Test Comparison
Both the SAT and the ACT are standardized tests that help colleges and universities determine how prepared you are, as a student, to take college-level courses.
At first glance, the two tests don’t look very different. They take a similar amount of time to complete (between 3 hours and 35 minutes for the ACT, around 3 hours and 50 minutes for the SAT), and they cover all the same basic subjects: reading, writing, comprehension, problem solving, and mathematics. In the past, the two tests were more distinct from each other, but the SAT went through a massive revision and redesign in 2016, and now is very similar to the ACT’s format.
Additionally, all US colleges and universities accept both the ACT and the SAT, so there’s no direct advantage to taking one test over the other. However, despite all these similarities, there are also some surprising differences that might influence your choice.
The biggest difference is the amount of time allotted to each section of the test. The SAT allows more time per question for every section of the test, whereas the ACT requires you to move faster through the questions.
Additionally, the ACT has more questions than the SAT, but the SAT questions often require more lengthy reading and problem solving (so they take a little longer to complete).
SAT TO ACT SCORES CONVERSION CHART
