Which test should I take SAT or ACT in order to pursue my stem degree abroad?Answered
I am currently in my 11th grade,studying biology, physics and chemistry. I am planning to study abroad after my 12th.
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I have taken both the SAT and ACT and while all colleges will accept either, you should do yourself a favor and see which one you are equipped to perform better on. On occasion, some really smart kids can get a near-perfect score on both so it doesn't matter which they submit. (or both). But most people end up liking one format more than the other because of their personal way of taking tests. The SAT has more inference-style questions where they pose a question and ask you for the best answer, given the facts of the passage. Whereas the ACT is a much faster moving test (meaning more questions per section given the same test-taking time) so the answer is in the section or easier to figure out. That faster-paced system worked to my advantage and I was able to get a top 99.9% score where I couldn't break 1500 on the SAT either in practice or in real-life testing.
The SAT has 2 reading/writing sections and 2 math sections (with a calculator/without a calculator). And the ACT has 2 reading/writing, 1 math, and 1 science section. They both take the same amount of time. The ACT has more questions. Also, the Science section is really more like a reading comprehension test. As long as you know how to read graphs, tables, and charts, you can find the answers in the Science sections with no problem. They cost the same amount of money and all colleges are agnostic as to which you submit.
Therefore the 1st order of business is to take both tests as a practice test and see which one you do better on and go from there.
Feel free to ask more specific ACT or SAT questions once you have figured out which one you are pursuing. There are lots of resources for either test.
Good Luck
Hi.
I am probably not the person to answer this question since I only took one test, SAT, and not ACT. I did practice taking the ACT once and I decided to take the SAT. The main reason was because the SAT is more common from where I come from (I don't know about you). So, it was easier to get access to resources from other students and teachers.
As a mathematics and science student, I thought ACT would be better for me. I don't know if the SAT was better for me just because I was better at it or if it was because I practiced the SAT much more than the ACT and I got comfortable with it.
I think taking both exams are good as well. However, maybe try taking a couple of practice tests for each exam and see the scores. They should be similar, but if one score is way higher than the other, maybe do the exam with the higher score.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is harder to register for the SAT and ACT because you don't know what would happen. I planned to take the SAT in the start of 11th grade (and I did), but it was hard to register because I had to wake up early in the morning to get the seat. I think during these times, you should choose fast. You don't know what would happen. You might not be able to take either at all or you might take an exam once and the COVID-19 pandemic gets worse and you can not improve your score.
I heard that the ACT is a little faster than the SAT, so those who are confident in Science and are fast readers should take the ACT. I am not sure if this is true. Since I took the SAT, I can tell you that even though there is not a science section, there are science passages that requires you to be able to understand the context well, but you don't have to now the science concept before-hand as it is presented to you in the passage.
I hope this helps.
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