Q. ACT or SAT - How to Choose Between the SAT and the ACT?

A. Maybe you already know whether you'll be focusing on the SAT or the ACT. However, for many applicants--particularly those in the Midwest and the South--this can be a difficult decision. 

The major differences between the SAT and the ACT:

• The SAT is preferred on the coasts, while the ACT is more often used in the Midwest. However, each school has its own policies, and many schools accept both exams. You should check with every school to which you're considering applying.

   

• The ACT has a Science section. If you hate science, this is a potential reason to avoid the ACT. However, you should realize that the Science section of the ACT tests reasoning skills and not actual science knowledge.

   

• The essay is required on the SAT, but optional on the ACT. More importantly, the essay factors into your overall SAT score but not your composite ACT score.

   

• There is no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT. However, this shouldn't affect your decision about which test to take.

   

• All your SAT scores show up on every SAT report, but you can send only the ACT scores you want. So it's easier to hide bad ACT scores. However, most schools claim to look at only your highest score on a particular test. The biggest ramification of this difference is probably that it's harder to hide taking the SAT many times.

   

• While the College Board would deny it, the SAT tends to work slightly more like an IQ test than does the ACT. The subject matter is no more advanced, but math is trickier and grammar concepts are harder to pin down. So at least marginally, good test-takers do better on the SAT while good students (including "grinders") do better on the ACT.

In the end, you'll need to take whichever test your prospective colleges require. But if those colleges will accept either exam, you should probably make a decision about where to focus most of your prep efforts.

Still, don't forget that you can at least take both the SAT and the ACT. A lot of overlap exists between the exams, and at least attempting both of them may give you the best shot of getting the score you need.

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