Some of the differences between the SAT and the ACT:
-
The SAT penalizes for incorrect answers. The ACT does not.
-
The SAT tests critical thinking and reasoning. The ACT tests is more knowledge
based.
-
If the student took the SAT more than once, she can send her best scores for each individual section,
they do not all have to be from the same test date. If the student took the ACT more than once, the student can only select to send the colleges the scores from one of her test dates.
-
The ACT contains a Science section, the SAT does not.
-
The Writing portion is mandatory on the SAT, it is optional on the ACT.
Please go to www.collegeboard.com for
more information about the SAT or
www.actstudent.org for more information regarding the ACT. Some students may
do better on the SAT versus the ACT or vice versa. It's important to understand
their differences.
Below is a chart of how the ACT scores compare to the SAT scores:
|
ACT
|
SAT
|
|
15
|
1060
|
|
17
|
1210
|
|
19
|
1350
|
|
20
|
1410
|
|
21
|
1500
|
|
22
|
1530
|
|
23
|
1590
|
|
24
|
1650
|
|
25
|
1700
|
|
26
|
1760
|
|
27
|
1820
|
|
28
|
1860
|
|
29
|
1920
|
|
30
|
1980
|
|
31
|
2040
|
|
32
|
2130
|
|
33
|
2190
|
|
34
|
2260
|
|
35
|
2340
|
|
36
|
2400
|