SAT vs



SAT vs. ACT: How do the Tests Compare?

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| |SAT |

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| |ACT |

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| |When is it administered? |

| |Seven times per year |

| |Six times per year |

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| |What is the test structure? |

| |Ten-section exam: Three Critical Reading, three Math, three Writing, and one Experimental. The Experimental section is masked to look like a regular |

| |section. |

| |Four-section exam: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. An Experimental section is added to tests on certain dates only, and is clearly |

| |experimental. |

| | |

| |What is the test content? |

| |Math: up to 9th grade basic geometry and Algebra II. Science: none. |

| |Reading: sentence completions, short and long critical reading passages, reading comprehension. |

| |Writing: an essay, and questions testing grammar, usage, and word choice. |

| |Math: up to trigonometry. Science: charts, experiments. |

| |Reading: four passages, one each of Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, and Natural Science. |

| |English: stresses grammar. |

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| |Is there a penalty for wrong answers? |

| |Yes |

| |No |

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| |How is the test scored? |

| |200-800 per section, added together for a combined score. A 2400 is the highest possible combined score. |

| |1-36 for each subject, averaged for a composite score. A 36 is the highest possible composite score. |

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| |Are all scores sent to schools? |

| |Yes. If a student requests a score report be sent to specific colleges, the report will include the scores the student received on every SAT taken. |

| |No. There is a "Score Choice" option. Students can choose which schools will receive their scores AND which scores the schools will see. |

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| |Are there other uses for the exams? |

| |Scholarship purposes. |

| |Scholarship purposes. Certain statewide testing programs. |

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| |Best time to register? |

| |At least six weeks before the test date |

| |At least four weeks before the test date |

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| |Need more information? |

| |Educational Testing Service (ETS) (609) 771-7600 |

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| |The College Board |

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| |ACT, Inc.: |

| |(319) 337-1000 |

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|Defining Differences between the SAT II, SAT I, and ACT |

|Adapted From: SAT II Biology For Dummies |

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|Who requires the tests? |

|The SAT Subject Tests isn't required by most universities (except in California). |

|The SAT Reasoning Test is accepted as an admissions requirement by almost all colleges and universities and is generally more popular with Eastern colleges than it is |

|with Western schools. |

|The ACT is accepted by most colleges and universities as an admission requirement and is generally more popular with colleges in the West than with those in the East. |

|! Find out from the colleges and universities which exams they require. They provide this information on their application forms, in their promotional material, and on |

|their websites. |

|What's tested by these exams? |

|The SAT Subject tests individual subjects, ranging from literature to biology to U.S. history to Japanese. |

|The SAT Reasoning tests reading (in the form of sentence completion and passage-based questions), writing (through an essay and questions that ask you to identify |

|grammar, punctuation, and construction errors), and math skills (arithmetic, geometry, and algebra). |

|The ACT tests reading comprehension, English grammar, science reasoning, and math (the same subjects as those on the SAT I, with a little trig thrown in). |

|Which test is the easiest? |

|The SAT Subject Test can be pretty challenging depending on your level of knowledge about a specific subject, so a good study tool is crucial. |

|The SAT Reasoning Test is easiest if you feel comfortable with writing and grammar, and you haven't had any trig classes. It's harder if you dread writing and grammar. |

|Ten of the math questions on the SAT II are grid-in rather than multiple-choice questions, which means you have to work out the answer to them and write in the answer on |

|your sheet. Some people don't like questions that aren't multiple-choice. |

|The ACT is easier for most people than the SAT I in the reading questions but a little harder in the math. The ACT grammar questions are a little easier than those on the|

|SAT I, too. |

|How are the tests scored? |

|The SAT Subject Test gives you a score of 200-800. You get a point for every right answer and zero points for every omitted answer. You lose 1/4 of a point for every |

|question you answer incorrectly. |

|The SAT Reasoning Test gives you a critical reading score of 200-800, and writing score of 200-800, and a math score of 200-800. You get your overall score by adding all |

|three scores together. Each correct answer counts one point, and each omitted question counts zero points. A wrong answer can have no penalty (grid-in math questions) or |

