Hey folks, I'm in a dilemma. I'm not sure which college entrance exams are considered the most important. I know about SAT and ACT but, in your experience, which one did colleges weigh more? I'd appreciate any advice or insights!
Hello! Both the SAT and ACT are universally accepted by most colleges and universities in the United States, and no college states a preference for one test over the other. They both are designed as tools to provide admissions officers with an estimate of your college readiness.
What can possibly make a test more important for you is essentially how you feel about the test— which test's format and question style you are more comfortable with, given that the SAT and ACT have quite different styles despite being both standardized tests.
The SAT, for instance, has recently become fully digital— it includes two sections: reading/writing, and math. There's no longer a no-calculator section on the SAT— you can use your calculator on all math questions.
The ACT, however, currently maintains the old paper format. It includes four sections: English, math, reading, and science. It will be shortened and the math section will reduce the number of choices from five to four in 2025.
It is advisable to take a practice test for each, see how you perform, and decide based on your comfort level. Do you perform better on one than the other? Do you prefer the question styles or testing format of one over the other?
Hope this helps provide clarity!
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