Testing

College Admissions: ACT and SAT

The ACT and the SAT are college admissions tests required by most colleges.  Most college admissions committees will evaluate your application based on your best single-session score, so don't hesitate to send scores from multiple test days.  For those of you who don't test well, you'll be glad to know that there are colleges that are test-optional ~ you may still need to take an SAT or ACT, but the score is not a critical piece of your application.

Many students and parents begin the college prep process by comparing the ACT and SAT.  Two of the most common questions they ask are:

• Is the ACT easier than the SAT?

• Do colleges prefer scores from the SAT or ACT?

Generally speaking, both test cover the same types of content.  Both ACT and SAT scores are used for college admissions and merit-based scholarships.  The biggest differences between the tests are that the ACT has a Science Test, and there’s one SAT Math Section for which you cannot use a calculator.  Colleges don't prefer one over the other, so explore both tests to decide which one is right for you.