|can cost you 1/4 of a point (all the multiple-choice questions). |

|The ACT scores range from 1-36 for all four areas, English usage, reading, math, and science reasoning. The overall score comes from an average of all four scores. The |

|ACT doesn't subtract any points for wrong answers, so you should always guess. |

|How long does each test take? |

|The SAT Subject Test takes one hour for each subject test. |

|The SAT Reasoning Test takes over three and 1/2 hours. You have six 25-minute sections (two writing, two reading, and two math), two 20-minute sections (one reading and |

|one math), and one 10-minute writing section with just grammar questions. |

|The ACT takes almost three hours (45 min. - English, 60 min. - math, 35 min. - science, and 35 min.- reading). |

| |

|Defining Differences between the SAT II, SAT I, and ACT |

|Adapted From: SAT II Biology For Dummies |

|[pic]Printer-ready version |

|Many people are befuddled about how the SAT II, SAT I, and the ACT compare — and how they're decidedly different. The following points |

|can help you keep these three tests straight. |

|Who requires the tests? |

|The SAT II, or the SAT Subject Tests, isn't required by most universities (except in California). |

|The SAT I, the general SAT, is accepted as an admissions requirement by almost all colleges and universities and is generally more |

|popular with Eastern colleges than it is with Western schools. |

|The ACT is accepted by most colleges and universities as an admission requirement and is generally more popular with colleges in the |

|West than with those in the East. |

|Find out from the colleges and universities which exams they require. They provide this information on their application forms, in their|

|promotional material, and on their websites. |

|What's tested by these exams? |

|The SAT II tests individual subjects, ranging from literature to biology to U.S. history to Japanese. |

|The SAT I tests reading (in the form of sentence completion and passage-based questions), writing (through an essay and questions that |

|ask you to identify grammar, punctuation, and construction errors), and math skills (arithmetic, geometry, and algebra). |

|The ACT tests reading comprehension, English grammar, science reasoning, and math (the same subjects as those on the SAT I, with a |

|little trig thrown in). |

|Which test is the easiest? |

|The SAT II can be pretty challenging depending on your level of knowledge about a specific subject, so a good study tool is crucial. |

|The SAT I is easiest if you feel comfortable with writing and grammar, and you haven't had any trig classes. It's harder if you dread |

|writing and grammar. Ten of the math questions on the SAT II are grid-in rather than multiple-choice questions, which means you have to |

|work out the answer to them and write in the answer on your sheet. Some people don't like questions that aren't multiple-choice. |

|The ACT is easier for most people than the SAT I in the reading questions but a little harder in the math. The ACT grammar questions are|

|a little easier than those on the SAT I, too. |

|How are the tests scored? |

|The SAT II gives you a score of 200-800. You get a point for every right answer and zero points for every omitted answer. You lose 1/4 |

|of a point for every question you answer incorrectly. |

|The SAT I gives you a critical reading score of 200-800, and writing score of 200-800, and a math score of 200-800. You get your overall|

|score by adding all three scores together. Each correct answer counts one point, and each omitted question counts zero points. A wrong |

|answer can have no penalty (grid-in math questions) or can cost you 1/4 of a point (all the multiple-choice questions). |

|The ACT scores range from 1-36 for all four areas, English usage, reading, math, and science reasoning. The overall score comes from an |

|average of all four scores. The ACT doesn't subtract any points for wrong answers, so you should always guess. |

|How long does each test take? |

|The SAT II takes one hour for each subject test. |

|The SAT I takes over three and 1/2 hours. You have six 25-minute sections (two writing, two reading, and two math), two 20-minute |

|sections (one reading and one math), and one 10-minute writing section with just grammar questions. |

|The ACT takes almost three hours (45 minutes for the English test, 60 minutes for the math test, 35 minutes for the science test, and 35|

|minutes for the reading test). |

|When are the tests given? |

|The SAT II is given six times a year, usually in October, November, December, January, May and June. The SAT I and SAT II are held on |

|the same day at the same time, so you can't take both exams on the same administration date. |

|The SAT I is given seven times a year, usually in October, November, December, January, March, May and June. |

|The ACT is held five times a year, usually in October, December, January, March, May and June. |

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