Some of the most common questions we hear from 10th and 11th grade students and their parents are “Which test should I take: the SAT or the ACT?” “Is one easier?” “Do the tests even matter anymore?” 

Read on for our recommendations about how to move forward with college entrance exam testing when we hear increasingly about “test optional” admissions –

You have probably heard mentions in the news, through college admissions mailings, and your college visits over the last two years about colleges going ‘test optional.’ Most recently, the California State University system, the largest public university system in the U.S., followed the University of California system in announcing that they would become ‘test blind.’ You can read a recent post about CA college admissions here. 

While test optional policies offer student choice about submitting scores to be evaluated as part of the application, test blind policies remove test scores from consideration in any way in the application evaluation. 

By contrast, MIT, one of the most selective colleges in the country, announced in the past few days that they will reinstate the requirement for students in the HS Class of 2023 and beyond to provide SAT or ACT scores. While all of this news can be head spinning, MIT is just the first of the most selective colleges to return to required testing, and we do not expect it will be the last. 

With this in mind, we encourage all HS students in the classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025, to still move forward with a testing plan to ensure you can keep the door open to as many college options as possible, position yourself strongly in the applicant pool, and qualify for merit scholarships. 

How do I choose the test that’s right for me? 

The best way to decide between the SAT and ACT is experience. 

We strongly recommend taking a practice test for each exam. You can use your school PSAT scores as a baseline for the SAT, download free full practice exams for both tests online, or contact a test preparation service to assist you with taking practice exams in testing conditions and analyzing your scores. 

• Comparing your scores on each practice test can help you decide which exam is a better fit for you. In general, the exam where you score your strongest is likely to be the better one for you to prioritize. 
• The College Board (which administers the SAT) offers concordance tables to compare your scores as does the ACT organization. 

We strongly recommend pre-testing and then committing to just one of the exams for your preparation. You are best served by focusing your prep on either the ACT or the SAT, rather than splitting your efforts between both.  

Other Factors to Consider: 

• Both exams are challenging. Sorry to disappoint, but there is no ‘easier’ test– only the one that is best suited to your strengths as a learner and test taker.
• Both exams are accepted by all U.S. colleges & universities. There is no preference given to one exam over the other, colleges will use the concordance tables to compare scores to each other. 
• The ACT offers a science section: While the SAT does have questions sprinkled throughout that use scientific passages and tables, the ACT offers a section explicitly devoted to science. Therefore, students who are strong in science and want to showcase their abilities with a section score may wish to take this exam. 
• The ACT covers a wider breadth of math topics. These include not only Algebra, which is the primary focus of the SAT exam, but geometry and trigonometry (which make up only about 10% of the SAT math questions). 
•  The SAT weighs math more heavily in your score. Because the SAT produces only two scores, Math and Evidence Based Reading & Writing, your score on the math section makes up 50% of your overall score on the SAT exam. By contrast, because the ACT produces scores for four separate sections, math will make up only 25% of your composite ACT score. With this in mind, students who are strongest in reading, grammar, and vocabulary, may prefer the ACT exam, or find that their composite scores are higher than their comparable SAT scores.
• The SAT provides more time per question. Although the total length of the exams is comparable, the SAT allots more time per question than the ACT. 
• Neither exam penalizes for wrong answers–so make your best guess! 
• Writing is falling away: 
  • The SAT removed the optional writing section from the exam. This is no longer offered, unless you are taking the exam as a state requirement, and is not required or recommended at any U.S. colleges. 
  • Most students do not need to take the optional writing section for the ACT. As of publication, there are just a handful that require or recommend it. Check your colleges of interest to confirm, but we expect these numbers to decrease, not increase in coming cycles: 
    • Required as of publication -
      • Martin Luther College (MN)
      • Soka University of America (CA)
      • United States Military Academy (West Point) (NY)
      • University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX)
      • Wyoming Catholic College (WY)
      • Yellowstone Christian College (MT)
    • Recommended as of publication 
      • Colorado School of Mines (CO)
      • Bethune-Cookman University (FL)
      • Morehouse College (GA)
      • Molloy College (NY)
      • Hardin-Simmons University (TX)
      • Brigham Young University (UT)

When should I take the test? 

Once you have decided which test is the best personal fit for you, it’s time to map out a testing plan. We encourage students to take your first official SAT or ACT exam, by the winter of your junior year whenever possible. This means the summer between 10th and 11th grade is a great time to take those practice tests and begin your preparation for your exam of choice. In any case, we think it is really valuable for students to be done testing before the start of their 12th grade year.

For more information on our recommendations for a reasonable testing timeline and other insights about the role that SAT and ACT scores have played in recent admissions cycles, check out our blog: How Students in the Class of ‘23 and ‘24 Should Be Thinking About Testing – these recommendations apply to our Class of ‘25 friends as well. 

The bottom line? 

Whether you choose the ACT or the SAT — choose the exam that is the best fit for you: the one you feel the most comfortable and confident navigating. There is no ‘gaming’ an ‘easier’ test, and no preference given by Admissions Officers. Whatever you choose, be prepared, but take a reasonable approach: it is never worth cramming and re-testing at the expense of your grades in school. You are not your SAT or ACT scores and you will have many other strengths to offer through your application.