ACT v. SAT

[Sweet]

some queries here....

1.) Which test did you take?

2.) Why did you take one over the other?

3.) Do you regret not taking both?

4.) Is the ACT or SAT better?

5.) Any feedback about taking the tests...did you take em more than once, did you do better the second time?, what could you have done to do better?

6.) Would you have done anything different before taking the test?

7.) Did you go through any tutorials or help classes, were they good?

8.) Thanks, need input, ALL appreciated!!!!!!!!!!! Any other comments are most welcomed, and may help others in this yearly situation.........

[Mike]

I didn't take either test.
Although many of my friends say they are almost the same, some of the rules for scoring, test times, etc. are a bit different.

I don't think either one is better than the other. It just depends on what University and what part of the country you're in.

[Sweet]

Why is it "what part of the country you are in"?????

inquiring minds wanna know......

[Mike]

Well every major University will accept either SAT or ACT but in Michigan I know that the majority of the kids took ACT. (Possibly a Midwest thing?)
Where as in California the majority of the students I ran into, took the SAT.

[Sweet]

I can't argue with ur answer Mike. What I'd like to question, really goes deep, why do some Universities like one over another..... Guess this would be question #9....

thanks Mike!!!! (hug)

[Mike]

Ah see that's a question I can't answer. Perhaps just call some of the universities that prefer ACT over SAT and vice versa.
I really haven't figured out why we need two aptitude tests.

1. ACT

2. TN Board of Regents' colleges require ACT, not SAT

3. No

4. ACT was exactly as advertised and expected.

5. I did not study or prepare for testing, thus I can offer little help for this concern. Took the ACT twice. Both times scored in top few percentile of United States.

6. No.

7. No.

8. n/a

9. TN

The reference to area of the country is rather pertinent. The SAT seems to include certain questions relating to popular topics from other parts of the nation, thus one's understanding of these concepts could prove problematic, especially in regards to reading comphrehension testing.

In stark contrast, the ACT is rather generic in its testing approach.

I also took the pSAT in junior high. Again, I scored in top percentile of US, thus little point in wasting my time with the SAT, especially since area colleges required the ACT for admission testing purposes.

Robert Richmond

[Sweet]

Thanks for the replys....

Rob.. gonna quote ya here...


The reference to area of the country is rather pertinent. The SAT seems to include certain questions relating to popular topics from other parts of the nation, thus one's understanding of these concepts could prove problematic, especially in regards to reading comphrehension testing.


I guess I am trying to understand wht different colleges require/prefer each test.

This is just one of my many red tape venues to disturb my sleep.........

[jkrohn]

Well every major University will accept either SAT or ACT but in Michigan I know that the majority of the kids took ACT. (Possibly a Midwest thing?)
Where as in California the majority of the students I ran into, took the SAT.

While it is true that almost every school will accept both they specificly want one in most cases. Apply with only the other and you are severly handicapped. You need to see what schools you want to go to, and see what tests they reccomend. Why not take both (I did).


1.) Both
2.) The west coast school I applied to (Stanford) is an SAT school, while U of I is an ACT school.
3). N/A
4.) There is no "better". This is highly dependent on what the school wants.
5.) I only took them once. I hated taking them and got a good enough score for me. If you want to do well on these tests, the courses that they off that prepare specificly for them can do quite well for some people.
6.) If I had cared more I probably would have done more word roots or possibly studied :-P
7.) Nope, I had friends who did though. Helped some, didn't help others.

Jkrohn

While most will likely never notice the regionalization, it is there in plain view. A couple of years ago, one of the SAT tests even included 2-3 questions regarding yachting, in particular, yachting off the northeastern US coastline.

The yacht scenerio was only part of a reading test, but being a TN mountain man, WTH would I know about yachting?! While completely understanding the original reading portion will allow one to answer the questions, it is the use of these regionalized topics that may prove harmful for some taking the SAT.

Anyway, if in doubt, take both. You can then use the scores accordingly, or even send the results from the test you scored better on to colleges that accept both.

Robert Richmond