ACT Or SAT? How To Decide Which Test To Take
Should You Take The ACT or SAT?
SAT vs ACT – Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Test prep tutoring
As an ACT/SAT tutor, this is the number one question I am asked. And my number one answer is to take a practice test of each and compare the results. The process is pretty straightforward, the materials you need are free and readily available, and it’s something really any student can do on his/her own.
Below, I’m going to walk you through the basics of how to do a good ACT v. SAT diagnostic and also point out some of the major differences between the two tests.
ACT and SAT Diagnostic Basics
Should I Do A Diagnostic At Home Or At A Test Center?
You may choose to go to a local testing center that administers mock tests; however, we find this is generally unnecessary—unless there are special circumstances at home that make it impossible to work in a quiet, distraction-free space. Since you are going to have to do frequent full practice sections of your chosen test test, it’s helpful to get used to doing this work at home.
How To Do Your Own ACT vs. SAT Diagnostic Test
Unless it’s impossible for you to print, work on paper for the diagnostic.-Print out the current ACT Official practice test here-Print out SAT Practice Test 9 here and the answers here (N.B. the College Board doesn’t have a single annual Official Test. (I’ve selected SAT Test 9 to make sure you cover certain bases with SAT Reading.)
Have pencils, a calculator, and a watch, or some kind of timer.
Go to a quiet, distraction-free, space where you can work at a desk.
Take breaks and grab snacks between sections, just as you can during the real test.
Do the ACT and an SAT on separate days. They’ll each take nearly 3 hours to complete.
Take each practice test around the same time of day, if you can, for a better comparison.
Time each section according to the ACT/SAT rules — but see our special tip below!
If you receive extended time, adjust the timing of your sections accordingly.
I encourage you to mark up your test booklet e.g. circling units for math to prevent careless errors, or transition words in reading passages to alert you to important points. If you must work online, have some scrap paper handy.
If you run out of time on a section, mark the place where that happened, but keep answering to see how many questions you would have answered correctly if you had had more time. This is important because you may run out of time the first time you try one of these test, but you will get faster as you practice more.