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The ACT standardized test is often lauded for providing to prospective college students an alternative to the traditional SAT, a test that has been infamous in culture for decades for its longevity and supposed difficulty.
Originally standing for “American College Test,” the ACT now goes only by its acronym and sets itself up as a foil for the SAT, providing less of an emphasis on vocabulary and stressing the importance of sciences. Most colleges now accept both tests, so the decision on which test to take is usually left to the discretion student and his or her family.
However, even though both tests fill a similar need on college applications, they are scored very, very differently, which often confuses students trying to compare their scores. Here are a few helpful hints regarding the scoring of the ACT and how it differs from the SAT.
Sections
Both tests have differing sections for the academic discipline targeted.
Since 2005, the SAT has been split up into three sections: mathematics, critical reading, and writing (an essay portion). However, in 2016 the test was reformatted again, reverting to a two-section test of mathematics and reading, with the essay becoming optional.
The ACT, on the other hand, covers four subjects: mathematics, reading, science reasoning, and writing. The four sections are part of two larger sections: ELA (writing/reading) and STEM (mathematics/science reasoning). For each of the two sections, the scores in both subjects are averaged, based on points awarded, and then the sections are combined for the total score.
Science
Obviously, the one thing that stands out from the surface information on both tests is the addition of a science reasoning section to the ACT. Oftentimes it is this subject in particular that beckons students into or out of an ACT classroom. Those who plan to major in a STEM field will often want to show their scientific prowess through this section, and science-phobic liberal arts majors tend to try to avoid this section like the plague.
However, as scary or appealing as the name might sound, depending on your point of view, the science section is not what it sounds like. T
he ACT presents the student with data, research, and viewpoints and bases questions off information given in the test rather than, say, asking the student to name the chemical formula for trifluoroacetic acid (C2HF3O2, by the way). The section is as scientific as it is logical, something that many first time test takers don’t realize.
Difference In Questions
Questions on the ACT are both written and scored differently than they are on the SAT. ACT questions, generally, are written in a more straightforward manner than SAT questions.
One of the most common complaints about the SAT is that the questions are more complicated than the answers. To this end, SAT questions commonly use more unique words than ACT questions, meaning that if you’re someone with an extensive vocabulary, you’d probably prefer the SAT. ACT questions focus more on getting their point across and setting up the premise than flowery language.
Because the questions are weighted and scored differently, test taking strategies for the ACT are completely in contrast with those for the SAT. One of the most oft-repeated SAT strategies drills it into the heads of students that it is better to leave a question blank than guess and get it wrong.
But, the exact opposite is true for the ACT, meaning that it is graded like any other test: leaving a question blank will net zero points for sure, while a guessed answer has a probability, however small, of being correct.
Point Scale
It is extremely important to remember the differences in point scaling between the tests. The new SAT scale is split down the middle at 800 points per section, giving you a score out of 1600 between reading and mathematics.
ACT scores are out of 36, with the STEM and ELA sections at 18 points a piece. In each half of the test, the student’s score between the two subjects is averaged and taken out of 18. These two numbers are then added up and rounded for an integer between 1-36.
A “good score” on the ACT is in the eye of the beholder, but the average score hovers around a 21. That, obviously, means any score of 22 or above is better than half the country. From there, the percentiles increase until 36, the maximum possible score.
