SAT vs. ACT: Which Test Should You Take?
Two prep books, half finished
A 10th grader's family cannot agree. Her father has heard that the ACT suits students who are good at science. A neighbor insists that colleges respect the SAT more. To be safe, she buys a prep book for each test and starts working through both.
Six weeks later she is halfway through two books and has finished neither. She still does not know which test she is better at, because she has never taken either one under real conditions.
How the two tests differ today
Both tests changed recently, so advice written a few years ago is often out of date.
| Compared on | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|
| What counts in the main score | Reading and Writing, and Math | English, Math and Reading. Science is now optional and reported separately |
| How it is taken | On a computer or tablet, in the College Board's Bluebook app | Online or on paper, as the student chooses |
| Length | 98 questions in 2 hours and 14 minutes | 75 minutes shorter and 44 fewer questions than before the 2025 changes |
| Score scale | 400 to 1600 | 1 to 36 |
One feature is particular to the SAT. Each section comes in two parts, and how the student does on the first part decides whether the second part is harder or easier.
The SAT details come from the College Board. The ACT changes come from ACT's own explanation of its updated test.
The two tests now cover similar ground. The differences a student notices are mostly about how each one feels to take: the pace, the screen or the paper, the way questions are written. Those are hard to judge from a description, and easy to judge after one practice test.
How to choose
- Take one full practice test of each, timed, on separate weekends. For the SAT, use the free practice tests in the Bluebook app. For the ACT, use an official practice test from ACT. Sit them like the real thing, in one go, with no phone.
- Compare where each score puts you. The simplest way is to look at the colleges on your list. Each one publishes the range of scores its admitted students had. See which test puts you further into those ranges.
- Notice how each one felt. Running out of time, or finishing early with time to check, is useful information.
- Commit to one. Preparing for both splits the time and slows progress on each.
The student with two prep books would have saved six weeks with two Saturday mornings.
When to take the first official test
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 10th grade | Take the two practice tests and choose. Learn the format. The PSAT in the fall is practice, and colleges do not see it |
| Fall and winter of 11th grade | Practice regularly, in short sessions |
| Spring of 11th grade | Take the first official test. Both tests offer several spring dates |
| Summer before 12th grade | Retake if needed. It is the last calm window |
| Early fall of 12th grade | One final attempt at most, chosen so the score arrives before early deadlines |
A first test in the spring of 11th grade leaves the summer for a retake, away from the pressure of the school year. It also keeps testing out of the fall of 12th grade, when essays and applications need the time.
Pursiva's recommendation
- Choose by evidence, and earlyTwo timed practice tests in 10th grade, or at the latest in the fall of 11th.
- Prepare for one test onlyThat gives you more focused time to master the style and types of questions that work the best for you.
- Take the official test at least twice,and a third time when recent practice tests show room to improve and the score still matters for the colleges on the list. After three, scores usually change little, and the time is better spent on grades, activities and essays.
- Finish testing before senior year if you can
There is no point in asking which test colleges prefer. Colleges that use scores take either one.
Four mistakes to avoid
- Preparing for both testsIt halves the practice each one gets.
- Choosing by reputationWhat a test is said to favor matters less than how the student actually scores.
- Sitting the first official test without a timed practiceThe first real attempt should not also be the first full attempt.
- Leaving testing to the fall of 12th gradeIt competes with essays, and early deadlines limit which test dates can still be used.
How Pursiva helps
Pursiva's SAT diagnostic shows the student's starting point, and which areas are holding the score back. That makes the comparison with a practice ACT straightforward.
For a student who chooses the SAT, Pursiva's SAT coach turns the diagnostic into a practice plan. It focuses on the areas where the most points are available, in short regular sessions, with a full practice test every few weeks. As official scores come in, it reads them against the colleges on the student's list and says when it is time to stop testing. It never promises a number of points, because nobody can predict that for one student.
The student with two prep books needed one decision, made with evidence. After that, one book was enough.
Sources
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