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|                         SAT |                        ACT | |

|What is the focus of the test? |Reasoning, critical thinking and problem solving in the |Content-based knowledge in the areas of math, reading, |

| |areas of math, reading and writing. Vocabulary is stressed|writing and science. Some trigonometry is included in |

| |more heavily than on the ACT. |the math section. |

|How is the test structured? |10 Sections: three critical reading, three math, three |5 tests: English, Reading, Science Reasoning and |

| |writing and one experimental (masked as a real section, |Writing (optional), sometimes an experimental section |

| |but does not count in score) |(only on certain dates and clearly marked as |

| | |experimental) |

|What content is covered? |Math: up to geometry and Algebra II |Math: up to trigonometry |

| | | |

| |Reading: Sentence Completion, short and long critical |Reading: four passages, one each of prose fiction, |

| |reading passages, reading comprehension |social sciences, humanities and natural sciences |

| | | |

| |Writing: grammar, usage, word choice and a mandatory essay|English: stresses grammar |

| | | |

| | |Science: charts, graphs, data interpretation |

| | | |

| | |Writing: Optional essay |

|Is there a penalty for wrong answers? |Yes, ¼ of a point is deducted for each wrong answer on the|No. |

| |multiple choice section. | |

|Which test should I take? |Research both, but consider the SAT if you have a |Research both, but consider the ACT if your vocabulary |

| |capacious vocabulary, you can ace grammar, you like |is not as strong as your reading skills, you’re great |

| |writing illustrative essays, you’re a very quick thinker |at writing papers but not an expert on the rules of |

| | |grammar, you prefer to write argumentative essays, you |

| | |are more academic than “test-savvy” |

|How is the test scored? |200-800 for each subject added together for a combined |1-36 for each test, averaged together for a composite |

| |score of 600-2400; 2-12 for the essay |score of 1-36; 2-12 for the writing test. |

|Are all scores sent to all schools? |No. Beginning with the class of 2010 (regardless of when |No. Students chose which schools see their scores and |

| |they take the test) there is a “score choice” option.  |which scores the schools see. |

| |Students chose which schools see their scores and which | |

| |scores the schools see. | |

|Need more information? |Educational Testing Service (ETS) |ACT, Inc. |

| |609-771-7600 or |319-337-1270 |

| | | |

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Comparison of the SAT and the ACT

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