SAT or ACT Preparation?

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>Hey guys this is my first post on College Confidential. I got back my first SAT scores today and here is the breakdown.</p>

<p>CR: 520
M: 600
W: 540 (8 Essay)
Total:1660</p>

<p>I am not proud of this, but I can say that I am dedicating a good bit of summer to review for the SAT. I put literally zero focus on this test during the school year just because it was junior year. I was putting the final touches on my high school career; it worked out well.</p>

<p>Junior Year:
AP Chemistry: A
AP English Language: A
Spanish IV Honors: B
Pre Calculus Honors: A
Honors Physics: A
AP Psychology: A
AP United States History: A
Year Weighted: 5.43 Unweighted: 3.86</p>

<p>So hopefully these grades show some of the potential I have if I just work hard at something. </p>

<p>My main question, however, is should I be practicing more for the ACT or SAT? Here is the breakdown for my ACT.</p>

<p>Comp: 25
Reading: 24
Math: 28
English/Writing: 24
Science: 24</p>

<p>Again, not too good. I put in my reading and my math score into an estimation generator online for the conversion of ACT to SAT; 28 Math=roughly 680...24 Reading=roughly 560...25 Comp=roughly 1700. What do you all think I should do? I would love some feedback on which test I should focus and if and how I can get up these scores.</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

2

<p>Your ACT scores look stronger so I would concentrate on that exam.
Start by using the Real ACT Book with released exams and explanatory answers. You can buy it from :
<a href=“http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-real-act-prep-guide-act-inc/1104693454?ean=9780768934403[/url]”>http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-real-act-prep-guide-act-inc/1104693454?ean=9780768934403&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Only use real questions. When you finish this book you can find more real exams from links on this CC thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1384979-act-released-tests.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1384979-act-released-tests.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Keep track of your mistakes and redo those questions until you can get them correct with confidence,</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

3

<p>As you can see from your calculation your ACT and SAT scores are about equivalent. Which test did you feel more comfortable with? Some people hate the time constraints of the ACT. Others don’t like the negative scoring of the SAT. Just pick the one that feels the most comfortable for you and focus on that one.</p>

4

<p>Thanks guys. Does anybody else have any input on my situation? I would really appreciate it</p>

5

<p>I would stick with whichever felt more comfortable. I personally find the ACT a bit easier to study for and a bit more comfortable with the format, but whatever you felt better with I would go for.
I don’t really know about SAT prep; I took a prep course and I got a 1800 on it, which I was not happy with.
For ACT I would recommend the Real Act Book, but it actually didn’t improve my score. I would DEFINITELY recommend The Princeton Review’s 1296 ACT problem book. (total of 6 practice tests) with really detailed explanations. In general I wouldn’t normally go for princeton review, but this one got me a 30 my first time. I would also recommend Barrons and a LOT of practice tests. Those get you really comfortable with the format and time, and if you review the answers and explanations you will see real improvement.</p>

<p>Don’t overload it. Give yourself a lot of time to study.</p>