothing towards the ACT but did feel fairly well prepared for the ACT in general as it more paralleled her high school subjects and levels. I think she preferred the ACT over the SAT as a much better measurement of her knowledge base - and her scores were pretty consistent to the grade/grades she was at also. The SAT scores were a bit less consistent.</p>
<p>The drawback to the ACT for us was location - as none are offered in our area - we had to travel to a state college for it - whereas the SAT is offered close by and more frequently. SAT and ACT scores can be correlated tho with the new SAT I am not sure what the comparison is.</p>
<p>We definitely do NOT live in ACT land - and I cannot for the life of me figure out why CG's don't recommend it more - because for some kids it is a much better test - right brain vs left brain - but I am glad she was willing to take the ACT as it really did benefit her admissions process.</p>
<p>The ACT math has included algebra II and some trig for decades. Actually what is happening is that the SAT math is now moving more towards the ACT. The ACT math for many seems easier per question than the SAT because most of its questions are generally straightforward and they don't try to trick you like some of the SAT questions do. Overall though the ACT math can be more difficult than the SAT for many because you get less time to answer more questions -- in fact, the entire ACT has more time pressure than the SAT. Many find the science section the hardest, particularly the first time taking it, because it is not in a form that test takers, particularly those who have done the SAT, are used to -- it has numerous graphs, tables, and the like. It requires somewhat less knowledge of science than knowledge of how to read and interpret graphs and tables, and time pressure can be significant. The reading section is similar to the SAT reading. The English section is essentially a grammar test where you have to choose the right words, phrases or punctuation. In states where the ACT is the norm -- most of the middle of the country -- students usually take it in spring of junior year but, like the SAT, it is offerred monthly through the fall. Many do repeat but the percentage that do so is lower than for the SAT.</p>
<p>Carolyn, drusba is right on target (we are in heart of ACT land) - the math seems easier, even though it is more advanced than the old SAT, because the questions are structured much more like tests kids would have in school. Science is, as has been stated, something of a misnomer, it is more about reasoning, interpreting data and graphs - the kids that think the science is hard were expecting it to be a test of knowledge like the math (in one sense it is the most SAT-like of all the sections, because it has that overlay of reasoning). The English can be hard, especially for some good English students because some of the questions are subtle questions about style - Which phrase is wrong? Which phrase best replaces the highlighted phrase?</p>
<p>DD took ACT and SAT - her overall scores charted out almost exactly the same, BUT the subscores flip-flopped strikingly - She made an 800 V and the English ACT subscore was her lowest subscore, Math (not her strong suit) was the highest ACT subscore. She only took the SAT once, but when she repeated the ACT, her English subscore improved 2-3 points (a lot in ACT land) which she attributed to familiarity with the questions and the her math went down 2-3 points, she felt the math was noticeably more difficult. Her take home message would be practice tests, and be prepared for the possiblity that one sub-section may seem noticeably more difficult on a given test date.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I guess there's no harm in her taking the April test and seeing how her scores compare to the SAT. With the writing thrown into the ACT, math only accounts for a fifth of the total score - whereas with the new SAT, it will be a third.</p>
<p>I did not take the ACT in an official setting. I only had to take the PLAN in 9th grade. I did, however, spend some time checking this year's PLAN booklet and a few ACT tests. The objective was to ascertain if it would help my younger sister, who is familiar with the PSAT and SAT and a very strong HS student. My conclusion: the A must stand for a combination of absurd and ambiguous, and the C could not stand for consistent; overall, I see it as an Almost Correct Test. The science part of the ACT is trivial, and the math and verbal sections are questionable. The grammar questions are plain awful, which is why people may say it must be in line with the grammar taught in HS. </p>
<p>I did not check the test to see how easy they would be for a student, but tried to see how consistent the test is in its proposed answers. In that regard, I hated it. It is obvious that the ACT organization does not have the resources that ETS and TCB possess. </p>
<p>My take on this is that students should try it, but at their own peril. I consider the ACT easier for its contents but more difficult because of its ambiguity and lack of consistency. All in all, not a great choice, if one exists.</p>
<p>Carolyn;</p>
<p>for what its worth, a friend's D took both last year and did significantly better on the ACT using little prep for either. She is a high B+ student, heavily involved in dance and music (right-brained?). Since her ACT score was high enough for the college she was considering, she did not retake.</p>
<p>Thanks Blue. Sounds a lot like my daughter. We shall see.</p>
<p>A friend here in town just told me today about the new edition of the official cram book by the ACT staff, now called The Real ACT Prep Guide: The Only Official Prep Guide From The Makers Of The ACT and published by Peterson's. It looks quite useful. I found the old edition, Getting into the ACT, useful for my son (who takes the ACT in the Midwest Academic Talent Search on Saturday), but this is one endeavor in which newer is usually better. </p>
<p>Good luck with the test. Learn to use an ACT-approved</a> calculator for the math questions, and it should be fine.</p>
<p>My son took both the ACT (one time) and the SAT (2 times). Ironically, though he is an outstanding math/science student in high school (and has taken quite a few college math classes because there was nothing left for the high school to offer him), he did better on the verbal section of both tests. He scored a perfect 36 on the English section of the ACT and a 35 on the Reading. The math part of the ACT frustrated him because his particular test (and I've heard that this section can vary significantly from test to test within the ACT) was heavily probability oriented and not centered nearly so much on what he had covered extensivey at school. In general, he thought that the ACT was a bit more straightforward than the SAT and less inclined to present gratuitously convoluted questions. ~berurah</p>
<p>Thanks Token - I will look for that book.
Beruah - thanks for the information. My daughter at this point is very frustrated by the SAT math section so something potentially more straightforward would be a relief for her.</p>