ACT vs. SAT: Which One Should You Take in 2024?
The ACT and SAT share many similarities. Neither exam deducts points for wrong answers; they both run for roughly 3 hours; and they both test your skills on reading and math. So, what makes them different? Here are some of the key differences between the SAT and ACT:
| ACT | SAT |
| – Paper + pencil and online options – Less time per question – SCIENCE section that tests your ability to interpret data and graphs. – Knowledge, not aptitude based – Reading comprehension passages are more straightforward – More advanced geometry, trigonometry, and pre-calculus topics. – Fewer colleges and universities allow students to SUPERSCORE the ACT – More Grammar rules – More math formulas to memorize – More science facts to memorize | – Test is fully online – The SAT has fewer questions, so on average you get 37% more time per question. – There is no science section, but there are questions embedded throughout the reading and writing & language sections that test you on reading comprehension and data analysis. – The overall questions themselves are more complex – Math section is narrower in scope. Pre-calculus is not an emphasis. – There is no essay portion. – Harder reading comprehension-inference based & TRICKIER |
