High school can be a difficult and confusing part of teenage life, and some years are harder than others. Junior year is arguably the worst one because that’s when it’s time to start looking at colleges, applying for scholarships, keeping grades up and deciding which test to take; the ACT or SAT. 

Choosing between these two standardized tests can be complicated, especially when you aren’t sure what you’re good at or what each test consists of. 

There are similarities between the two tests, and it’s important to get these out of the way first in order to build a foundation for understanding. All U.S. colleges accept both tests, they both test vocabulary, the essay is optional and test fees can be waived for students who are eligible.

The SAT provides things like everyday math formulas, free daily test practice questions through the SAT app, personalized test practice through Khan Academy, downloadable practice tests and the ability to take the test 7 different times in one year. 

It is a total of 3 hours and 50 minutes for the optional essay and there are 154 questions. To structure your time well, it is suggested that you spend 1 minute and 10 seconds on each question. Your score will be anywhere from 400-1600 points. 

This test has three separate sections for test taking, including reading, writing/language and math portions. There are 65 minutes with 52 questions on the reading section. The writing and language section gives you 35 minutes and 44 questions. Lastly, the math section allows 80 minutes for 58 questions. 

It is good to consider both standardized tests, so now let’s consider the ACT. 

It doesn’t provide everyday math formulas, it gives you chances for free daily practice questions but doesn’t give you the opportunity to do free personalized test practices, and you only have one free test practice.

It is a total of 2 hours and 55 minutes with an additional 40 minutes for the optional essay. There are a total of 215 questions with 49 seconds for each question. The grading scale ranges from 1-36 points. 

This standardized test has four different sections including reading, English, math and science. The reading portion allows 35 minutes for 40 questions. There are 45 minutes with 75 questions for the English test. A total of 60 minutes for 60 questions on the math portion. Finally, the science test is 35 minutes long for 40 questions. 

Though there are some similarities between the tests that will benefit you, deciding which test to take comes down to acknowledging the stark differences that each one has. It is important to consider what strengths and weaknesses you have in certain school subjects, and how long it usually takes you to complete tests in order to make an informed decision.