The question that many often debate over is which one to take. SAT or ACT? Which test is going to help me to get into my dream school. Here is a peak into both the tests to help you decide which one to take.
Both SAT and ACT are standardized tests for admission to undergraduate studies and most universities accept either. The SAT measures reasoning and logical skills whereas ACT is a curriculum based test that measures student's knowledge of subject matter covered in high school. The SAT scores each section on a scale of 200-800 with 2400 being the highest score. Each section of the ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. The SAT is better suited to the student with strong deductive reasoning capabilities.
The SAT has three sections:Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing. The ACT contains four sections:English,Mathematics,Reading and Science, with fifth optional writing essay. The Science section measures ability to access scientific charts and tables, research, and conflicting scientific viewpoints. Both the SAT and ACT include an essay, but the key difference is that the essay on the SAT is mandatory while the ACT essay is optional. So, if writing is a weak area, you might want to take the ACT and skip the writing section, since it's optional (although some schools require it). If writing is your strength, having extra kudos passed on to your choice schools may benefit you.
The ACT contains only multiple choice
questions whereas SAT requires student
to produce answers to mathematical questions in addition to
multiple choice questions.
The level of difficulty remains fairly constant on the
ACT whereas questions on the
SAT become more difficult as the test
progresses.
In ACT, there is no penalty for wrong answer whereas SAT test takers are penalized for wrong answers.
So the decision to take ACT or SAT may be determined by the admission criteria laid out by your school of choice. If the school has not laid down any specific criteria, then you may chose the test based on which test format is better suited to your strengths.
