ACT or SAT?

The SAT and ACT tests determine a student’s readiness to enter college. Getting into the best colleges requires students to score well on these entrance tests. Although most colleges accept either test, students often don’t know which one to take. There are some fundamental differences between the tests.

SAT

The SAT test was created in the 1920’s as an entrance exam for students who wished to attend Ivy League colleges on the east coast. The test is designed to measure a student’s skills and abilities. The SATs are based on IQ tests and aim to test a student’s ability rather than the number of facts that they have learned. The SAT allows 3 hours and 45 minutes to answer its 140 questions. A perfect score is 1600. Guessing is discouraged by subtracting marks for incorrect answers.

 ACT

This test was designed in the 1950s to service colleges on the west coast. Here, students are tested on how much they have learned in high school. The test covers maths, English, reading, writing and science. The test allows 3 hours and 25 minutes for the student to answer the 215 questions. A perfect score is 36. No marks are subtracted for incorrect answers here, so students can take a guess at questions they are not sure about.

Each of the tests costs about $50 and takes a half day to complete. If you can afford the fee and the time, it’s best to take both. You can take the test over, so test early on in case you would like to improve your score before applying to college. Experts differ on which test is best; the ACT is rumoured to be easier, but the SAT does test your preparedness for college. If you only want to take one test, take a sample test of the SAT and the ACT to see which one you score best on. Sample tests are available on the internet and can help you determine which testing style is best suited to your abilities. You can find free SAT sample test on the website at http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-practice-test. You can find sample ACT tests on their website at http://www.act.org/compass/sample/

All your test scores are recorded, no matter how many times you take the test, and are available for your college admissions department to see. This means that getting the best possible test scores on your first go is ideal. Before you attempt your college entrance exam, consider getting a tutor who specializes in the entrance exam to help you with test preparation. A tutor can guide you through the process of preparing for the test and administer sample tests. You can then work with your tutor to iron out difficulties you may be having before attempting your official entrance exam.

5 Tips for SAT Test Success

The Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT is a four-hour long test that most high school students dread. The SAT has a profound impact on your college application and is the test that all your years of schooling have prepared you for. There’s no substitute for hard work here and you will have to study many long hours to get the best results, but knowing how to navigate the SAT test and how best to prepare for it will help you to succeed.

The technicalities
The SAT consists of 170 questions divided into three components: writing, critical reading, and math.
Writing: This consists of a 25-minute essay and 49 multiple choice questions.
Critical Reading: This section is testing your ability to understand and analyse text and consists of 67 questions.
Math: 44 Questions are multiple choice with 10 additional questions.

SAT Test Preparation
The first thing you should do is to decide if you actually want to take the SAT test. Find out if the colleges you wish to apply to accept the ACT test. These two tests are both designed to test your aptitude, but are very differently formulated. Take a practice test for both to see which one fits your style best.

Vivian Kerr from Bloomberg Business Week: “In general, the SAT is the preferred test for schools on the East and West coasts, while the ACT remains popular with schools in the Midwest and the South. Many schools accept both, however.”

If you like books and are an avid reader, then the SAT is definitely for you. The SAT is for students with excellent language, reading and vocabulary skills and the math components are said to be easier than those found in the ACT.

Under Pressure
The SAT is divided into 9 sections and each section has a time limit. So you will go through nine iterations of “Five more minutes” and “Pencils down!” This places enormous pressure on you during the test. The ACT test also has time constraints but here students who work quickly may have time to go back and answer questions that they didn’t get to or check that their answers are correct.

READ the questions
Read all questions really carefully. If you don’t know the answer, don’t guess, leave it blank and try to come back if you have time at the end of the section. There is a penalty (1/4 of a point) for incorrect answers, so it’s best to be safe.

Trick questions may try to catch you off guard, so ensure that you read the questions slowly and carefully before you begin.

Eat, drink and be ready
Your brain needs fuel to function optimally. Avoid living on a diet of candy, fast food and coffee in the weeks leading up to the SATs; it’s time to give your brain the right fuel to get it firing on all cylinders.

Eat brain-building foods in the weeks and months leading up to your SATs. These include wild salmon, acai berries, leafy green veggies, seeds and nuts and whole grains. Get a healthy balance of proteins, omega-3 and carbohydrates on the day of your exam and drink lots of water so that you are properly hydrated.

Practice makes perfect so ensure that you try some practice tests which you can download here. Ask your tutor for help with SAT test preparation well in advance of your test date.