SAT v ACT- for real

[Anonymous]

The best investment of time you will make in the college admissions game is to figure out which test fits your kid better. PPs above are right about the ACT favoring speed. It’s hard to predict how speed plays out for your kid unless they take a practice exam. A totally dawdler and procrastinator can be a fast standardized test-taker. Ignore the sample tests at your peril. You’ll leave points on the table. Rookie mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my 10th grader was set to take a practice ACT this morning via zoom. I printed out the test questions and when she told me she didn't have enough science to take the ACT, we looked at the science section. Sure enough, the first handful of science questions were straight physics (not terribly hard but completely undoable unless you've studied it). So she did not take the practice test. Too bad because I feel she may do better on the ACT format.

can someone address how science was handled to prepare for the ACT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my 10th grader was set to take a practice ACT this morning via zoom. I printed out the test questions and when she told me she didn't have enough science to take the ACT, we looked at the science section. Sure enough, the first handful of science questions were straight physics (not terribly hard but completely undoable unless you've studied it). So she did not take the practice test. Too bad because I feel she may do better on the ACT format.

can someone address how science was handled to prepare for the ACT?

A lot of the science tests reading comprehension/decoding, not straight up science. Neither of my DC had physics in high school but they both aced the ACT (including the science section - 35 for each).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my 10th grader was set to take a practice ACT this morning via zoom. I printed out the test questions and when she told me she didn't have enough science to take the ACT, we looked at the science section. Sure enough, the first handful of science questions were straight physics (not terribly hard but completely undoable unless you've studied it). So she did not take the practice test. Too bad because I feel she may do better on the ACT format.

can someone address how science was handled to prepare for the ACT?

A lot of the science tests reading comprehension/decoding, not straight up science. Neither of my DC had physics in high school but they both aced the ACT (including the science section - 35 for each).

Ok thanks. I didn't realize the science portion was also a reading comprehension section rather than straight science formulas or reactions or knowledge questions. DC is strong in science generally (but has not had physics yet). We're trying to reduce hard reading/comprehension which she's a bit weak on in a test setting (although fine at home and at school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ACT is faster paced, but has simpler questions that can be answered in that time frame. Both of my kids (one a stem kid, and one a humanities kid) preferred it and made great progress each time they took it. One went from a 26 to a 33 over 3 tries and the other went from a 25 to a 30 over three tries.

Did they do prep in between? If so, what kind?

[Anonymous]

In the last month my sophomore took a practice ACT and a practice SAT. No prep (although had taken PSAT in the fall so had been exposed to that format). Did better on the ACT but preferred the experience of taking the SAT. Not strong in math, so I suspect will end up taking the ACT.

[Anonymous]

my very strong math kid took both cold. got almost perfect reading/English scores on both and good but not great scores on math. got all the math right except for the last few on ACT because he ran out of time and did not finish. probably did slightly better overall on SAT. i think you just have to try both and try them twice so you get used to the format first (you gotta go fast on ACT)....