Should I stop studying for the SAT and focus on the ACT? Thoughts?

Test Preparation
1

Hello all,

I am a junior in high school who has taken both the SAT and the ACT. I took the SAT for the first time in January and the ACT for the first time in December.

My PSAT score was disappointing, to say the least. I got a 181, but that was without any preparation. So, before taking the January SAT, I made sure I was adequately prepared: I had a CR tutor that I met with once a week for a month, worked on math sections a couple times a week, memorized words, etc. CR was definitely my weakest on both the PSAT and the SAT. My tutor was helpful and I was able to boost my CR score 40 points from my PSAT but I seem to really struggle on this section. I ended up getting a 1900 (670 M, 600 CR, 630 W and 9 on the essay.)

I personally thought the ACT that I took in December was quite difficult. Perhaps it was because I didn’t prepare at all–there were many trigonometry problems that we had not learned yet in my Precal class and I forgot many crucial formulas. I didn’t know any strategies for the ACT as people in my area tend to focus on the SAT more, so I overlooked the ACT. I was pretty unconfident about that test as a whole, but I ended up getting a 28 (29 English, 27 Math, 27 Science, 27 Reading, 8 on the essay.)

Recently, I got the Barron’s ACT book and have been working through it for the past couple of weeks and have really been enjoying it. We also just went over the trigonometry unit and I feel much more confident about the Math section. I’ve only gone through the English and Math section but my scores have drastically improved in each respectively. Just recently I took a practice test in each of those sections and both my English and Math scores raised to a 33.

With all this being said, I think the ACT is best for me. Simply going through the Barron’s ACT book and going over the basics of grammar and math has really helped my score thus far. I’m taking the mandatory ACT on March 3rd at my school and am hoping to get at least a 30. My end goal is to get a 32.

Like many students out there, I’m really busy with a hefty amount of school work and extracurriculars to do. Do you guys think it’s worth it for me to continue studying for the SAT alongside the ACT? I think CR takes a huge toll on my score on the SAT and overall I like the format of the ACT much better. Is it worth it to study the SAT intensely over the summer or will studying just the ACT be adequate enough? If you also have more tips for the ACT I would greatly appreciate anything. For college references, I would like to go to UCLA, UCSD, UNC-Chapel Hill, or USC. If you’re still reading this, thanks so much and also thank you if you choose to respond! :slight_smile:

2

Honestly, those are both goods scores for the first time. A 1900 is excellent for your first time taking the SAT. I think if you studied even more, you’d have a great shot at over a 2200, which would be competitive for the schools on your list. However, if you feel that the ACT is the best for you, then by all means go for it. Like I said above, your ACT score was great for the first time as well. You want to take both if you’re comfortable with them, but if not pick the one that suits you better. My advice to you would be to study hard for both of them, take them each again, and then see where you are. I think you have room to improve to a 34 on the ACT and 2200 on SAT. You’re a junior, so you still have time.

3

It never hurts to focus on both and pick which to send at the very end. While I definitely recommend sticking with the ACT, raising the SAT can have its benefits too. I had a 2020 for the longest time in May of my junior year and just took it again this December because a public school didn’t use the ACT for merit scholarships. I got it up to a 2130.

SO moral of the story: study for both and get them up as much as you can. You have plenty of time to pull your score up. So get it done while you can now. Once you hit senior year, you’ll have more things to do, apps to complete, essays to write. If you’re on a semi-comfortable position by the beginning of senior year, you can easily go up if you have to.

4

@southernbelle16 thank you! People in my area are ridiculously competitive and cry over a 2100 being terrible for their first time. What do you think a good studying plan is for me? In terms of the ACT, I’m going through the reading section of the Barron’s 36 currently and hope to finish the rest of the book in a bout two weeks. I plan to take 2-3 more practice tests before the March 3rd ACT so hopefully that combination will bring me up to at least a 30 for my second try. For the SAT, I don’t really know what else to do. I’ve gone through maybe 5-6 Blue Book tests. Should I take the SAT again in May or October?

@TheDidactic thank you so much as well! I just don’t know if I have time to study both. How were you able to get your score up to a 2130? Please pass along any tips! :slight_smile: I’m going to try to study for the SAT too and hope to get at least a 2000!

5

I used the Blue Book, Princeton Review SAT Power Vocab, PR SAT Power Math, Barrons SAT 2400, Barrons SAT Critical Reading Workbook, Grubers Complete SAT Critical Reading Workbook, and answered questions daily on SAT’s Question of the Day website.

I worked on math concepts, English concepts, and learned how to analyze the reading. Use what works for you, but remember the concepts and work on KNOWING vocabulary, not memorizing it.

6

@studying123 If you want more practice tests for the SAT, this book has a few. I purchased it, but have not gotten around to using it yet. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cracking-the-sat-premium-edition-with-8-practice-tests-2015-princeton-review/1117542077?ean=9780804124676&x=14131802

Now, I would also recommend to you the Elite 36 and 2400 by PR. I bought these and its harder problems for advanced students. It prepares you to go higher than the average SAT or ACT prep.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sat-elite-2400-princeton-review/1119740144?ean=9780804125536&x=14131802
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/act-elite-36-princeton-review/1119740145?ean=9780804125550&x=14131802

As for a study plan, I broke down each week of prep into sections.

SAT: Sunday - CR; Monday- Math; Tuesday - Writing; Wednesday - CR; Thursday - Math; Friday - Writing; Saturday - Practice Test. Once I finish a practice test, I review the problems I got right and the ones I got wrong. Specifically, I focused more on the ones I got wrong, but its a good idea to make sure you 100% understood the question, that it wasn’t a lucky guess.
ACT: Sunday - English; Monday - Math; Tuesday - Reading; Wednesday - Science; Thursday - Writing; Friday - General Overview (since its an extra day vs. the SAT which filled up a full week, I spend time on sections I need the most work with); Saturday - Practice Test.

I also compiled a test binder with old tests CB and the ACT have released, along with ones I received in books like CB’s Blue Book, The Real ACT Guide, etc. I keep old tests I have completed as well. I find that it truly helps to go back 4 weeks after a test to review it. You might have forgotten some problems. This seems like its a lot to some people, but it really isn’t. You just need to dedicate at least 30-45 minutes a day for it and you will see great improvement.

If you want the links to some spark notes, flashcards, etc. stuff like that I bought from Barnes and Noble and Amazon let me know!