SAT vs ACT: putting the tests to the test
Sydney Roker, Staff Writer
Now that freshman and sophomore Samo students have taken their first PSATs, and juniors and seniors have taken the school offered PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, respectively, talk of standardized testing among students is growing. Although an increasing number of colleges are becoming test optional, many students still plan to take either the SAT or ACT and may be wondering which test is better for them.
The SAT, which has a perfect score of 1600, contains four sections: a 65 minute reading section with 52 questions, a 35 minute writing and language section with 44 questions, and two math sections, one 25 minute section with no calculators and 20 questions and one 55 minute section allowing calculators with 38 questions. The ACT, which has a perfect score of 36, contains either four or five sections, depending on whether one chooses to take the ACT writing test, which gives 45 minutes to write one essay. The other four ACT sections include a 45 minute English section with 75 questions, a 35 minute reading section with 40 questions, and, a 35 minute science section with 40 questions and only one 60 minute, 60 question math section that allows students to access their calculators the entire time.
Despite the differences in content between the SAT and ACT tests, both are almost the exact same length in time. And although the tests have different maximum scores, they are both graded similarly in that you do not lose points for incorrect answers. Historically, the SAT and ACT have been curved in response to the results of the test, but only to correct for minor fluctuations in the difficulty of the test.
So which test is better to take? Because all colleges in the US accept both the SAT and the ACT, it can be hard for students to choose. If a student’s strengths lie more in science, and they feel comfortable comprehending scientific data, graphs and hypotheses, the ACT might be the way to go. The ACT sections are also faster paced, as there is about a minute to answer each math question. On the other hand, the SAT allows 75 seconds per question in the no calculator section, and 85 seconds per question in the calculator section. Additionally, the reading section on the SAT goes in chronological order of the passage they refer to and gives more time to answer each question, but is known to be harder to comprehend than the ACT reading questions.
Samo college counselor Ernesto Flores touches on the ways that the timing of the two tests differ.
“I still feel that the SAT’s time structure can be a problem for students that struggle with timing because some of their sections are very short, so when asked who would benefit, maybe more students would from the ACT because of timing,” Flores said.
Another difference that Flores brings up is the difficulty level of the math sections.
“For example, the ACT has, I want to say, about 10 percent pre-calc/trig and 4 percent statistics, which for some students, they may not be at that level of math yet when they are rushing to take exams,” Flores said.
Overall, it is up to each individual student to know their strengths and weaknesses, and base which test they take accordingly.
