Asked in College Applications and Entrance RequirementsACTThe Difference Between
College Applications and Entrance Requirements
ACT
The Difference Between
What is the difference between the Sat and the ACT?
Answer

Wiki User
April 28, 2014 6:54PM
Both exams are accepted by all colleges in America. The SAT is a reasoning test which means its primary focus is on critical thinking skills, problem solving and the like. The ACT is more of an academic achievement reflecting what you have learned in school over the past 4-5 years. Both exams are approximately 3.5 hours in length.
Related Questions
Asked in Michigan
Do you have to take sat for eastern Michigan?

No. Their website specifically states that neither the ACT nor
the SAT is required for students over the age of 21. That implies
that they do want either the ACT or SAT from
students under 21, but reading between the lines a little it seems
that their preference is for the ACT (in the section talking about
it, they mention ACT 3 times and SAT only once).
Asked in College Applications and Entrance Requirements
Is there a major difference between the ACT and SAT and if so which should be taken?

There are differences in the set up and the content, but overall
they test the same things. The main difference which should
determine which one you take is where you plan on going to college.
Some schools require one over the other, and typically the coastal
colleges require the SAT, while the schools in the central states
require the ACT.
Asked in College Applications and Entrance Requirements, SAT, ACT
Difference between the ACT and SAT test?

The ACT test questions are more like school and guessing counts.
The SAT test has more out of the box and you have to be careful
about guessing as most sections take 1/4 point off for a wrong
answer.
The best books to study for the SAT is The college board's
official SAT study guide. Get that book and "Answers and
Explanations " by Peter Tanguay. Answers and Explanations has the
definitive and complete solutions to the SAT tests in the official
SAT study guide. This is all you need to score high on the SAT.
Good luck.
Asked in College Applications and Entrance Requirements, Education, SAT, ACT
What is the difference between the SAT test and ACT?

The ACT test is more straight forward questions like school.
also guessing counts. The SAT is more out of the box thinking and
you have to be careful about guessing as they take points off in
most sections for a wrong answer.
The best books to study for the SAT is The college board's
official SAT study guide. Get that book and "Answers and
Explanations " by Peter Tanguay. Answers and Explanations has the
definitive and complete solutions to the SAT tests in the official
SAT study guide. This is all you need to score high on the SAT.
Good luck.
How does the ACT compare to the SAT?

Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200 to 800 with
2400 being the highest possible combined score. The ACT, on the
other hand, scores each section on a scale of 1 to 36. Your total
composite score is the average of all four sections of the test.
However, there is no official conversion chart between the ACT and
SAT. The average score in 2007 for the ACT was a 21, for SAT it was
a 1500.
US Geography-wise the tests differ like an Oreo. SAT being the
chocolate cookies and the ACT being the creamy filling. The east
and west coasts favor the SAT but the midwest and south favors the
ACT. Although all colleges except each, I would still take and work
harder at getting a better score in the more favored test of
whatever state or region you are wanting to attend. Mmm... now I'm
hungry.
Both the SAT and ACT include an essay, but the key difference is
that the essay on the SAT is mandatory while the ACT essay is
optional. If you plan on taking the ACT make sure you check with
your prospect
Asked in College Applications and Entrance Requirements, The Difference Between
What is difference between ACT and SAT?

Differences in Testing PhilosophyACTSATThe ACT strives to assess
the knowledge you've acquired, meaning that the test focuses on
subjects and skills taught in high school. The SAT tries to assess
one's reasoning ability. It does so using tricky and confusing
phrasing to determine your test-taking skills (i.e., your
performance under pressure and your ability to identify what's
being asked).
The following information is a few years old, but may help:
The act math includes some trigonometry, the SAT
does not.
The act includes a science reasoning test, the
SAT does not.
The SAT questions, within a particular set, appear in
order of difficulty - not true on the act.
The SAT tests vocabulary much more than the
act.
The act tests English grammar, the SAT does
not.
The SAT is not all multiple choice.
The SAT has a wrong answer penalty; the act does
not.
The act is more of a content-based test; the SAT
test critical thinking and problem solving.
There are also fee waivers available for both tests. These cover
not only the test fee but provide up to four free college
applications -- potentially worth hundreds of dollars. See your
guidance counselor or see the related links below