Should I take the SATs or ACTs?

I am a freshman and wanted to know whether I should take the SATs or ACTs. I wanted to know what the difference was and how to know which test is right for me, and why more people take the SATs than ACTs. Thank you!

Hey @Ritvik312 , it really depends on the person. What might be the best option is to sit down and take a practice test for both tests (you can find them online) and then see which test you do better on and which test you felt more comfortable taking. Then focus on prepping for that test.

Some of the differences include:

  • SAT has a math no calculator section (whereas the ACT allows calculators for all of the math section)
  • The ACT has a science section. The SAT does not (although some passages may include scientific passages to read)

If you’re not great at math, the ACT could be better. But the ACT also has more questions in less time, so if time is an issue for you, the SAT could be a better bet.

Hope that helps!

My son took both and ended up sending ACT scores to colleges.

I second the suggestion of taking practice tests to see how you do and pick one that way. You have time, plan to take them in 11th grade. You can either be done, or have time in fall of 12th grade for retaking.

Also, look at your courses and consider when to take SAT subject tests and/or AP exams. Sometimes one can spread them out. If you are a strong math student, Math 2 is recommended after pre-calculus, so that is variable depending on your math classes.

I’d recommend to take both of them during your junior year and then judge for yourself. Also when you begin looking at colleges, consider what they’re requirements are for ACT/SAT. Look to see if you need writing scores, SAT subject tests, etc.