I was curious to know the scores of students who took both sat and act and which scores were better. I have been told by many that the ACT is easier based on material but wanted to the see the score difference in the tests from the same people.
Could you state your act and sat scores and note which score you sent to colleges and how you felt about the two tests (easier, better prep available, any tips)
Thank you so much in advance!
I’m a senior and I took the ACT in September and the SAT in October. I only tested once each and that’s all I plan on. I got a 2180 on the SAT and a 32 on the ACT. I personally think I am better at taking the SAT because I lose focus really quickly, and the SAT is broken up into shorter time intervals. I also find SAT math much easier than ACT math, especially towards the end of the ACT math section.
For both the SAT and the ACT I scored very high on English, but lower in math, which really irritates me because I’m a great math student in school and I’m applying to college for engineering, so what I decided to do is that I’m going to send both the SAT and ACT to my safety schools, and then to my reach schools I’m only going to send my SAT (so that they think maybe the one test was a fluke) and I will send my math SAT subject tests, which I am taking in November. If I do well on the subject tests, maybe it will balance out my SAT score. I know I’m a good math student, but I tend to make stupid careless errors because I go too fast and forget to check… But I’m not going to complain too much because I know plenty of kids who would love a 680 
My breakdown was:
ACT:
C: 32
English: 34
Math: 29
Reading: 35
Science:29
Writing: still hasn’t come out yet which sucks because I want to send the score already ugh
SAT:
C: 2180
Math: 680
Writing:750
CR: 750.
Prep:
I’m not a good studier and I didn’t really do much prep. I’m a rather scatterbrained person and sometimes I just push studying to the bottom of my list. I did one practice ACT Math and got a 35 on it, so I was really angry when I got the 29 on the real test :-L
For the SAT, I took the PSAT last year and got a 205, not sure if that counts as “prep” haha.
Overall, I found the SAT easier because I have a shorter attention span and I suggest that if you are the same way then you take the SAT. As for prep, I guess if you read a lot it helps. Maybe rent a prep book from your local library, if you have good work ethic.
Good luck!
I’m a junior and I took both the Sept ACT and Oct SAT.
ACT
C 32
R 31
M 35
S 29
E 31
SAT
2060
CR 670
M 800
W 590 with a 7 essay 
I think I will take the Nov SAT and the Dec ACT. I think I can get above a 700 CR and a much better Science score on the ACT.
Thanks @SammieB and @Anon9360
ACT
C31
34E
29M
27R
34S
Retaking the ACT tomorrow to get that reading score up. It’s usually my best section, but I had no idea they added double passages, so I was a bit caught off guard and then ran out of time sigh.
SAT
1890
620 CR
620M
650W
DS is a Junior
ACT
32 C
36 R
35 E
32 S
26 M
SAT
2050
730 CR
620 M
700 W
Prepped for ACT math only because he isn’t a math guy.
Thanks @MichiganGeorgia @MAS9797 . It seems to look like the act has better composites
For me:
ACT:
34 English
33 Math
34 Reading
35 Science
Composite:34
Writing: 8
SAT
750 Reading
670 Math
620 Writing
Composite: 2040
The difference is, where I am ACT is pushed more than SAT. As such I was able to focus more on the ACT due to more experience in prep and format. I also took it twice (First time I had a 33). SAT I took once. Even if I had more experience, its format is too disjointed for me. Essay first and random blocks of time? Switching between different subjects? Not my taste.
99%tile vs 92%tile means that ACT wins out.
SAT: 2200 (710 M, 720 CR, 770 W)
ACT: 34 (34 E, 35 M, 31 R, 35 S)
Prep: I neglected math while prepping for the SAT because math is my strong point. I only prepared for like a week for the ACT whereas I prepared for like a month for the SAT. Definitely would recommend practicing real papers over anything else.
Tip: If you are good at math and science but not that great in english, try the ACT before deciding on which test you want to take.
Sending both to Stanford and Yale because they require all the scores, but only sending the ACT to the rest.
SAT: 2160 (700 M, 750 CR, 710 W)
ACT: 34 (34 E, 34 M, 35 R, 33 S) I retook the ACT yesterday, so I’ll update when I get those scores.
I got tutored for 4 sessions by my comp sci teacher for SAT math, and improved 30 points from my first test to the one I listed above. Other than that, the only review I ever did for either test was cramming practice questions for an hour the night before each test.
For my EA schools, I’m sending both my SAT and ACT just because I couldn’t decide which was better. Also, my guidance counselor suggested I do so in case different schools view the tests differently (like if a 34 M is better than a 700 M, but a 750 CR is better than a 35 R). That being said, if my composite ACT improves, I am only sending that one to my RD schools.
ACT: 34 C (35 E 35 M 34 R 32 S 36 W)
SAT: 2200 (690 CR 740 M 770 W 10 E)
I’m only sending ACT and prepped for neither. ACT is for the student who is good at working really quickly, while SAT is for the one who is better at interpreting the question properly.
@SoCcErTrAcK2016 I think you should sent your act only since you have a lot better act composite than sat. I don’t think your break down makes that much of a difference compared to composite
SAT: 2240 (720 CR 750 M 770 W 10 E)
ACT: 35 C (35 E 34 M 35 R 35 S, haven’t received essay score yet)
I’m only sending ACT. imo, ACT is an easier test. The science section can be a little tricky, though, bc missing 1 question can drop your score significantly.
ACT math is easier than SAT math because there are more questions on concepts that are actually learned in school. ACT reading is easier than SAT reading because many times, the answer is literally, word-for-word, stated in the passage. Only tricky part is the ACT science, which you can improve on by reading and interpreting more graphs and stuffs in your free time.
@lolkar Thanks for the advice, but I already sent both scores! Plus I would rather go with my guidance counselor on this. Idk what I’ll do for RD, but I know for sure that I trust the advice of someone with 10+ years of experience with this stuff more than that of someone who’s barely entered high school (or whatever equivalent). Thanks for taking to time to respond tho! 
That being said, I’m definitely considering sending just ACT and SAT subject tests.
Oh, and btw It was free to send my SAT scores anyway because I just registered for subject tests and got 4 free reports.