SAT vs. ACT: A Quick Comparison

by Tammy Moscrip

Students frequently inquire whether they should take the SAT or the ACT, if they need to take SAT IIs, and if they should plan on taking any/all of these exams more than once. As such, a basic description of the structure and strategy for each test is provided:

In general, the SAT I (the “SAT Reasoning Test”) is a 3 hr 45 minute test that begins with a 25-minute, 2 page written essay and is followed by 9 sections of multiple choice and student-produced responses that cover three main areas: writing, critical reading and math. The test is typically offered 7 times a year, and for 2009 it is scheduled on the following Saturdays: 1/24/09, 3/14/09, 5/2/09, 6/6/09, 10/10/09, 11/7/09, 12/5/09. Registration for the exam, however, typically occurs about a month and half prior to the test date, so be sure to register early for your preferred testing session (www.collegeboard.com). Furthermore, for those students wishing to apply for accommodations, such as time and a half due to learning difference issues, be sure to give yourself a few months of lead time to submit the necessary paperwork to and get feedback from the College Board.

The scoring of the SAT is as follows: students can receive a maximum score of 2400: 800 points for each of the main testing areas. The essay is scored from 0 – 6, and students will receive a score that reflects the results of two scorers (i.e., a score ranging from 0 – 12). The multiple choice is scored such that students earn 1 point for each correct response, 0 points for skipped responses and minus 0.25 points for each incorrect response. There are various strategies suggested, but in general, random guessing might not improve your score, and neither will skipping an abundance of questions. As such it is highly recommended you go into the test as prepared as possible and, whenever feasible, rule out incorrect choices to increase your odds of a correct answer. Furthermore, the student-produced response section of the SAT math (fill-ins) is scored slightly differently: 1 point for each correct response, 0 points for skipped and incorrect responses, so guessing is encouraged. In general, the writing section consists of a 2-page written essay, as well as multiple-choice sections that assess grammar, usage and word choice.

The SAT critical reading sections consist of sentence completions (emphasis on vocabulary) and short and long critical reading passages with comprehension, analysis and inference questions. Finally, the math section permits calculator use* and consists of basic algebra, geometry and algebra II skills. The test booklet provides some basic formulas, but it is recommended that you understand these and additional formulas in order to maximize efficiency. In general, the questions within a section tend to increase in difficulty as one proceeds through the exam. As such, think of completing earlier problems quickly and accurately, so that you can accumulate time to use on the latter questions, which may require more conceptual reasoning and/or calculations. Another important consideration: as of the March 14, 2009 test date, College Board announced that students can choose which test date’s results to send to colleges. However, keep in mind that some colleges might require a full history of SAT test-taking attempts, so be sure to go into a test as prepared as possible and check with your school of interest if you have any questions.

The SAT IIs, on the other hand, are subject-based exams that are an hour each of multiple choice questions covering the main subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, literature, math (levels 1 and 2), U.S. history, World history and various foreign languages. Scoring is like that of the SAT I (1 point per correct answer; 0 points for skipped questions; minus 0.25 points for incorrect responses; maximum score is 800). Students can take up to 3 SAT II exams on a single SAT test date, but they cannot plan to take an SAT I exam AND SAT II exams on the same day, so planning is essential. Furthermore, it is typically recommended that students plan early and take an SAT II subject exam as soon as possible after taking the course (or in the case of languages, accumulating at least 2 years of study beforehand). Not all schools require SAT II subject exams, so it is recommended that you do your research into the admissions requirements for your schools of interest. Some schools may even accept the ACT in lieu of SAT IIs, so this is another important consideration.

The ACTs consist of approximately a 3 hr and 25 minute exam that has four main sections, in addition to an optional essay. The ACTs consist of multiple-choice responses in the areas of English, math, reading comprehension and science. The optional essay is the final component and is allocated 30 minutes. The test is typically offered 6 times a year, approximately 1-2 weeks after an SAT test date. For 2009, the ACT test dates are: 2/7/09, 4/4/09, 6/13/09, 10/24/09, 12/12/09. Registration for the exam typically occurs about a month in advance of a test date, and again, necessary accommodations should be sought early (www.act.org). Students receive one point for each correct response on the ACT multiple-choice section and the scores can range from 1-36 for each of the four sections. Since there is no penalty for incorrect responses, students should always answer EVERY question. The essay is scored similarly to that of the SAT essay section (minimum = 0, maximum = 12 for two scorers). In general, the English section consists of multiple-choice questions about passages where grammar, usage and context are important. The ACT math section permits calculator use* and consists of multiple-choice questions, which assess basic algebra, geometry, algebra II and trigonometry concepts. The questions and concepts tend to increase in difficulty as you proceed through the math section. The test booklet does not provide formulas, so be prepared to have these memorized beforehand. The reading section consists of four passage-based readings from prose fiction, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. Lastly, the science section, which is misunderstood by many, is really most akin to reading comprehension, science-style. Charts, graphs and descriptions of experiments are provided and students must respond to multiple-choice questions by reading, interpreting and integrating the presented information. Having a strong science background is helpful, but not essential, and the sciences covered range from the earth sciences to biology, chemistry and physics. Please note that calculator use is not permitted on the science section. Students can choose which ACT test date to send to schools, so students may take the exam two, three or more times and can then select the scores they wish colleges to see.

Curious how your SAT scores compare to you ACT scores? Check out the following chart of approximate conversions:

* Important Note:

The following types of calculators are prohibited on test day:

Calculators with built-in computer algebra systems such as:

Texas Instruments: All model numbers that begin with TI-89 or TI-92 and the TI-Nspire CAS—Note: The TI-Nspire (non-CAS) is permitted.

Hewlett-Packard: HP 48GII and all model numbers that begin with HP 40G, HP 49G, or HP 50G

Casio: Algebra fx 2.0, ClassPad 300 and ClassPad 330, and all model numbers that begin with CFX-9970G

handheld, tablet, or laptop computers, including PDAs

electronic writing pads or pen-input devices—Note: The Sharp EL 9600 is permitted.

calculators built into cell phones or any other electronic communication devices

calculators with a typewriter keypad (letter keys in QWERTY format)—Note: Letter keys not in QWERTY format are permitted.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 8th, 2009 at 11:02 am and is filed under ACT Prep, SAT SATII AP Prep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.