With over 2.2 million people having taken the SAT this year and over 1.9 million students having given the ACT last year, both these standardised tests are becoming increasingly popular and recognised in colleges across the world.
When it comes to the SAT and the ACT tests, both are designed to measure the readiness of a high-school student to begin college courses. The ACT and the SAT include core sections on Reading, Writing, Math, and an optional essay section. Although these exams are similar in nature and question style for the most part, they are also diametrically different depending on what kind of test taker you are.
While both tests are designed to measure what you learned in high school, the SAT is a better indicator of skills you’ll actually need to succeed in college and your career. Rather than focusing on how well you can recall information, the SAT tests your application. This is one of the reasons why you’ll find basic math formulas provided in your SAT booklet while the ACT expects you to pull them from memory.
If you aren’t good at justifying your answers and more comfortable with calculator math, then giving the ACT is a better option for you. If you plan on pursuing science as a career and entering any science college, giving the ACT allows you to showcase your excellence in science (although it really just checks your ability to read graphs and data).
The Reading section of the SAT requires more reading in between the lines and has answer choices that are maddeningly similar. On the contrary, the ACT generally tends to have more straightforward Reading questions, but less time to solve them. In the SAT you get 75 seconds per question, while the ACT gives you 52 seconds per question. So, if you struggle with SAT reading but have good time management skills, taking the ACT has the potential to fetch you a higher score.
On the question of which test is ‘harder’, the answer is vague. In 2018, the ACT average score was 20.8 while the SAT average score was 1068. On a conversion scale, 20.8 in the ACT is a 1050-1060 on the SAT scale. This means that both are almost exactly as challenging, but in 2018 the ACT was just a little harder, as the average score was lower. Using score averages as a means of determining the difficulty level of the SAT and ACT is rather futile however, because the score scaling varies annually; so the year that you give the test a 20.8 on the ACT could be a 1090 on the SAT.
If you are still confused over which test to take the best option would be to take diagnostic tests online. While a paid test offers more personalised reports on which test you are suited to, sitting down and taking around 3-4 free (authentic) tests, can also help you in making a choice.
Ultimately, achieving a perfect score on standardised tests like the SAT and ACT is achievable for the simple reason that practice makes perfect. Standardised exams largely test your test taking abilities. This means that if you tirelessly practice the art of taking the test, a 1600 or 36 is within your reach.