<p>Does the Math section for the ACT cover the same material as the Math section for the SAT?</p>
<p>The SAT and the ACT cover a lot of the same things, but ACT math is much harder than the SAT math. They both cover basic algebra and geometry. The ACT also covers trig/precalc and I don’t believe the SAT does.</p>
<p>The SAT does have poorly worded/trick questions and I haven’t seen that problem on the ACT math. Still, I think the ACT math is much more difficult because the problems require higher math skill in general.</p>
<p>Glynnni: have you taken both, the SAT and the ACT?</p>
<p>Yes, I have.</p>
<p>Overall, which one did you think was more difficult/challenging? (In all categories, not simply math)</p>
<p>Ok, if you want my honest opinion, I felt that the ACT was a bit easier. However, I’m from Iowa, where the ACT HQ is, so our school’s curriculums prepare us more for the ACT than the SAT. It’s also important to consider that not all sections are equally as difficult. For example, the SAT’s Critical Reading is way harder than the ACT Reading section. Furthermore, the ACT really doesn’t deal with vocabulary while it’s a pretty important part of the SAT. I’ve already mentioned the math sections and the SAT doesn’t have science (which is actually more graph interpretation than science) so that only leaves writing (ACT’s English section). I think the topics and scores for the essays are probably about equal. As for questions and revision, I felt the questions on both tests were equally as challenging. So, there you go. SAT has harder reading but the ACT has harder math. Both are equal for writing. The hardest thing about the SAT is you are penalized for guessing and the CR section relies heavily on your vocabulary. The most difficult things about the ACT are that time allocations do not fit into most students’ “comfort zones,” the math section is pretty challenging for most students, and the essay is at the end of the test instead of the beginning, like the SAT.</p>
<p>I should probably mention that I just took the SAT test last weekend, so I don’t have my score yet. I guess it would be fairly safe to say that English oriented students probably have an easier time with the SAT while math and science people (like me) find the ACT easier. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>ACT math is generally harder in the 35-36 range, but due to the not-as-extreme-curve as the SAT becomes much easier as the score progress downward.</p>
<p>The SAT usually uses poorly worded sentences and calculator number guess\check questions a lot of the time and has a habit of tossing in atleast 1 question that you probably forgot how to do in 3rd grade.</p>
<p>The ACT is more math-based and less about trickery. It covers more terrain (precalc, trig) and requires ability to solve fairly difficult questions in a short time period.</p>
<p>36 is harder to get on the ACT than an 800 on the SAT math but at like 33-730 level, the SAT becomes a bit harder. The SAT has a steep curve where like missing 5 = 700, and for a 30 on the ACT, it’s like -9,-10. The steep curve is from the poor distribution of difficulty on the SAT.</p>