by Malik Russell

Planning for and getting accepted into college can be one of the most stressful times in a student’s life.  Not only do you have to worry about grades, what your friends are doing and where they are going, but also preparing for those pesky college admissions exams such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT).

Deciding which test to take may depend as much on the geographic location or type of school you are applying to as well your particular style or flavor? Both tests are generally accepted by all colleges and some extremely competitive schools have made standardized testing scores optional.
While there are some students with grades so high and a resume that might make President Barack Obama jealous, most students – even those with excellent grades still tend to submit their standardized scores to colleges as part of the admissions process.

So, SAT or ACT?

The great thing about taking either of these tests or both is that unlike when your parents were applying to college and the internet was some distant thought – you can now go online and research both tests and which requirements your potential college may require?

Back in the day, normally the kids from the South and Midwest took the ACT and those on the East and West Coast took the SAT – don’t ask me why unless you are prepared to take an hour of your time and supply the popcorn.

Also, students who applied to Ivy League schools and extremely competitive schools overwhelmingly took the SAT. Some of this may have to do with the fact that the SAT was originally developed to measure first year of college grades of students coming from elite eastern prep schools. Regardless, that’s how it went and it still remains the case as the students applying to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford almost always take the SAT, while 20 percent of those students take both.

The Differences Between Tests

The SAT is a longer test that goes for three hours and 45 minutes while the ACT can run 2 hours and 55 minutes. Throw in an extra half hour for the ACT if you are taking the optional writing test.

While the SAT is considered more of an “aptitude” test that measures thinking and reasoning skills, the ACT is more straightforward and is based on what you know and what you’ve learned in school.

The best thing about the process for students is that you can take online tests and get test prepping software to see how you might do on each test. To really be serious about it, you should time yourself and try to mirror what taking the test would really feel like.

Students can take the PSAT to see what their scores might be on the SAT during their sophomore years in high school or take the PLAN to get a sense of what their ACT scores might be?

There are a lot of good sources out there to get a sense of which test you should take as well as how to prepare for those tests. It’s best to start with a plan and identify the schools you are interested in and find out which tests they normally receive as well as the general scores of incoming first year students.

This information will give you an idea of what type of score you’ll need on each test to get into the college of your choice. But remember, a high test score without good grades will not get you into a lot of schools. It’s a key factor in the whole application process but not as important as your grades, recommendations, extracurricular activities and test scores all together.

OVERVIEW

SAT

* Emphasis on Vocabulary
*Mostly Multiple Choice but some math problems
*Covers three areas: Math, Critical Reading, Writing
*Writing an essay is required
*One hundred forty questions that get more and more difficult as the test goes on
*You are penalized for wrong answers

ACT

*Tests you more on punctuation and grammar
*All multiple choice questions
*Focuses on four areas: Math, Science, English, Reading
*Writing an essay is optional
*Has a Science Reasoning Test where you will be required to analyze charts and tables
*Math section includes Trigonometry
*Not penalized for wrong answers

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