SAT or ACT?

Last January I got a 2080 on my SAT:
660 Reading
700 Math
720 Writing,
And in April I took the ACT and got a 30:
33 English
33 Math
28 Reading
26 Science.

I’m going retake one of these next fall, and study a bit over the summer. Is it clear that I should prepare for one of these tests I’ve rather than the other? I think 30 is a little lower than 2080, but I heard CR is pretty hard to improve. Are reading and science on the ACT easier to improve? Thanks in advance.

ACT reading and science are both critical reading tests, like the SAT CR. Thus your weakness is in the same area on both tests, it’s just weighted a little differently in each case so that your SAT is a little higher than the ACT equivalent. Whichever you decide to take, you’ll be trying to raise your game on just about the same set of skills.

Personally, I would recommend retaking the SAT because 1) more and better prep resources are available for it 2) you have more time to deliberate over your answers and 3) the problem area is separated clearly into its own discrete section.

But, like I suggested earlier, it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. Same basic skill set you have to improve in either case.

The SAT is changing this fall, I believe, so you might want to stick with the ACT because the format isn’t going through any big changes.

@albert69 The new SAT starts in January of next year

The new SAT will be administered for the first time next March, so the current format will be offered Oct, Nov, Dec & Jan of next school year.