SAT or ACT

Holidays are past us. Next is spring break. But before spring break some of us have children or should I say teenagers who are going to be taking the SAT's and/or the ACT's. I had someone share this with me this past week. I am not sure who wrote it, but if you know let me know. I will give credit where credit is due. Such a great way of seeing which test your child should be taking.  Once you figure out which one to take, if it is the SAT then check out some great SAT games and SAT writing helps.

Take the quiz below to find out which is best for you. 

After you take this very short quiz, scroll down for the answers.

1. Do you have an excellent vocabulary background?
2. Are you a true Science whiz?
3. Which test is longer?
4. How are your math skills?
5. Do you guess when you do not know the answer?
6. Are you good at deciphering trick questions?
7. Do you like to tackle one subject at a time?
8. Are you a good test taker?

          Good Luck!

 

              Answers:

1. If vocabulary is your thing, the SAT is for you.The ACT focuses on grammar, punctuation and syntax.
2. The ACT has a science section; the SAT does not. The ACT science score is calculated in the composite.
3. The SAT is longer by 20 minutes. The SAT is 3 hrs. and 45 minutes. The ACT (including the writing section) is 3 hrs. and 25 minutes. Remember the ACT writing is required by all State of Florida public universities.  
4. The ACT covers more advanced math (trigonometry) than the SAT. The ACT does not provide formulas; the SAT provides formulas in the test booklet.
5. The ACT does not penalize for the wrong answer (guessing is encouraged if you do not know the answer); the SAT penalizes a ¼ point for each wrong answer.
6. The ACT questions tend to be more straightforward; SAT questions tend to be harder to understand.
7. The SAT test tends to jump around; you do a little math, a little critical reading, etc. and move back and forth between content areas. The ACT tackles one subject area at a time.
8. Great test takers are great test takers, no matter which test they tackle.For students who are not great test takers, plan to take the test more than once. Many colleges and universities "super score" - taking the best sub scores from multiple test dates to create a new SAT total or ACT composite. Check with the colleges or universities regarding their policy.

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