SAT and ACT Essay

In general both SAT and ACT are the sets of tests aiming to check up the results after the first year in college and to get a common yardstick to use in comparing students from different academic backgrounds.  Having same role in the admission process these two tests differ in their background and their structure.

 Traditionally the SAT was taken in the colleges of the Northeast, East and the West coasts. The ACTs were taken in the schools and colleges of the mid-west. But ACT tests became more widespread some time ago and most colleges accept both test results now. It’s considered that the SAT tests are preferred in private schools and some colleges and ACTs are usually taken in public schools and most of the colleges. But there are exceptions and the system can be different for every state, and for each school or college.

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The ACT is based more on the school curriculum while the SAT relies on the common knowledge in different subjects. The questions in the SAT tests can be tricky sometimes and contain variants, which can distract your attention. The ACTs are more straight forward and they usually don’t have these tricky questions. In most of the states the SATs are taken seven times per year and the ACTs are taken six times. To take the SAT test you should register at least six weeks before the test and for the ACT you can register at least one month before the test.

These tests have same goal, but they are quite different in their structure. The ACT is traditionally described as a content-based test, which specifies the accurate answers on the concrete questions.  At the same time SAT is commonly regarded as a test, which needs critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. It’s considered to require more creative abilities also. In fact this division is not quite correct as a lot of tasks in the ACT tests also demand critical thinking or problem solving and there are many tasks in the SAT which are based on the content. But still, these tests rely on different abilities and it is good that most of the student can choose the type of the test they prefer to show better results and their abilities.

There are several points that differ these tests.  The SAT test consists of verbal, math and experimental sections. And the ACT test consists of English, math, reading, science reasoning and experimental sections. The SAT contains questions on both – algebra and geometry and ACT has only four questions on trigonometry and the rest is algebra. The ACT includes a science reasoning test, while the SAT does not. The SAT tests require better vocabulary than the ACT, and ACT, on the other side, emphasizes grammar.

In the SAT questions are placed in the order of difficulty level and I think it helps to concentrate on the test when you pass from the easier tasks to more difficult ones. In ACT the questions don’t have any order of difficulty and it can distract attention sometimes when simple things seem difficult and vice versa. But ACT tests perform the score choice which gives you the opportunity to choose the level most appropriate for you and SAT doesn’t provide this choice. The SAT has penalty for the wrong answers, which can be a distracter sometimes and the ACT doesn’t.

The ACT tests are more straightforward and can benefit students who don’t like tests. But at the same time, the limitation in time is very serious challenge for students who don’t like to work under the pressure and need more time for thinking that the rest of students.

Nowadays, there is a tendency to add SAT II Subject Tests to SAT I Reasoning Tests which means that you may be asked to take up to three SAT II test in addition to SAT I. That would take much more time and effort than the ACT test. There is only one ACT test without additional tests and variations.  But it’s obligatory that you will be asked to take additional SAT II tests as there are a lot of schools and colleges which are satisfied with SAT I results only.  And there are also a number of colleges, which would require you to take SAT II in addition to the ACT tests.

 For students who are faced with the choice of the test it’s better to choose in advance the college they are going to apply to and then focus on the type of test, which is required in this very college. One should also keep in mind his strong and week points to choose the test which is more appropriate for his way of thinking and his abilities. Taking both tests and comparing their results would be a very nice move to take in order to find out which test is giving you the most flattering results. Of course, good test results cannot be achieved without careful preparation. The student should know the structure and style of the tests, and be prepared to pass them successfully.

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