Hello! I am a rising high school senior, and I took the January 2017 SAT and a state-funded ACT in March. My original plan was to retake which one I did better on, but they’re essentially the same score, so I’m not sure which to retake.
SAT: 1260 (580 M, 680 R&W)
ACT: 26 (26 M, 26 E, 26 S, 24 R)
For the SAT, I used Khan Academy and took 2 practice tests to prepare, and I started prepping really late (2 weeks before the test). I left a lot of questions blank on the math section due to running out of time, and I really didn’t understand the questions at all. The writing section was pretty easy, and the reading wasn’t terrible, but the ACT reading was easier. I originally planned on only taking the SAT because I was afraid of the time limits on the ACT
On the ACT, the math section was a LOT easier, and I actually knew what I was doing for the majority of it. The test was overall easier than the SAT, but I feel like my score should have been higher, due to how good I felt on most of the test. The time limits weren’t an issue, I only left 1 question blank. I took a free ACT Prep class at my school (7 classes/ 30 mins each), and took one practice test and reviewed it. I feel like I studied less for the ACT than the ACT.
Which ever one I retake, my goal scores would be 1400 and 30.
Thank you!
I think your problem with the SAT is that you left things blank- never, never do that. You do NOT get points off for wrong answers, so if you’re crunched for time again, just bubble in anything, anything at all. You’ll have more of a chance of getting something right than if you answer nothing. Your question depends largely on how quickly you think. If you can do more simple questions very quickly, do the ACT. If you can tackle slightly harder problems with more time, go for SAT.