ACT or SAT?

                High school, for students, is a place of learning, friends, and teenage experiences. It is also one of the major foundations of a student’s future life. However, preparing for that future life can be stressful, with worrying about GPA, applying to the college of your dreams and doing well on the ACT or SAT. Here are some tips and advice to stop the worry, and let you take that test with confidence in yourself and your future life.

            The first thing you need to do is decide which test suits you best. How do you decide that? Well, it all depends on what subjects you personally excel in, and what your talents are. The SAT tests your knowledge on reasoning and vocabulary. It is an aptitude test, while the ACT is an achievement test, testing your skills in not just english, but science and math as well. There are more questions on the ACT than the SAT, but while the ACT’s questions are quick and straight to the point, the SAT requires you to think about what exactly the question is asking. The SAT also is designed to make guessing hurt your score. If you can eliminate at least one of your choices, go ahead and guess. If not, leave it blank. The ACT does not do this.

            Both tests have an essay, which is optional on the ACT and required on the SAT. The subjects differ between the two. The ACT usually asks you to comment on a current controversial issue and give your counter argument, while the SAT gives a broad issue that you need to discuss using supportive details from your personal life experiences, history, or literature. The scores of these tests also differ. It is possible to get a total of 36points on the ACT and 2400 on the SAT.

            If you still can’t decide which test suits you best, take both! By taking both, you will have the option of choosing which one to send to colleges by choosing whichever one you did better on. When you finally do decide, make sure you are prepared! Take practice tests online or in books. They will give you an idea on your strengths and weaknesses and what areas you need to improve on. The night before the test, gather everything you will need such as, the admission ticket (if given one), a photo identification, a high energy snack, a watch, and if needed, a calculator. Once all that is finished, get your beauty sleep! Cramming and staying up late is one of the worst things you could do. When you wake up, eat a big breakfast! It can make all the difference during the day. On your way, look over your notes to review, and make sure you arrive early and confident! Know that no matter what score you make, your future will be a bright one.

-Brittney Mace