This year i took both the SAT and the ACT, with the intent of seeing which one I scored higher on and then retaking the one I got a higher score on to get an even higher score. The problem is, both of my scores were very close to each other, and I’m not sure which one I should take again. My Scores are:
SAT
1240 Composite
700 English/ Writing
540 Math
ACT
27 Composite (which from what I’ve seen corresponds to about a 1240 on the SAT)
30 English
20 Math
33 Reading
24 Science
Which one should I retake?
I would do the SAT. You can take solace in the fact that it’s a lot harder to get 700 in EBRW than in Math IMO. If you can apply yourself with the math you can do a 100-150 point jump relatively easily. Easier said than done but doable.
Do you plan to prep? If you’re just taking the test again to see what score you get, you might not see any improvement and you may even see a decrease. If you can’t commit a serious amount of hours to prepping, don’t waste your parents’ money on a retest.
When you took the ACT, were you rushed at the end or did you have time on the sections to go over your answers? The ACT rewards quick readers and test takers, the SAT does not.
Math is the place where you have the most points to gain. Getting a lower score in math generally could mean that you had a lousy math teacher in middle school and so your grasp of some foundational principles isn’t as strong as you think it is. It’s excruciating to look over your mistakes, but I promise you that once you’ve identified that part of the math test that you don’t understand, you CAN find resources to help you understand it.
Look up youtube videos, Khan Academy, or ■■■■■■■ on a subject that isn’t clear. Take the time to understand that one area in particular. If you know it, solidly, the questions become easy.
@ninakatarina thank you for your input. I didn’t do much prep before I took the SAT/ACT the first time, but I am planning on doing some kind of prep before I retest. I don’t remember if I was rushed at all for the entire ACT, but I do remember that I finished the Math portion right as time was called for the section
@ProfessorPlum168 I was definitely leaning towards retaking the SAT, since I felt that it was easier than the ACT, especially the math section. I certainly did better (I think) on the SAT Math section
If it helps any, my scores are basically in the middle/high range for most of the colleges I’m planning on applying to. I’m also not planning on taking the essay portion of either test, since none of the colleges I’m applying to require or recommend it and I don’t think it’s worth spending an additional $20 for something that I won’t need.
Yes I would retake either test again to improve score, especially since you said that you would be prepping this time around. Personally, I felt that the ACT was easier than the former, but that was when I took to old SAT out of 2400. That said… preparation techniques for the exams will differ. I find that ACT has much more of a time crunch so studying test taking strategy is crucial. You need to find a method that you are comfortable with, and confident that you will be able to answer all questions accurately and within time frame. I also felt that the material tested for ACT is more basic and analytical in comparison to SAT i.e) science is analyzing and interpreting graphs. Of course, it really depends on you on which exam you are ultimately comfortable with. Not sure? Just do both, it doesn’t hurt to have options!
My understanding is that with the ACT it helps to be fast at doing math problems. Since it’s your weaker subject then the SAT might be a better fit.
I would do the SAT in your case. Your english score is high, and math SAT isn’t too hard with some hard work. Best of luck.