ACT vs SAT

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ACT vs SAT

Introduction

Taking the SAT is the best way to show colleges you have the skills and knowledge they want most.

And because you have seven chances each year to test, more time for each question, and access to free practice tools, you'll see that the SAT offers advantages the ACT doesn't.

Find out other ways the SAT compares to the ACT* before taking your next step to plan for college.

SAT vs ACT

ACT vs SAT - Test

Features	SAT	ACT
Widely accepted	All U.S. colleges	All U.S. colleges
Measures	What students learn in high school What they need to succeed in college	What students learn in high school
Everyday math formulas provided	Yes	No
Tests the vocabulary you’ll use	Yes	Yes
Essay is optional	Yes	Yes
Penalty for guessing	No	No

ACT vs SAT - Flexibility

Schedule	SAT	ACT
Future test administration dates	3 years	2 years
Regular registration deadline	About 4 weeks before test day. You pay a late fee for registering later.	About 5 weeks before test day. You pay a late fee for registering later.
Late registration closes	About 11 days before test day	20+ days before test day
Test days	7 times a year	7 times a year

ACT vs SAT - Fee Waivers

Benefits and Rules	SAT	ACT
Test fees waived for eligible students	Yes	Yes
Regular registration deadline	About 4 weeks before test day. You pay a late fee for registering later.	About 5 weeks before test day. You pay a late fee for registering later.
Automatically unlocks all fee waiver benefits after one-time use	Yes	No
Waivers cover late fees	Yes	No
Score reports	Unlimited	20 score reports
Waived application fees at participating colleges	Yes	No
Score services	Yes, either Question-and-Answer Service (QAS) or Student Answer Service (SAS) for SAT administrations	Yes, Test Information Release for 3 administrations
A fee reduction for multiple-choice score verification or essay score verification	Yes	No
Free applications to apply for financial aid from participating schools	Yes, students can use CSS Profile to apply for financial aid	No
Expiration date	No	Expire end of August each year

ACT vs SAT - Test Format

Structure and Timing	SAT	ACT
Testing time	3 hours + 50-minute essay (optional)	2 hours 55 minutes + 40-minute essay (optional)
Structure	154	215
Time per question	1 minute, 10 seconds	49 seconds
Score range	Composite 400–1600 (SAT Essay: reported in 3 dimensions, each 2–8)	Composite 1–36 (writing domain scores: 2–12)
Test components	Reading Test 65 minutes 52 questions Writing and Language Test 35 minutes 44 questions Math Test 80 minutes 58 questions	Reading Test 35 minutes 40 questions English Test 45 minutes 75 questions Math Test 60 minutes 60 questions Science Test 35 minutes 40 questions
Waived application fees at participating colleges	Yes	No
Score services	Yes, either Question-and-Answer Service (QAS) or Student Answer Service (SAS) for SAT administrations	Yes, Test Information Release for 3 administrations
A fee reduction for multiple-choice score verification or essay score verification	Yes	No
Free applications to apply for financial aid from participating schools	Yes, students can use CSS Profile to apply for financial aid	No

SAT - Related Information

ACT Test Eligibility

ACT Test Pattern

SAT Eligibility

SAT Registration

ACT Test Syllabus

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