<p>When I took the ACT, I achieved a composite score of 30 but when I took the SAT, I achieved a score of 1580. Why is there such a difference? Does this mean I'm not as smart as people who score higher on the SAT?</p>
<p>The two tests attempt to test your “smartness” in different ways. The SAT claims to aim more at how you can “reason” while the ACT leans more to testing how well you have “learned”. Most people will score in a closer range than this but others will not. All it means is that your brain works more like the ACT test writers’. There could also be other factors like you were not your best on the SAT because of sickness, tiredness, etc (although with a gap this big it is kind of odd).</p>
<p>By the way a 30 is about a 2000.</p>
<p>The vast majority of students score similar on both tests. But a % score much higher on one or the other. (IMO, they require different skill sets.) </p>
<p>But don’t worry about it. Submit your highest score and be happy.</p>
<p>Do not listen to this person! A 1500 is exactly average. It means that you are smarter than most americans (if you buy into SAT = smartness that is). This person has been making harassing posts everywhere so don’t listen to him.</p>
<p>imo, SAT = intelligence, if you don’t study for it with like 20+ practice tests</p>
<p>ACT = how well you can apply your knowledge</p>
<p>I beg to differ. I don’t think either the SAT or the ACT is an accurate measure of intelligence. Not to say that there isn’t a correlation between intelligence and high test scores, but it’s certainly not causation, as in, if you score a 2000+ on the SAT, you have a 140+ IQ or vice versa. It’s just a test. It doesn’t really prove much of anything, considering the concept of “intelligence” covers a lot of ground.</p>
<p>well, to be more specific, it tests intelligence if you don’t study for it with many practice tests AND have a firm knowledge of the concepts on the test. I mean, if you don’t know what proportionate means or some of the critical reading vocab is extremely vague or absolutely unknown to you or you just simply don’t know some basic rules of math, then you’re bound to get questions wrong easily. But still, the SAT does test logical reasoning and, in some cases, your working memory (which is what’s tested on an IQ test on easily over 50% of the material).</p>
<p>Still, you can say you have an high IQ, but, just to let you know, a perfect score is around 150-160 IQ and a 1400~ an average IQ, at least from what I’ve heard a lot</p>
<p>ACT is closer to what you learn in class and how well you have learned it while SAT is closer to a reasoning skills test. People who tend to do badly on SAT compared to their performance at school seem to always perform better. We have seen people having difficulty with SAT math do much better with ACT math. I know someone who scored 35 on ACT while barely crossing 2100.</p>
<p>^ I think that the math section does test logical reasoning, but the majority of the reading/writing section evaluates knowledge, thus not testing for intelligence – if, that is, you mean to say that intelligence is the ability to use logic/reasoning to make judgments, rather than basic knowledge …</p>
<p>In my opinion ACT correlates to high performance in school. SAT correlates to IQ (not saying that the ACT doesn’t necessarily). But high SAT != high IQ.</p>
<p>And you just proved my point to a degree by saying 150-160 IQ = 2400 SAT. Like I said – yes, people who have high IQs tend to get “2300+s” on the SAT. This is not the only factor.</p>
<p>Ha-ha, there are holes in my argument.</p>