SAT or ACT?
We recommend students prepare for and take BOTH!
All colleges now – coast to coast – accept either test, and there’s no way to determine with full certainty which one will result in a better test score for a given student. The tests are vastly different in style and content.
THE SAT
The SAT is comprised of 3 sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Each component is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, so a total score can be anywhere from 600 to 2400. Two sub-scores are computed for the Writing section: the written essay sub-score is on a scale of 2 to 12, and the multiple-choice sub-score, 20 to 80.
About half of the colleges that accept SAT scores are still reviewing only the Critical Reading and Math components (resulting in a 1600-point scale) although a student should still prepare for and plan to take the Writing section as well.
The SAT consists of 10 sections totaling 3 hours, 45 minutes:
- Critical Reading: 2 sections, 25 minutes each; 1 section, 20 minutes
- Math: 2 sections, 25 minutes each; 1 section, 20 minutes
- Writing: 1 essay, 25 minutes; 2 multiple-choice sections, 25 minutes/10 minutes
- Unscored: 1 section, 25 minutes, used for future test questions
The order of the 10 test sections is as follows:
- Section 1: 25-minute essay
- Sections 2 through 7: 25-minute sections (variety of Critical Reading, Math, Writing)
- Sections 8, 9: 20-minute sections (Critical Reading, Math)
- Section 10: 10-minute Writing (multiple-choice)
For more details on the SAT, visit College Board’s website:
To register for the SAT --
See our QuickLinks in the footer below
THE ACT
The ACT is comprised of 5 sections: English, Math, Reading, Science, and (optional) Writing. The individual “total test scores” provided to the student for the first 4 components (English through Science) range from 1 to 36. The “Composite Score” is the average of these 4 “total test scores”. For students who take the Writing section, the results of this section do not affect their Composite score.
The ACT consists of 5 sections in the following order and totaling 3 hours, 25 minutes:
- English: 75 questions, 45 minutes
Scores provided: Total Test Score, Sub-score in Usage/Mechanics (40 questions), Sub-score in Rhetorical Skills (35 questions) - Mathematics: 60 questions, 60 minutes
Scores provided: Total Test Score, Sub-score in Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra (24 questions), Sub-score in Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry (18 questions), Sub-score in Plane Geometry/Trigonometry (18 questions) - Reading: 40 questions, 35 minutes
Scores provided: Total Test Score, Sub-score in Social Studies/Sciences (20 questions), Sub-score in Arts/Literature (20 questions) - Science: 40 questions, 35 minutes
Score provided: Total Test Score (only) - Writing (optional): 30 minutes, essay test
Scores provided: Combined English/Writing score (scale of 1 to 36), Sub-score in Writing (scale of 2 to 12)