What's the Difference?

The ACT was traditionally required by colleges in the mid-west, and the SAT was the test of choice in the northeast and on the east and west coasts. But now an increasing number of students are taking the ACT, and the majority of schools in the United States now accept both SAT or ACT test results. Here are some of the factors that make the SAT and ACT very different breeds:

• The ACT includes a science reasoning test; the SAT does not.
• The ACT math section includes trigonometry; the SAT does not.
• The SAT tests vocabulary much more than the ACT.
• The SAT is not entirely multiple choice.
• The SAT has a guessing penalty; the ACT does not.
• The ACT tests English grammar; the SAT does not.
• The SAT has an experimental section; the ACT does not.

Admissions officers and educators often describe the difference between SAT and ACT in these terms: the ACT is a content-based test, where-as the SAT tests critical thinking and problem solving.

Depending on your particular strengths and weaknesses, you may perform much better on one test than the other. As a result, many students embarking on the admissions process are now considering both the SAT and ACT - to figure out which test provides a better showcase for their abilities.