With the approaching application deadlines, many of you wonder whether you should take the SAT, the ACT, or even both! It can be hard to determine which test is right for you as the results can easily affect your future direction. Don’t stress and continue reading to figure out more to help you find a solution to this complication.
Kim McCray, one of CF’s guidance counselors, noted, “The importance of preparing for the SAT or ACT before taking either of them is to ensure that the final score is a great representation of your academic abilities. It is important to prepare for an assessment that may affect your future endeavors.”
Both tests reflect students’ understanding of their high school curriculum by providing questions from different subjects. While very similar, there are many notable differences between the two tests.
The ACT
While many think the ACT (American College Testing) is significantly easier than the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), that is not always the case. The difficulty level comes down to the student’s preference and which subjects are the student’s strong suit.
The ACT, like the SAT, includes questions on reading, writing, and math. The ACT takes it a step forward by providing a science portion, as well as an optional essay component that can highlight a student’s writing abilities as well. The included science section of the test makes it a great choice for those looking to pursue a future in STEM fields. The ACT holds an emphasis on your ability to understand language in context as well as evaluating your language skills.
This test takes two hours and 44 minutes to complete and costs $63.00 without the writing portion and $88.00 with the writing portion.
Sophomore Gabriel Chestnut declared, “I’m planning to take the ACT next year because I’m pretty good at science, and I think that would be the best option for me.”
The scoring system for this test is made to give the student insight into their strengths and weaknesses which can help when trying to choose classes and can also help identify which areas need to be more heavily revised for improvement.
The SAT
The SAT is the most popular and widely used standardized test in America. That may be due to its deep engraving in our country with the first test produced by the college board going out in 1926. The test takes two hours and 14 minutes to complete and costs $60.00 to take. While the SAT is graded on a scale reaching up to 1600, the average score is usually around 1060 with most high school students.
Emily Waters, a senior, shared, “I chose to do the SAT because it had more subjects that I was confident in, and I thought that it would be easier than the ACT.”
The SAT is composed of a math portion and an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section as well. The SAT has been considered to be more of an aptitude test that includes only English, reading, and math, as it does not have a science section.
Whether you are taking either test or both, it is important to try your best and prepare yourself so you can succeed! Some of the most popular test review sites include College Board, Khan Academy, and The Princeton Review. Linked below are the following sites to help prepare for the tests. Good luck with exams this year, Panthers!
https://www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-selfguided-course
