ACT
or SAT?
Information
provided by Kaplan Test Prep
There
are two major college entrance examinations administered in the
United States today: the SAT and the ACT. Standardized tests
like the SAT and ACT are designed to allow college admissions
officers to judge all students by a common measurement. Scores
on these tests can compensate for differences in high school
curriculum, grade inflation, and quality of teaching. In
addition, they serve as a reliable predictor of how you will
perform academically in your freshman year of college.
SNAPSHOT:
SAT
The SAT is the most widely taken
college entrance examination. It is designed to test your skill
level in math, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. The test
is divided into seven sections: 3 math, 3 verbal, and 1
experimental section. The math and verbal sections each have
their own distinct question types, including quantitative
comparisons, sentence completions, grid-ins, and more. The
experimental section, used by the test developer to try out new
questions, is not scored and can be either math or verbal. You
will not know which section is experimental.
The
SAT is scored on scale of 200-800 for both the math and verbal
sections. The College Board sets the average for all test takers
at 500 for each. A perfect score on the SAT is 1600. However, in
recent years, fewer than 20 percent of all test takers achieve a
math score of 600 or better. Fewer than 10 percent score higher
than 600 on the verbal section.
SNAPSHOT:
ACT
The American College Testing
Assessment (ACT) is designed to test your skill levels in
English, math, reading, and science reasoning. On the test, you
will have 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete a variety of
multiple choice questions divided into four sections—one for
each tested subject area. The English, reading, and science
sections each include several reading passages with anywhere
from 5 to 15 questions per passage. The math section includes 60
questions—each with 5 possible answer choices.
You
will actually receive 12 separate scores on the ACT: 1
composite, 4 subject scores, and 7 subscores. However the
composite—or scaled—score is the most important. It ranges
from 1-36. Nearly half of all test takers fall in the 17-23
range.
SAT
vs ACT
Until recently, the ACT was
required by colleges in the Midwest, while the SAT was the test
of choice for schools in the Northeast and on both coasts. Now,
however, most schools accept both. This increased acceptance of
both exams gives students a strategic advantage. The ACT is a
content-based test, whereas the SAT tests critical thinking and
problem solving skills. Depending on your particular strengths
and weaknesses, you may perform significantly better on one test
than the other. Regardless, you should check with each of your
target schools before taking either exam.
More
InformationLearn more about college admissions at
www.kaptest.com/college
Learn about Kaplan's SAT programs at
www.kaptest.com/sat
Learn about Kaplan's ACT programs at
www.kaptest.com/act
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2002 by Kaplan, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Kaplan is a registered trademark of Kaplan, Inc. SAT, AP, and
Advanced Placement are registered trademarks of the College
Entrance Examination Board, which is not affiliated with this
site. ACT is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., which is not
affiliated with this site.
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