Should My Student Take the SAT or the ACT?

As a test prep tutor and business owner, I’ve had to answer this question countless times. And the answer is…. You guessed it… It depends.

However, in 2024, this question is a little bit easier to answer now that College Board has made some major changes to the Digital SAT that tend to put the SAT and ACT on less even footing with each other.

What's Changed with the Digital SAT?

A lot, but I’ll try to keep it brief and get back to answering the question of whether the SAT or ACT is the right test for your student to take.

Key Changes to the Digital SAT

• The Digital SAT is a full hour shorter than the Old SAT and ACT! 🎉🎉
• The Reading and Writing questions are combined into two adaptive test sections.
• Reading and Writing questions no longer require students to read long passages. Instead, each question has its own accompanying short reading passage.
• Students can use the Desmos Graphing Calculator the whole way through both math sections of the test!
• The Digital SAT now utilizes what’s known as Multistage Adaptive Testing (MSTs) to route students to easier or harder modules of the test with dynamically weighted scoring.

If all of this sounds like gibberish, you can just scroll to the bottom of the page to book a call with me. I’ll be happy to explain what all of this means. You can also dig deeper into what the College Board has to say about these changes here.

Comparing the Digital SAT and ACT

Before we dive into a side-by-side comparison of how the Digital SAT and ACT differ and which test is right for your student, I just want to emphasize what a huge difference there is between the experience taking these tests now that the Digital SAT is a full hour shorter than the ACT. In my opinion, this is the single most important difference when it comes to preparing for these tests. Now, your student has the option to practice staying focused demonstrating their academic capabilities taking a 2 hr test rather than a 3hr test. This is huge, especially when you think about what it means for taking timed practice tests as a part of their test prep.

Digital SAT vs. ACT Reading and Writing

• SAT: two 32-minute test modules, 64 minutes total, 54 questions total. Around 27 Reading questions, Around 27 Writing questions.
• ACT: two separate test sections, 35 minutes for Reading, 45 minutes for English, 40 Reading questions, 75 English questions.

Compare and contrast: 

Pros of testing with the SAT: Fewer questions and more time per question. Shorter reading passages mean your student doesn’t have to hunt for the information they need to answer questions. 

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Pros of testing with the ACT: More straight forward question types that make answering questions quickly a bit easier. 

Digital SAT vs. ACT: Math

• SAT: two 35-minute test modules, 70 minutes total, 44 questions total.
• ACT: one 60-minute test section, 60 questions total.

Compare and contrast: 

Pros of testing with the SAT: Fewer questions and more time per question. The SAT doesn’t test math concepts very far beyond Algebra 2. 

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Pros of testing with the ACT: One test section with more predictable question types and an increasing level of difficulty from start to finish that makes focusing on easier questions first more intuitive. 

ACT Science Section

The ACT has a science section that is 30 minutes long and requires students to answer 35 questions at blazing speed. This section is really a glorified reading section with charts and graphs and questions that are focused on testing a students' ability to interpret graphs and make logical conclusions based on the information they are presented with.

Compare and contrast: 

Pros of testing with the SAT: The Digital SAT doesn’t have a science section, but instead weaves in questions that either require the interpretation of graphs, data, or logical reasoning for questions that have science based themes. 

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Cons of testing with the ACT: The science section of the ACT is one of the more difficult sections of the test for students to improve their score because of the consistent novelty of the information presented and the speed at which students must process the information they are presented with. 

Determining the Right Test for Your Student

It really depends on your student and their specific strengths and test-taking style, but I’ll do my best to provide a couple of the rules of thumb I go by below.

Consider the Digital SAT if:

• Your student hasn’t completed a Pre-Calculus class.
• Your student needs more time to answer the questions thoughtfully.
• Your student is good at thinking critically about questions.

Consider the ACT if:

• Your student has completed a Pre-Calculus class.
• Your student is enrolled in AP courses and does well with a fast-paced test-taking style.
• Your student has taken a practice ACT and does well with the science section of the test.

Final Steps: Practice Testing

If you have the time and want to know with 100% certainty which test is best for your student, have your student take practice tests for both the ACT and SAT and then compare the results, see how they felt taking the test, and ask them which test they feel most comfortable investing their time and effort to improve their scores on.

Request Free Diagnostic Testing and Test Prep Consultation

If you’d like to have us get your student set up with practice testing for either the Digital SAT or ACT and sit down with them to analyze their results, send an email to info@simplfiedu.com with the words “Free Diagnostic Testing and Test Prep Consultation Please” anywhere in the email and we'll reach out to get you set up with free practice testing for your student and a free test prep consultation to analyze their results.

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