I’ve heard the SAT and ACT are relatively similar in that they measure your critical thinking ability and aptitude for college-level work. However, I was wondering if studying for one test - for example, the SAT - is supplemental to succeed on the other. Are they similar enough so that studying for one test could possibly improve your score on both tests? Is it possible to develop the skills necessary for one of the tests AS WELL AS the skills necessary for the other?
There are two parts to prepping for standardized testing: the content and the techniques. Although they cover more or less the same material, the SAT and the ACT have very different approaches. So, studying for one will help you on the other only to the extent that it helps with content. For the people I know, one test format has suited better than the other, so I encourage you to give each a proper practice test (timed/test conditions) and see which suits you better, then practice for that one.
@collegemom3717 So, when I find the one that I prefer, should I purely concentrate on that one? It won’t make a difference if I just study for the SAT, and not for the ACT, right? I will take the practice tests for both of course!
Take a practice test of each test. If your score is much better in one over the other stick with that one.
Colleges will take either one.
I took an ACT practice test just for the heck of it, and I got a 27 on my Math, which was a 4 point increase from the last time I took an ACT practice test.
All I have been doing was prepping for the SAT. Not a single time did I open my ACT book to study.