Friday, November 2, 2012

SAT vs. ACT

I typically tell my students that the SAT and ACT are like Coke and Pepsi. In other words, they are two different brands that serve the same market. Both tests are crucial to the college admissions process. Their function there is in essence to level the playing field for students who might attend different high schools. GPA, the other most crucial factor to admissions, really only tells a person how an individual did within a given high school. After all, the approach a teacher at school A takes to a given subject might be vastly different than the approach of the teacher of the same subject at school B and those differences can affect grades. The SAT and ACT though are standardized across the globe so the comparison of students with the tests is much clearer.

Beyond their purpose, the tests have some pretty significant differences. The SAT (collegeboard.org) generally focuses more on critical reasoning and thinking. It is comprised of three sections of critical reading, three sections of math, and three sections of writing one of which is a timed essay. The ACT (ACTstudent.org) is more of a content based test. It features one section each on English, reading, math, science, and an optional essay. In some ways, one could make the argument that the ACT tests what you have learned while the SAT tests what you are capable of.

On the language end, the SAT places a huge emphasis on vocabulary. The ACT delves into significantly more grammar than the SAT and students choose when they register whether or not they want to attempt the essay. I generally recommend any student to opt for the essay on the ACT. In math, the ACT covers trigonometry which the SAT does not get into. The SAT has some math questions that are not multiple choice and are gridded responses instead. Another huge difference is that the ACT has a science section.

The ways the tests are scored vary from each other as well. Wrong answers are penalized on the SAT but that’s not the case with the ACT. Thus, there is no penalty for guessing on the ACT. The SAT is graded on a 200-800 scale in each of the three sections critical reading, math, and writing. So a perfect score is a 2400. The ACT grades each of its five subtests (English, reading, writing, math, and science) on a 1-36 scale. These five scores are then usually averaged together for a composite score which has a perfect score of 36.

I think it’s important to note that the way the writing score factors in can be tricky. For example, on the SAT you might see a range of scores that says something like 1000-1400. Sometimes it can be hard to know if that range includes writing or not. Usually, it’s not clear. If you see a score above 1600, you’ll know it includes writing since it is impossible to score higher than a 1600 on the reading and math alone. If not, you’ll just have to take an educated guess about the range based on the caliber of the school or student the range is in reference to.

Lastly, there is no “passing” the ACT or SAT. Some scores can qualify you for different things but those numbers are too varied to establish something that could be considered a “passing” score. What is considered a “good” score is also entirely relative to the student’s true ability and goals. I generally recommend that my students take both tests beginning in the fall of their junior year, again in the spring or summer, and then take the one they like the most an extra time very early in their senior year.