Should I take both the ACT and SAT? Yes!

For about 50 years, the SAT dominated the ACT as the go-to standardized test for high schoolers. This held true until 2012, when the ACT finally pulled ahead by about 1,500 test-takers. The tests have ranked neck-and-neck in popularity since then, and students have had to ask some serious questions: Which test to take? Better yet, should I take both the ACT and SAT? We’ve always counseled our students to take one test or the other based on skills, high school performance, college goals, and other such criteria. As an agency that has provided SAT tutoring in Nashville since 2008, we have been helping students with the SAT and ACT for more than a decade. For some time now, we have been advising our students to take both tests.

This isn’t as hard as it sounds; these days, the SAT is looks a lot like the ACT. Obscure vocabulary words have been tossed; math focuses more on basic algebra; and reading passages are at a lower reading level. And the SAT no longer penalizes the test-taker for guessing, making it like the ACT, which has never taken off points for a wrong answer.

The University of Georgia seconds this advice on its Admissions Criteria web page. “Though historically we have reviewed more SAT scores from applicants, we do not have a preference between the ACT and SAT. In fact, we often recommend that students attempt each test at least once.”

One reason we are making this recommendation is that the CollegeBoard is still tinkering with scoring the new SAT and will go all-digital in 2024.  And colleges are still learning how to interpret them (the SAT is again being scored out of 1600, not 2400, with numerous sub-scores).

So…Should I Take Both the ACT and SAT?

The SAT bears so many similarities to the ACT that you can essentially study for both at the same time. Simply study for the ACT using ACT study guides and tutors, brush up on pertinent facts about the SAT, sign up for both tests, and you’re done.

Another reason is that many admissions boards, recommend it. As Georgia Tech states on its Admissions webpage, “Take both tests! Many students feel more comfortable with one testing format over the other, resulting in higher scores.”

Not only do we second this advice, but we think you can read between the lines and find a possible preference for students with the moxie to take both tests.

And then there’s another subtle, yet important detail to consider: some colleges, including University of Central Florida “superscore” the SAT but not the ACT. (This is to say that if you take the SAT more than once, they will count your highest section scores.) If your top school, such as NYU, institutes this policy, taking the SAT twice in addition to taking the ACT may best ensure top scores.

For private, in-home SAT and ACT tutoring in Nashville, contact In-Home Tutors at 615-823-1619 today. Your first session is guaranteed!