SAT/ACT

Just curious out of those who took both the sat and act how big was the score difference between the two and what is the best way to study and prep for them,? I took the sat back and November and got a 530 critical reading and 570 math with no studying whatsoever and I know I need to get those up into the 600's but I'm not sure if I should take the sat again or try the act first, my teachers recommend that I should probably take the act but I don't know what I should do to prepare myself to get the highest score possible, any comments or advice would be appreciated. Thank you


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Why not take them both? Some people do better on one than on the other. In any case they'll superscore so you have nothing to lose.

You should take both the SAT and ACT and get a feel for which ever you are better at. Some folks say that the SAT is more coachable, whereas the ACT is more of a measurement of what you have learned in school. Whichever you are best at, take it as many times as you can afford to. Get copies of old tests and have someone time you at home. Get a SAT/ACT vocab book from the library and make up flash cards that you carry around, especially during school breaks.

If you can afford to take a prep class, it might be helpful, especially if you do better in a structured classroom setting (my DS took the Kaplan SAT live class). However, if you are self disciplined you should be able to improve significantly by just taking lots of practice tests and avoid the expense.

There are FREE SAT tutorials online through Khan Academy. This is a non-profit org that Bill Gates has funded heavily and they are doing some marvelous things. Here is their website:
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat

Search this forum and you will find lots of other posts with hints on ACT/SAT prep. This is one area (the other is the CFA) that you have full control over improving. All the resources are out there to impact your score. All it takes is your initiative and consistent, hard work.

kinnem said:

Why not take them both? Some people do better on one than on the other. In any case they'll superscore so you have nothing to lose.

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Both my DS and my DD retook the SAT and did better on at least one section of the test. One of the best ways to improve is to take a SAT or ACT test prep class. Another option is to hire a SAT tutor to help your prepare and work on the specific areas where you are weak. I agree with Kinnem that it is a good idea to try both tests as many people find they do better on one test over the other.

Specifically for the math section -- get a copy of the SAT "blue book" and take those practice tests!! The SAT math (at least for me) requires a whole different mode of thinking than what I was used to. By the time I took my third SAT I had done all 10 of the practice math tests and ended up increasing my score by 130 points -- no expensive tutor required.

Thank you guys will definitely look into this all!


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DS took the SAT twice and the ACT three times. His best ACT composite, converted to SAT equivalent, was about 200 points higher than his best SAT CR+M, and his ACT scores overall were consistently higher than his SAT scores. DD had the same experience - her ACT scores were about 200 points higher than SAT score (and she did an SAT prep course). Some people just have a better feel for one test vs. the other. If you can afford the fees, it's worth taking both tests to get the highest score you can.

As others have said take both tests! One thing I would caution is only taking the ACT (for whatever reasons one might have) as some MOCs will ONLY accept SAT scores (not sure the exact logic if all SA's take both) for their nomination applications.

Say you have a weak GPA 3.4/3.5 because you slacked off freshman and sophomore year but do significantly well on the ACT or SAT, how much do you think those tests make up for weaker GPA's?


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Improvement on the GPA is working to your favor. It certainly is better than vice versa! However, class rank is more significant than GPA because schools vary so widely on grading. SAT/ACT is nationally standardized so it is an important component. However, it is important to know that no one here can really predict how you look on a "whole person" basis. Your overall package needs to be competitive for the upward trend in grades to act as a "tie breaker."

You cannot change the past. DO Focus on the things you CAN control from this point forward. Do your best on the tests, nail all the AP classes you can and work on your CFA conditioning, leadership. EC's and sports. Apply, get the nomination, have a good plan B, and know you have done all that you can!

Worry less, work hard!

Good luck.

This my sound painful but take a few if possible. I'm by no means a test taker and took 7 SAT'S and 6 ACT'S. They'll take the best reading and math school from each so it doesn't have to be from the same test. They'll just do the conversion for what the scores would be for each test if you did better in reading on the SAT and better on math on the ACT (vice versa)