ACT or SAT? And The Winner Is: The SAT! (Usually)

For years I’ve been helping students decide whether the ACT or the SAT is better for them. As I will explain after providing an  overview of the key differences between the two tests, I now recommend the SAT as the better choice for most students.

Overview of ACT and SAT

Students looking to take a standardized test as part of the college admissions process have 2 choices: The SAT and the ACT. Colleges and universities are indifferent as to which test scores are submitted, and, in fact, many colleges and universities are now test optional. 

The key differences between the SAT and ACT are set forth below.

ACT SAT

Length is 2 hours 45 minutes (2 hours 5 minutes without the Science Test, which is now optional)	Length is 2 hours 14 minutes
Reading, Math, and English sections (and Science is optional)	2 Reading and Writing modules and 2 Math modules
A total of 171 questions (131 w/o Science)	A total of 98 questions
Approximately 62 seconds/question	Approximately 82 seconds/question (32% more time per question than on ACT)
Digital is in the new format as of April 2025. The paper changes to the new format beginning in September 2025.	Only digital format
Nonadaptive (digital or paper)	Adaptive (2nd module of Reading and Writing and Math adjust depending on performance on 1st module)
Score is 1 (low) to 36 (High) for each section and for composite	Score is 200 (low) to 800 (high) for each of Reading and Writing and Math
Math is 34% of questions on the test (26% if you include the Science Test)	Math is 45% of questions on the test
Reading and English are separate sections	Reading and Writing are combined in each of 2 modules
Each Reading and English passage is followed by multiple questions	Each Reading and Writing passage is followed by only 1 question

The SAT is Usually the Better Test

So, should you take the ACT or SAT? In my opinion, unless you are determined to take a paper test (only offered with the ACT), or you have a deep fear of math (a smaller percentage of the ACT is math), the SAT is the better choice. Why?

In the first place, the SAT is a much shorter test. It has about a third fewer questions than the ACT (and three quarters fewer questions if you plan to include the optional ACT Science Test). The SAT also allows about a third more time per question, which is quite significant on a timed test. Another advantage of the SAT over the ACT is that the SAT Reading and Writing sections (called Modules) only ask one question per passage, whereas the ACT gives you longer passages in both the Reading and English sections and asks multiple questions about them. Finally, the College Board, which administers the SAT, has made at least 6 digital practice SAT tests available on its Bluebook App. In contrast, the ACT organization has only made available one practice digital ACT and one practice paper ACT.

Notwithstanding my stated preference for the SAT, you should do your own due diligence by trying both tests and making your own decision as to which one suits you better.