ACT vs. SAT: FAQs Answered with Our Director of Standardized Testing
How do you know if your child should take the ACT or the SAT? Which is better? What do colleges want to see? Does your student even have to take either test this year?
Our expert Ivy Link tutors, including our Director of Standardized Testing, Cory Bragar, field the same questions time and time again about the SAT and ACT. According to Cory, these tests are completely equal in the eyes of a college admissions officer. That being said, you may live in an area where it seems like every student is taking one test, or you may have a preconceived notion of one test being more accessible than the other.
Here are some key points to know about your child’s best options when it comes to standardized testing:
How can a student decide which test to take?
A huge mistake lots of students make is never familiarizing themselves with both tests. Both tests exist for a reason. Though colleges do weigh them equally, the structure, content, and timing of the tests are different enough that a student should take both an SAT and an ACT diagnostic test before coming up with a plan of study for either one. At Ivy Link, every new student goes through this process, and if the scores are similar, we go through a number of other factors that determine which test your student could be most successful with.
What are the differences between the SAT and the ACT?
The ACT is more time-pressured than the SAT, so students who struggle with time management may have a more difficult time with it. However, the SAT does contain more overall reading, even in the Math section, so students who struggle with reading may not be able to focus as well. The SAT questions also often contain more complex wording than those on the ACT, and they place more of an emphasis on vocabulary.
Algebra 2 is very prominent in the SAT math section, while on the ACT there are more topics broached but in less detail. This makes the ACT slightly more teachable than the SAT for a student that doesn’t feel completely comfortable with math in general. The ACT also allows the use of a calculator on all sections, while the SAT has a No-Calculator math section.
How important is practice for both of these tests? And how long should a student practice for?
Practice is the most important part of preparing for a standardized test of any kind. Cory recommends 10 full-length, proctored practice tests before a student takes either the SAT or ACT, and another 4-6 if and before they retake it. The recommended amount of time to leave for studying and practice is 6-10 months.
For more tips on studying, read our post about staying test-ready during Covid.
Why should students still take these tests, even while a lot of schools have gone test-optional this year?
Test-optional does not mean test-blind, says Cory. If you want to be seen as a competitive applicant, particularly when applying to a competitive college, you should be sending test scores. Cory encourages this year’s applicants to think of the SAT and ACT as akin to AP tests or extracurriculars. Those have never been a mandatory part of an application, but they’re still expected as part of a competitive student’s profile.
What’s the most important thing parents and students should understand about these tests?
The most common mistake people make every single year is completely avoiding one kind of test without getting to know it at all. Cory can’t recommend enough that students take a diagnostic of both tests to determine which they feel more comfortable with, because eliminating one without doing so may actually put that student at a major disadvantage.
To schedule a diagnostic test today for your student, and get started as soon as possible with a personalized standardized testing plan, reach out to a member of the Ivy Link team here.
