Hi, so I am currently a junior right now that is looking to take her test December/January. But, I need to know which one will be better for me now, so I can take the rest of these 3-4 months to prepare. I’m not a science person- never took physics before. But, I am very bad at math like I do not think I am capable of scoring well on the grid in. Should I take the ACT because it’s all multiple choice ( and I hear easier math questions) or SAT because I get more time and just english reading and math to worry about? Thank you.
Others will be better informed than me but my son chose to skip the ACT because it was our understanding the ACT gave less time per problem on the test. He was one who did not work through math problems quickly. If you are also weak in science maybe the SAT is best for you. You could always take both and see how you do.
Take practice tests in both and see what feels more comfortable to you. We’ve heard ACT is better for STEM kids but I think it’s very individual.
For the record, the ACT Science section doesn’t test science in the traditional sense (biology, chemistry, etc). It’s more of a glorified reading section with some graphs mixed in. If you are worse at math it is only 1/4 of the ACT, and 1/2 of the SAT. It varies by person but I see the ACT as having easier problems with stricter timing, and the SAT being harder but giving more time (also the no calculator section which I am not a fan of). I think the best way would be to take both tests from a prepbook and see which you score better on. Also, it would be important to note if your state requires a certain test (e.g. Colorado requires the SAT to graduate).