I’ve taken both the SAT and ACT but because money is an issue (I am paying mostly by myself, but I don’t think we qualify for waivers), I’d prefer to only submit one or the other, rather than both. I want to know which one would look better for admissions.
I’ve taken the SAT twice, planning on taking it one last time in October (c/o 2020), and the ACT once. On my ACT I got a 31 composite (31 English, 31 Math, 35 Reading, 28 Science) with 9 out of 10 average for the essay, and on my second SAT I got 1400 (660 Reading/Writing, 740 Math) with a 16 on the essay (not very good at all for the essay, but I don’t think it holds much weight).
On my ACT I received a more balanced score for English and Math (both 31), rather than on my SAT, where I got a 660 Reading/Writing and 740 Math (a point difference of 80). I also did much better on the ACT essay portion, but I don’t know how much that matters. I realize ultimately it wouldn’t make too much difference, but would the ACT likely look better on college apps because of the better essay score and less of a gap in math and english? I’m planning on majoring in Political Science, so math or STEM isn’t really my goal anyways. Thanks in advance!