ACT  

The ACT is accepted at every four-year college or university in the country. The test is considered on par with SAT.  In 2010, the SAT and ACT were equally popular with 1.5 million students taking each exam.

Should you take the ACT?

The quick answer is almost always "yes." Even if you do no preparation, there is a chance you will beat your comparable score on the SAT. If you don't do well, it's just another three hours, and no one will ever have to know. It is a total free shot.

So, for most students, the ACT is a nice alternative. However, for some students, the ACT is a much better test. If you fit one of the categories below, you should definitely take the ACT.

1. Nervous/Stressed/Overwhelmed

There is less hysteria surrounding the ACT, and students feel less stressed about taking the test in general. There are also some very specific reasons to be less stressed…

*Endurance: The ACT is shorter. The SAT is three hours and 45 minutes long. The comparable ACT is three hours and 25 minutes.  You also get a longer 10-minute break in the middle of the test.

The longest break on the SAT is only five minutes.

*Guessing Penalty: On the SAT, there is a quarter-point penalty for getting a question wrong. This discourages guessing. On the ACT, there is no penalty for a wrong answer. This reduces the stress of choosing whether to guess or not. Also, it is an advantage for students who are very slow. By guessing on the questions they can't get to, they should increase their raw score by a couple of points.

2. Good Reader, Poor Vocabulary

*On the SAT, a poor vocabulary is a huge disadvantage on the Sentence Completion portion of the verbal section. On the ACT, vocabulary is a non-issue. The verbal section of the ACT is all readings with elementary vocabulary.

3. Advanced Math/Science Students

*Their skill set is only applicable to 1/3 of the SAT. On the ACT, it counts for 50 percent of your score (Math & Science sections).

*For students taking Honors Pre-Calc. or higher, the test questions are closer to what they are learning now. There are fewer questions about topics from freshman year or junior high.

*The questions are straight math, not tricks. If you are a good math student, you should be able to do the questions.

4. Careless mistakes

*Students who are not very detail-oriented and make a lot of careless mistakes will struggle on the SAT, as the test preys on a lack of precision (They are trying to trick you). On the ACT, it is more a question of straight knowledge (They are not trying to trick you). So careless mistakes are less likely.

*Bubbling: On the SAT, the same letters are repeated through the entire test (A,B,C,D,E). On the ACT, they alternate between letter choices (A,B,C,D, then F,G,H,J). This reduces the chance for mis-bubbling.