As the school year nears its end, the junior class prepares to take standardized college tests. Some students take the SAT, some take the ACT, and some take both. Bu tis the test that you’re taking the best possible for your skills? Or is it the one that you just grew up hearing about, and were inclined to do?
For me, without an older sibling, I never really knew anything about college or preparing for it. I was the one braving the front for my brother, figuring it all out for myself. Hence, I never really knew what the SAT and ACT were before junior year. This offered me the chance to really consider which test I took instead of going with what I heard.
What I have realized, though, is that my friends all talk about the SAT as opposed to the ACT, and hold it to a higher standard, because that’s just how they were raised. What many of them don’t know is that the ACT can replace the SAT completely; students only need to take one to get into college.
But what does all the alphabet soup really mean? Is there a difference in the tests? Does it matter?
The SAT consists of reading, writing and math. It challenges your vocabulary and asks you to analyze passages. It has ten shorter sections with a five-minute break between every two sections.
The ACT, on the other hand, is a new test that many are not educated about. It has the writing, reading and math sections like the SAT, as well as a science section.It only has five long sections with ten-minute breaks. It does not ask for as much vocabulary; rather, it asks you to correct a word in a given passage. Students who are better at math and science usually excel more on the ACT.
All I ask, Langley students, is that before you commit to a test, do your research. Don’t pick one test just because all of your friends are doing it, or because it feels more comfortable because you have heard of it before. Too many of my friends have not considered both, and may have missed out on a great standardized test score just because they didn’t think for themselves.