Horizons Education Services

The SAT vs. The ACT

Don’t know the difference between the ACT and the SAT? Not sure which one you should take? Let us help.

First, look at the requirements of the schools you want to attend – some require one or the other. For those that allow scores from either test, you have a choice to make (or take both!). We've put together a comparison of the two tests below. Review this information and hopefully it will help you make a more educated decision as to the test that is right for you!

	SAT	ACT
Preferred by?	Private schools; schools on the east and west coasts	Public schools; schools in the middle of the country; more colleges than prefer the SAT
How Questions Appear	Order of difficulty	No order of difficulty
Score Choice?	No	Yes
Highest Math Level	Algebra/Basic Geometry; test booklet supplies all formulas	Trigonometry (only 4 questions); test booklet rarely provides formulas
Skills Heavily Tested	Vocabulary and Reading; Math	Grammar and Reading; Math
Penalty For Wrong Answers?	Yes	No
Based on School Curriculum?	Less	More
Style of Test	Tricky, with many distracters	More straightforward, with fewer distracters
Structure of Test	Verbal: two 30-min. sections, one 15-min. section Math: two 30-min. sections, one 15-min. section Experimental: one 30-min. Verbal or Math section; looks like any other section	English: one 45-min. section Math: one 60-min. section Reading: one 35-min. section Science Reasoning: one 35-min. section Experimental: added to tests on certain dates; clearly added on
When it’s Offered	Seven times per year: Late January Late March or early April Early May Early June Mid October Early November Early December	Six times per year: February April June September (in 13 states only) October December
Scoring	200-800 for Math and for Verbal, added together for a composite score; median about 1000	1-36 for each subject, averaged together for a composite score; median about 21
When You Should Register	At least six weeks before the test date	At least four weeks before the test date