<p>Hi,
I'm facing a big question. I gave my first SAT this May and got a score of 2150 (Math - 800, CR - 630 and W - 720). I really need to improve my score by at least 100-120 points to get through the colleges I'm aiming at. But, recently I was drawn towards the ACT, and I've got a feeling that I may do better on the ACT, since it has a Science Section I feel I should score well in. What should I do? How is preparing for the ACT different from preparing for the SAT? Will switching from SAT to ACT be a difficult task?
What would be the best way to determine which one I should give? Is there a definite difference in the respective sections (such as SAT Writing being easier than ACT English or something of that sort)?</p>
<p>Please, I require your opinions on this.</p>
<p>Thank you very much</p>
<p>I’m sorry the title should hav read switch to ACT</p>
<p>The ACT in my opinion is much more of a coachable test. You learn most of the things in high school. The ACT English section is all grammar, and although the math section covers slightly more advanced topics, it’s very simply worded. Be aware, though, that the science section isn’t a knowledge test- it’s a reading test and tests your ability to interpret graphs. The reading section also differs quite sharply from the CR section of the SAT. </p>
<p>Check out some sample questions here: [ACT</a> Test Prep : Sample Tests](<a href=“http://actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html]ACT”>http://actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html)</p>
<p>The ACT is a different test- the thing that gets most people is simply timing. The ACT itself is actually more straightforward than the SAT- there aren’t any “doughnut” questions like on the SAT. </p>
<p>Doughnut question found here: [frontline:</a> secrets of the sat: the sat and the prep business: how to solve some sat questions](<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/test/solve.html]frontline:”>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/test/solve.html)</p>
<p>Thanks for replying. Some other opinions too, please.</p>
<p>Yes, I have checked the ACT sample questions. I’m really good at math, so would be aiming for 36. Same for science (I’m aware of the fact that its reading data etc). So I guess it comes down to SAT critical reading vs ACT Reading and SAT Writing vs ACT English. Another thing, the SAT grammar is really easy, is the ACT’s the same? Some advice on the reading sections???</p>
<p>I took an ACT practice test a few months ago, way before i took the SAT. I can only comment on the ACT reading section because i don’t even remember the ACT english and essay and what not. The ACT reading section has different passages than SAT ones but they ask pretty much the same types of questions. I can’t remember exactly what they were like since I took it in March or April, but when I got my practice ACT scores back I received a 29 on the reading section. The science section requires you to read case studies (around 2-4 per passage) and then asks questions about those studies applying information from them and ie. “what would happen if this was increased?”…that section was challenging since i’m not that great in science, i received a 19 for that. I hoped that helped.</p>
<p>thanks, ryan. What about the essays? Are those of ACT harder?</p>
<p>When you take the ACT it’s optional to take the essay. Meaning that you don’t have to if the colleges you’re looking at don’t require them for the ACT. The ACT essay is 30 minutes, so it gives you 5 more minutes than the SAT. My essay for the practice test was about whether high school and colleges should require their students to take a foreign language; to expand their knowledge and horizons. That essay topic was a lot different than the one i wrote about for the June SAT, but it depends. It seems like the essay topics are very different but i don’t have enough evidence to back that up.</p>
<p>Buy a copy of The Real ACT. It has three real tests. Take one or two of the tests and see how you do. I did and am sticking with the SAT. But with your math and science background you might do better on the ACT.</p>
<p>^^Thats what I’d felt. For me, 2 things that are gonna determine whether I take the SAT or ACT next:
- Whether the Reading section is particularly difficult on either of the SAT or the ACT.
- How the Essay sections compare.</p>
<p>Any advice on these, please?</p>
<p>I have the summer ahead of me to prepare, so I need to decide fast so that I can maximize my preparation.</p>
<p>How the essays are graded are really similar, but the prompts are really different. </p>
<p>For the SAT, it’s more theoretical. e.g. “Does fame bring us happiness or are we happier when we’re not famous?” </p>
<p>For the ACT, it’s something very, very applicable to high school students. E.g. “Should high school be five years long instead of four?”</p>
<p>What about this: I give the SAT once this October, get 2250+, and then do the ACT? Or it isnt worth giving the ACT then?</p>
<p>First see your Oct SAT score. If you get that 2300, then f ACT. If you don’t then might wanna check it out.</p>
<p>I would say just take a weekend and do a practice ACT. You can speculate all you’d like, but you can’t tell how well you’ll do unless you actually take one. The ACT felt a lot faster to me: it’s more of a sprint, whereas the SAT is like a marathon. I don’t know if that analogy is super-accurate, but hey. Also, I felt the ACT science is sort of shoddy.</p>