<p>The ACT and SAT use somewhat different approaches and these different approaches will favor different groups of students. The SAT, for example, allows more time per question but is less likely to ask you those questions in a straight-forward manner. If you’re a careful, reflective type, the SAT may play to your strengths. If you’re a kid who has trouble with simple questions asked in a convoluted way, then the ACT might be best. The math is far easier on the SAT, but the ACT is better if you’re not a quick writer, because your writing score is separate and does not affect your composite.</p>
<p>Statistically, it’s easier to get a generic 36 ACT than a 2400 SAT, but that’s largely because the ACT rounds up from 35.5, which gives one a lot of various ways to make 2-3 mistakes and still get the maximum composite. For example, you can make a single math mistake and still get a 36 ACT composite, but not a 2400 SAT. </p>
<p>I wonder, however, if ACT is taking steps to make it tougher to max out their composite. The number of 36’s has risen over the last few years from 220 to 300 to 400 to 600 (some of this is due to the large increase in test-takers to 1.5 million). I noted that when my younger son took the ACT this June, he had a ringer question in the math section that required one to know how to use synthetic division to pull the last two imaginary roots. Certainly, my older son never saw such questions, nor have I ever seen such a question in a test-prep book. I would not be surprised if ACT is playing with just one or two extra-hard questions on the total test to push “marginal” 36ers down to 35 and offset the rise that might be due to test-prep classes and repeated test-takers.</p>