Ahh, the SATs and ACTs.

They’re the bane of every child’s existence. If you attended college in the States, it was likely yours too. Let’s be frank: no one likes to take either test. Both the SAT and ACT are long, difficult, and take much preparation.

In addition, tutoring and preparation can cost a pretty penny.

If you’re determined to get your child accepted into an elite university such as the T25 schools and higher, you’ll need a tutor or coach to bring your child’s score to a 1500+ SAT score or 33+ ACT score.

Choosing between two evils can be a hard decision. Nonetheless, every child has a different test they’re more accustomed to. There are nuances and small differences between the two that can make all the difference.

Thus, in this article, we’ll be covering whether your child should take the SAT or ACT —alongside the differences between the two.

Table of Contents

1. Should My Child Take the SAT or ACT?
2. Why Your Child May Want to Take the SAT.
3. Why Your Child May Want to Take the ACT.
4. Differences Between the Two Tests.
5. Do Colleges Prefer Whether My Child Takes the SAT or ACT?

Should My Child Take the SAT or ACT?

Here’s the short answer:

Your child should take the SAT if they excel at deep critical thinking and complex reading comprehension. However, if straightforward tests are their forte, they should take the ACT.

Note that there are going to be some nuances that can shift their test preferences. Such details include things like test anxiety, ADHD, English as a second language, slowness in reading, and other factors.

In addition, your child may actually do well in the SAT because they have strong critical reading skills yet still do better in the ACT since they find it easier. If that were the case, they should take the test they score best on.

Why Your Child May Want to Take the SAT.

Here are some advantages to taking the SAT.

1. The SAT is well-suited for students with a talent for English and Math critical thinking.
2. The SAT generally gives more time for answering questions than the ACT.
3. There are fewer moving parts. The SAT has 3 parts: Reading, Writing, and Math. The ACT has 4: English, Reading, Math, and Science.
4. Based on the students who have worked with us in the past, SAT progress grows exponentially while the ACT is constant. This may mean the SAT requires both less time and money.
5. Students who are fast and logical learners may want to take the SAT, as they’ll find studying less laborious than the ACT.

Nonetheless, we recognize that every student is unique. What may work for one child may not work for another.

Thus, we highly recommend you or your child to take practice tests for both the SAT and ACT. The one they score higher on should be the one they continue practicing.

Of course, the SAT and ACT run on different scores, with the former being out of 1600 points and the latter 36. You can use the chart below to convert your scores and see which test you did better on.

1570-1600	36
1530-1560	35
1490-1520	34
1450-1480	33
1420-1440	32
1390-1410	31
1360-1380	30
1330-1350	29
1300-1320	28
1260-1290	27
1230-1250	26
1200-1220	25
1160-1190	24
1130-1150	23
1100-1120	22
1060-1090	21
1030-1050	20
990-1020	19
960-980	18
920-950	17
880-910	16
830-870	15
780-820	14
730-770	13
690-720	12
650-680	11
620-640	10
590-610	9

If you or your child end up scoring very similarly, they should stick with the one most comfortable. If the path is still unclear, and you don’t know which one suits you best, consider speaking with us for a free consultation!

Why Your Child May Want to Take the ACT.

The ACT has advantages of its own that you may want to consider. Check them out in the list we’ve compiled below.

1. The ACT is better for students who prefer more straightforward questions that aren’t looking to “trick” them.
2. The ACT is good for students who are quick on their feet and can answer questions swiftly, unlike the SAT which requires more in-depth critical thinking.
3. The ACT’s Reading and English sections are often significantly easier than that of the SAT’s.
4. Learning the Science section for some is not as hard as learning the difficult parts of the SAT.
5. The ACT can take both less time and money if students learn the question types faster than they learn the critical thinking skills of the SAT.
6. The ACT is often most suited for students who have too much on their plate and need a more rigid way of learning, rather than the complicated and abstract way of learning the SAT has.

Whether you decide to take the SAT or the ACT, one thing is clear:

A test prep coach can help you save A LOT of headache.

You see, taking the SAT or ACT is not just about the test itself. It’s also about the time it takes to actually take the test. Then, you’ve got the time it takes to learn and study for the test. In addition, this laborious time commitment takes away from other precious time you could have used in other things like raising your GPA or creating clubs that impressive colleges.

In short, even if you CAN study for the SAT or ACT and earn a perfect score on your own, you’d’ve likely been in a better spot with a test prep coach who helps you earn that score faster.

Let’s be honest. No one wants to take the SAT or the ACT. It’s an obstacle to the college admissions process, and a time-draining one at that.

If you’re going to maximize your ROI, a test prep coach who can help you or your child earn a high score is going to do so faster than you may realize. They have the years of experience and teaching under their belt. You don’t. So, when advantages like test prep services and coaching are available, we highly recommend you capitalize on it.

Even just a few hours of personalized test prep coaching can significantly increase your score and decrease necessary study time.

Differences Between the Two Tests.

Here are some key differences between the SAT and the ACT. We recommend looking at these and assessing what advantages and disadvantages each test is going to give you.

	ACT	SAT
Subject Time	2 hours and 55 minutes total English: 45 mins Math: 60 mins Reading: 35 mins Science: 35 mins Writing (optional): 40 mins	3 hours total Reading: 65 mins Writing and Language: 35 mins Math No Calculator: 25 mins Math Calculator: 55 mins
Subject # of Questions	English: 75 questions Math: 60 questions Reading: 40 questions Science: 40 questions Writing (optional): 1 essay	Reading: 52 questions Writing and Language: 44 questions Math No Calculator: 20 questions Math Calculator: 38 questions
Breaks	1	2
Geometry and Trigonometry	✔️	❌*(Still has some, but not a lot)
Essay	✔️	❌

Do Colleges Prefer Whether My Child Takes the SAT or ACT?

No. Colleges do not have a preference whether your child takes the SAT or ACT.

However, some colleges weigh the importance of the SAT and ACT differently than others.

For instance, the University of California system is test blind. This means they do not consider SAT or ACT scores in the application process.

Meanwhile, Cornell University considers the SAT and ACT in their application process but not as much as other factors like class rank or GPA. However, this only applies to some schools. The following colleges at Cornell do NOT consider the SAT or ACT in their application process.

1. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
2. College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
3. Cornell SC Johnson College of Business – Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
4. Cornell SC Johnson College of Business – Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration

The following colleges at Cornell DO consider the SAT or ACT in their application process if sent, as they are test-optional schools.

1. College of Arts & Sciences
2. College of Engineering
3. College of Human Ecology
4. Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
5. School of Industrial and Labor Relations

These are just a few examples of how complicated the SAT and ACT policy for college admissions can be. Depending on the schools you or your child plan on applying to, the weight of your test scores will vary in the admissions process.

So, in summary: colleges won’t care whether you take the SAT or ACT. But, some institutions will consider the SAT or ACT test scores more important than others.

If you have any other questions about the SAT and ACT; or, if you would like to seek professional test prep tutoring services, consider speaking with one of our expert test prep coaches through a free consultation. Our test prep coaching program has helped students increase their SAT scores by as high as 680 points. We’ve also helped many students earn perfect 1600 SAT scores and 36 ACT scores —although perfect scores are not always necessary. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours!