Non-typical ACT or SAT question

Test Preparation
1

<p>Hello all, I'm currently 28 and wanting to go to college and get my degree. Just looking over some stuff both the SAT and ACT have changed a lot since I was a junior in high school and it's a bit confusing.</p>

<p>So while I did some looking around on the forum, I'm curious if one test may be better than the other for someone like me. Also, what are some good study material for either of them? The math for both is going to be the most challenging as it's been a very long time since I've taken a math class so any review book suggestion would be very appreciated. </p>

<p>Thanks all.</p>

2

<p>Best thing you can do is go to the library and check out one or two review books for each one – Kaplan, Princeton Review, whatever, and then take one of each practice test and see which, if either, you do better on. You can pay $1000 for a review course if you need to, but start with the free stuff!</p>

3

<p>ACT as a general rule is easier than the SAT. ← some will not concur (concur you need to know for the SAT not ACT) (got a 28 on my real ACT, but i only average 1500’s on practice SAT’s)</p>

<p>ACT reading— 40 questions 35 minutes 4 passages. If you’re well read then you will breeze through it.</p>

<p>SAT reading— Sentence completion and passage comprehension much more difficult than the ACT. IMO</p>

<p>ACT math— its direct no tricks do you know how to… find the circumference of a circle given the radius? (again look up problems) (60% of problems can be solved with alg 1 + geo 1 + ti-84)</p>

<p>SAT math— lot less direct alot more conceptual based)</p>

<p>ACT science is really the ability to read graphs it looks scary… but its really not.
ACT english is tricky, especially if you’re well read. (make sure to look up your rules)</p>

4

<p>SAT is not as straightforward as the ACT, meaning the SAT employs more sneaky traps and requires you to think more creatively, especially on the math.</p>

<p>SAT Critical Reading is far more dense and harder than the ACT Reading.</p>

<p>ACT has a science section, which doesn’t require you to remember bio or chem or anything, but to read charts/graphs/logically understand the experiment design. It’s not hard…but it is extremely fast-paced. 35 minutes for 40 questions including checking out the graphs/tables/experiments.</p>

<p>SAT has no science.</p>

<p>ACT Math tests more advanced concepts than the SAT, but ACT math questions tend to be more straightforward and require less out of the box thinking. ACT tests basic trigonometry, matrices, logarithms, circle equations, for example…which the SAT does not.</p>

<p>ACT English (grammar) tests far fewer grammatical concepts than the SAT Writing grammar portion. However, I heard the curve on the ACT English is much harsher than that of the SAT Writing.</p>

<p>SAT has a penalty for getting questions wrong, while the ACT does not.</p>

<p>I’d take practice tests for both, see how you do, then decide which to take.</p>

<p>I recommend PWN the SAT as a math book. Helpful for the ACT too as there is overlap, but obviously it’s not geared towards ACT Math. It’s much more easy to read (humor) and organized better than books by Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc. It also focuses on the tricks rather than just straight up math. This is important because if you already knew the mathy academic way, then you probably wouldn’t have missed the problem to begin with. PWN the SAT trains you to think creatively, just like the SAT requires you to do on the math.</p>

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<p>pwcpeng, to me, it seemed like the ACT English section tests more grammar concepts than SAT writing section?</p>

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<p>the SAT tests… more complex grammar concepts. When you take the ACT and you do a problem… (providing you are a native english speaker who took 20 minutes reviewing grammar rules in a prep book) more often than not your rationale is… “i know it’s wrong this is what is right…” </p>

<p>on the SAT you’ll look at a writing question and you’ll have to go… NO! thats incorrect parallelism! part B has to be wrong! or any of the other complex grammar rules that have specific names and qualities. </p>

<p>Do the SAT questions of the day to see what i mean.</p>

7

<p>I think the ACT is only considered “easier” than the SAT since it tests knowledge gained in high school. OP will probably find it easier to take the SAT since the material on the SAT is more predictable and easy to study for.</p>