<p>I would love some advice as to which test my son should study for based on the following information:</p>
<p>My son took the PSAT--scores were lower than expected: 43CR 34th percentile, 61Math 83rd percentile, 46Writing 53rd percentile. He is a good student with 3.8 overall GPA (and rising--was 4.0 first semester while taking AP chem, Physics, Math 4, and AP lang).</p>
<p>He took a practice test of the ACT at home which resulted in scores from 25-27 in the various areas, but all are in the 79-84th percentile.</p>
<p>all of these scores are without studying. I know studying and practice will raise scores, but since he is already scoring (from a percentile perspective) significantly higher on the ACT for the non math stuff, should he focus on that test?</p>
<p>I have read that the SAT is a test where it is easier to boost your score significantly. But we live in a state that requires the ACT in junior year. Should he just study for that test and take that one since it is required any way?</p>
<p>He is really good at math and science and is weaker in critical reasoning/reading comprehension. I do think that the perhaps the way some of the SAT questions are phrased may have "tricked" him. I don't think he will have time to effectively study for both so where should he focus his efforts?</p>
<p>He is not an avid reader so vocabulary is not his strength at this time.</p>
<p>Was the ACT practice test a real test (i.e., one made by the ACT, Inc. and not by a test prep company)? If so, I would definitely suggest going the ACT route, especially since he is going to have to take it anyway.</p>
<p>SAT = More a test about one’s innate test-taking abilities.</p>
<p>ACT = More knowledge based that is acquired through schooling.</p>
<p>I’d say ACT, as vocabulary sections aren’t incorporated into the reading and writing portions of the exam. The math is a little more on his level, and the questions are legitimate math, instead of logic.</p>
<p>thanks for the feedback. I think it is an official ACT test book, but will double check. I know when I bought it a year or so ago for my daughter, it was one that was highly recommended on here.</p>
<p>He is taking a practice test now, so cannot access the book at the moment.</p>
<p>Your son had most difficulty on CR and WR on the SAT… same with me. But on the ACT’s english and reading scores i had top percentile grades. Go with the ACT!!</p>
<p>I’d probably have him take the ACT, but as long as it’s financially viable, I wouldn’t rule out taking both at some point because you never know how he’ll do on the real thing</p>
<p>I’m a senior now and have taken both. The ACT was more straightforward but also more time constrained. The Reading and English sections were easier in my opinion compared to the SAT.</p>
<p>However, as others have said, it’s a good idea to take both and see which one has a higher score. Then take the higher one again for a even better score… is the advice that was given to me, though I ended up taking both again ^^'</p>
<p>Well, I’m still a junior, but I took both and got similar scores on both(2060 SAT, 31(~2100) ACT), but I did better on the English section of the ACT(560 on SAT, 29 on ACT), so if the grammar is his problem, take the ACT. The ACT grammar is a lot more…I dunno, recognizable? The SAT grammar is so like…you have to study for it, I think. I didn’t prepare for either test at all, really.</p>
<p>i would say to take the ACT. i took the SAT and didn’t do that amazing on it (1900), but i took the ACT and got a 32 due to the science section.</p>
<p>if your son is strong in science, i would recommend the ACT.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t pay too much attention to percentiles. sure, percentiles correlate with scaled scores, but it just makes interpreting the scores even more confusion. use this concordance table, [ACT-SAT</a> Concordance](<a href=“http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/]ACT-SAT”>The ACT Test for Students | ACT).</p>
<p>i’d be really careful comparing a test taken at home to an official test–in this case the PSAT. performance levels can be very different at home for many reasons.</p>
<p>at the end of the day, the exams are very similar–and the skills that need to be developed are nearly identical. just pick a test and study for it.</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong or strange about only taking the ACT. If that is the test that your son does better (and from what you report, it probably is), just have him take the ACT. All colleges except either.</p>
<p>The Princeton Review offers a test called the PRA. It has a sampling of questions in each section from both the SAT and ACT. They provide the scores to you after and grade an essay.</p>
<p>My son’s scores from this were similar to what we saw before. He did much better on the ACT than the SAT across all areas. And, the section he did best in, science, is not offered on the SAT at all.</p>
<p>So now we know which one he will study for. I do think this PRA test by Princeton Review is really useful. You can do it at home (they mail it to you) or go to their office and take it for free.</p>