ACT vs. SAT: Does it Matter Which Test You Take?

This weekend marks another standardized test: the ACT. Depending on your part of the United States, or the world, the ACT can be a more common test than the SAT.

For example, in the American South and between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains, the ACT is comparatively common, while East and West Coast students tend to focus more on the SAT. There are many historic reasons for this, none of which are important to a test-taker. The real question, which I probably hear more than any other, is: “Does it matter which test I take?”

The answer is both no and yes. In one sense, the ACT and SAT are considered fairly equally by colleges around the United States. If you look at their websites, and speak with admissions officers, you will almost universally hear that they do not care which test you take. To a large extent, I think that students and their families should trust that.

At the same time, if you’ve ever gone to the store to buy Tylenol, and are faced with the choice of whether to get the brand name, or the store’s own formulation, I’m willing to bet that, if money were no object, you would always go with the original. In fact, there is no pharmacological difference between them but, as I’ve heard doctors say, they always tend to trust the Tylenol just a little bit more. I sort of feel that way about the SAT. The ACT might be equally good as a test in terms of college admissions, but for some reason, the SAT just seems to have that little edge in everyone’s mind.

However, before you go thinking that you should rip up your entrance ticket for the ACT this weekend, what you need to remember is that, even if the SAT might have that brand name, both tests do the job. I have worked with students who aced the SAT and couldn’t make heads nor tails of the ACT, and students who thought that the ACT was a breeze and couldn’t get over how hard the SAT seemed. My most successful students take both tests, do well on both, and send both scores to colleges, sort of like taking Tylenol and Advil for the same headache (and believe me, college admissions can be a headache!)

In other words, there is no reason not to try both and see how they go. It is almost impossible to predict which one will go better for you, and you’ll want to be able to present colleges with your best possible scores, so the more scores you have the better off you’ll be overall, at least so long as you aren’t taking both exams ten times.  

If you are taking the ACT this weekend, all the hints I gave on last-minute preparation for the SAT last week still hold true. Sleep well on Thursday night, don’t study on Friday, eat a large, balanced breakfast on Saturday morning, take snacks with you, and don’t sweat it if a section doesn’t seem to go that well for you. Remember, at the end of the day, it is only a test, and just a small part of what a college will see about you when you are applying. And, as ever, if you have questions, feel free to reach out for a free half hour consultation!

Mr. K

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