SAT AND ACT : DIFFERENCES

After you get past the fact that both tests are developed in the cold north (ACT in Iowa and SAT in New Jersey), there are many differences.

One big difference is that the ACT measures grammar and science reasoning skills, in Neither of these abilities is measured by the SAT I.

The ACT doesn't test your abilities with individual words as the SAT does with its Analogy and Sentence Completion formats.

The ACT math includes many concepts from Algebra II and trig while the SAT only deals with Algebra I. The SAT gives you the math facts you need to know . . . while you need to memorize them for the ACT.

While both test developers claim that analytical reasoning is very important on the test, the SAT test writers have perfected this philosophy while the ACT test writers are still trying to get there. Big differences exist in the way questions are asked. ACT math questions, for example, are based on what "math teachers expect their students to know." SAT math questions are based on what the test writer thinks you should be able to do with the math. The reading questions on the SAT are primarily inference and logic related. The ACT asks many more detail questions.

The SAT is a seven-section exam: 3 verbal, 3 math and one experimental section (this section is masked to look like a regular section). The ACT is a four-section exam, English, math, reading and science reasoning. An experimental section is added to tests on certain dates only and is clearly indicated. The SAT tests through geometry and the ACT test through trigonometry (although there are only four trigonometry questions). The SAT verbal sections stress vocabulary. The ACT stresses grammar.

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