SAT or ACT: How to Decide?

This time last year, many of the SAT tutoring students that I was working with were gearing up to take the exam on March 14, 2020.  As we now know, COVID-19 canceled that test, the one after, and the one after that.  (Likewise, many of the students I now work with as an online ACT tutor also had their tests canceled.) In the wake of multiple ACT and SAT cancellations, most U.S. colleges adopted “test-optional” admissions policies.  

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Last fall’s “test-less” admissions cycle led many to wonder why the SAT and ACT were ever needed in the first place.  (I’ve written elsewhere about why these exams persist and how we might use them while they’re still around.)  Nevertheless, as an online SAT tutor, online ACT tutor, and online college counselor, the number one question I still get asked most frequently from parents of sophomores and juniors is, “Should my child take the SAT or the ACT?” Buckle up: here’s the lowdown.

Your child might be a good candidate for the ACT if they digest information accurately with lightning-fast speed.  

Because the ACT currently requires students to answer sixty-six more questions in just 15 more minutes, students have only 48 seconds to answer each question on the ACT.  By contrast, students have about 64 seconds to answer each question on the SAT. That’s 33% more time per question on the SAT!  (And in case you’re wondering, that calculation was neither an ACT nor an SAT question!  But, as an online SAT and online ACT tutor, I’ve spent lots of time thinking about both!)  Students who receive 1.5 or double-time on tests (due to a learning disability accommodation) may therefore also perform better relative to their peers who need to finish the test under these unforgiving conditions. 

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As an online ACT tutor, I’ve worked with many students who have scored quite well on this exam.  One extremely bright girl whom I tutored several years ago earned a perfect 36. Others whose minds work similarly quickly scored 35s.  Another student who receives “double-time” accommodations increased his ACT score by 25% after working with me for just 6 weeks.  This increase earned him admission to his top choice university, where he’s now thriving.  

Despite these success stories, however, most students do not fall into either category (i.e., lightning-fast thinker and/or extra-time receiver).  For that reason, I estimate that roughly 80% students would be better candidates for the SAT. 

Your child might be a good candidate for the SAT if they AREN’T a good fit for the ACT.  

With its more generous time allowance for each question, the SAT allows students slightly more time to read and to figure out how to solve each problem.  Moreover, as of January 2021, there’s no more essay on the SAT.  (Can you hear the cheering of teens across the land?  As of March 2, 2021, the ACT still includes an optional essay.)  Lastly, rather than studying the four subject areas that the ACT tests (i.e., science, math, English, and reading comprehension), students need only prepare for the last three for the SAT.  Overall, the SAT is a better match for most of the students with whom I work as an online tutor.

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Tomorrow, find out which students might want to skip the exams and which should take both (spoiler alert: NOBODY!) — and why.

For now, drop your feedback in the Comments below. Which exam did your child take? Why? Are you happy with the decision? Why or Why Not?

Till tomorrow,

Dr. P.