<p>Hello everyone. I'm sorry if this should be posted elsewhere but it is my first thread :).
I was wondering what the difference between the SAT and ACT is.
I have done some research but I have only found minimal information about the ACT.
Finally, I was wondering how one goes about practicing for the ACT.
Are there any practice tests, or books of practice tests like there are for the SATs?
Thank you all in advance.</p>
<p>Hi eharr34,</p>
<p>You can use the official ACT Red Book to prepare for the ACT.</p>
<p>StevenToCollege</p>
<p>SAT has 3 parts - Critical Reading, Math, Writing. Most colleges use only the CR+M score, and “superscore” your results (add together best section scores across multiple sittings). The ACT has 4 parts - English, Math, Reading, Science (plus a Writing section that is not included in your composite score). Most colleges do not superscore it, but some do. Both types of tests are accepted by all U.S. colleges. For ACT, most schools require that you take it with the optional Writing component at each sitting. </p>
<p>The SAT is usually considered to be trickier, with more traps and trick questions. The ACT is more straightforward, and is a shorter, faster-paced test. The sections on ACT are always in the same order, whereas the SAT alternates between sections. Some colleges that require SAT subject tests (SAT II’s), will allow ACT in place of those. </p>
<p>In general, girls tend to perform better on ACT than SAT. The opposite is true for boys. Some people do much better on one than the other.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the responses.
@StevenToCollege thank you very much for the ACT Red Book suggestion thats exactly what I was looking for.
I know how you do on one test vs the other all depends on the individual but I was wondering if someone could tell me if I’d do better on one test vs the other.
I am a math/science kid.
On a practice SAT I took I scored a 2170 (Reading-800, Math-710, Writing-680)</p>
<p>Finally I was wondering if I should take both the SAT and ACT or just one or the other. If you recommend the SAT could you please tell me how I should study to improve my score.</p>
<p>Your 1510 is the score most colleges will care about. It can’t hurt to try ACT as well, but it will be hard to top the 1510. If you want to try to improve your math, just work problems to learn the tricks and pitfalls. Your score is outstanding as is though. Good job!</p>