United States colleges and universities require a standardized test known as the SAT or the ACT. Though some schools do not require the test post-covid and it is important to know if your dream school does require it. There is a difference between the two tests and you will want to take the one that you are more likely to succeed in.

The SAT has two components: math and critical reading and writing.

For high school students hoping to attend college, standardized testing is a necessary evil. It’s expensive, it’s stressful, and for many kids — especially struggling students and English Language Learners — it can be a major roadblock to their future success. And if you think the tests are hard now, they used to be even worse: decades ago, they were much longer and often required an essay or short story as part of the admissions process. In fact, those who remember taking SATs will recall that the test was divided into two components: critical reading and writing (CRW) and math. While today’s SAT has added an optional essay question that measures how well test-takers analyze a persuasive argument based on provided information such as charts, graphs, or passages from literature or social science texts, the structure of the exam has remained largely unchanged since 2005 — which is remarkable considering how often college admissions tests have been redesigned in recent years.

By contrast, the ACT exam has undergone drastic changes: in addition to adding writing questions to its standard English section (the equivalent of CRW), the ACT added a Science section in 2015 that uses data presented through tables and graphs to measure critical thinking skills rather than scientific knowledge. Today’s ACT also includes more challenging content than ever before — like trigonometry questions — making it even more difficult for most high school students to get a perfect score on both exams. The result? More competition among applicants as universities become increasingly selective about who they admit each year.

The ACT is multifaceted and also has science.

At this point, you may be wondering what the difference is between the ACT and SAT, not to mention why there are two different tests. First, let’s look at a few basic differences between the two:

• The ACT is more multifaceted; it has an entire science section while the SAT does not test science knowledge.
• The SAT is single-minded in its focus on test-taking skills; there is no foreign language or science testing on the exam, but on the ACT there are sections for science reasoning and reading comprehension of passages written in languages other than English.
• The ACT focuses more on how well one can think through concepts. It includes more open-ended questions that require insight and analysis as opposed to simple information recall.

Qualified applicants are not limited by their scores.

If you’re an excellent student and are knowledgeable in your intended field of study, you shouldn’t be too worried about your ACT or SAT score. Colleges will take a look at your entire application—test scores are just one part of that, so if the other parts are strong enough, your chances of acceptance aren’t terrible. The most important thing to remember is that colleges want well-rounded students who can succeed both inside and outside class. They know that students who join clubs or participate in extracurricular activities often do better in their studies than those who don’t.

So if you’re a high school student stressing over standardized testing, don’t let it get the best of you! Your credentials as a whole speak more loudly than a single number on an exam might imply.

Test scores can be sent directly to schools or directly to you, depending on the school’s preference.

Your ACT test scores can be delivered directly to your high school and any colleges you choose, but they cannot be delivered directly to you. If this is a concern, you should talk to your high school guidance counselor or the admissions office at the colleges you’re applying to in order to find out exactly how your test scores will be delivered.

SCORES AVAILABLE FOR A FEE

SAT:
Test takers can request their SAT test scores for $12 per score report (not including additional processing fees). You’ll want to make sure that the schools you select are still open; if not, plan on requesting the score by phone or mail instead. Scores can only be sent directly from College Board once every two weeks. Click here for more information on how to send your SAT score reports.

ACT:
Test takers can request ACT test reports for $16 per report (not including additional processing fees). You’ll want to make sure that the schools you select are still open; if not, plan on requesting the score by phone or mail instead. Scores can only be sent directly from ACT once every three months. Click here for more information on how to send your ACT score reports.

The “perfect” score is a matter of some debate. The College Board, which administers the SAT, points out that there are different kinds of smarts, and the test rewards certain high-level skills.
It’s also not clear that colleges care very much about perfect scores anymore. Colleges use test scores for placement purposes too, so if you aren’t sure what to take the first year, don’t worry about it – you will be placed into a course where your performance will be monitored and adjusted if necessary before each semester starts.

It is important to know yourself when deciding which standardized test to take; some people will do better on one than the other, and some may just need more time to prepare or want a second go at it after they finish high school and have more resources at their disposal.
Ask yourself:

• Which test do I want to take?
• How much time do I have to prepare?
• What kind of resources are available to me?

If you can’t decide, try taking a practice test for each. You may find that one tests better than the other. Or, if you don’t need to decide right now, consider which test is taken more often at the universities you like best and start preparing for that one. For example, the SAT is used by many more colleges than the ACT; plus, it has four sections rather than five. However, some people will prefer the ACT because it does not penalize for wrong answers and has a reading comprehension section that takes less time per question than its equivalent on the SAT (the SAT has a high density of reading questions). The best advice might be to take both tests in your junior year and see how it goes—you can always take them again senior year!

Check with the colleges that you are interested in attending to see how they prefer your scores reported; some simply prefer one test over another because more of their applicants take the other one.

In regards to the question of which test you should take, the answer will depend on a few factors. First, does your college(s) of interest prefer one over the other? Check with the colleges that you are interested in attending to see how they prefer your scores reported; some simply prefer one test over another because more of their applicants take the other one.

Next, consider which test is better for your strengths and interests. For example, if you’re a history buff or an avid reader and enjoy writing essays, the ACT may be more up your alley because it tests these skills. On the other hand, if you’re better at solving math problems without much time pressure and have experience with taking standardized tests, then the SAT may be right for you. For more information, you can read about both tests here.

ASM offers a tutoring option for its athletes. Interested? Reach out to us here.

How do your scores affect your scholarships? Watch below.