<p>Which test would be better for my son? The ACT or SAT? He's very weak in math (hates it) and an average student in everything else. He does enjoy history and English (he's in AP). Is either test more "math friendly"?</p>
<p>Have your son take the ACT first. I think that the ACT math questions are a little more straightforward, but a bigger advantage is simply in the way the scores are reported -- instead of simple math vs. verbal, you get a composite score that also breaks things down into:</p>
<p>English
Math
Reading
Science </p>
<p>Plus, with writing test, a combined English/Writing score.</p>
<p>So lets say that the kid does well in all areas but math - he ends up with a strong composite plus a breakdown of 5 separate types of scores, with only one of them being weak. So the picture it conveys is stronger. Some colleges may negate this benefit by what they do with the data, but I do think that in the ACT environment, a poor math score hurts less than with SATs.</p>
<p>We found the ACT a better fit for our student.</p>
<p>Try both to give the best chance</p>
<p>The advantage of the ACT is that one can retake it and send only the best score, the other score(s) are not seen by the college. When taking it make sure not to have the score sent automatically to a college.</p>