Districts are required to offer third year high school students the option of taking the SAT® or the ACT®. The choice of which assessment to take must be determined at the student level by the parent or guardian, but students are not required to take either the SAT® or ACT®.
The SAT is a timed multiple-choice examination consisting of the following tests: Reading, Writing and Language, Mathematics and the SAT Essay. Although some colleges do not require the SAT Essay exam, the SCDE requires districts to include this test in the SAT administration. The SAT with Essay takes 3 hours and 50 minutes plus 50 minutes of administration activities (for a total of 4 hours and 40 minutes).
The ACT is also a timed multiple-choice examination that includes the following tests: English, Reading, Math, Science, and Writing. The ACT is 3 hours long (technically 2 hours and 55 minutes). Including breaks, the exam takes 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete. If you sign up for the ACT Plus Writing, the test clocks in at 3 hours and 40 minutes, or just over 4 hours with breaks.
For more information on the ACT and/or SAT, please visit the South Carolina Department of Education website.