The ACT depends more on content than thinking. The SAT depends more on thinking than content. There is no negative marking for incorrect answers on either exam.
| ACT Reading |
SAT Critical Reading |
| 40 questions in 35 minutes |
52 questions in 65 minutes |
- 3-4 single passages and 0-1 dual passages
- Does not include graphs, figures, and diagrams
- Favors students who are good at synthesizing a lot of information in a short time as there is more reading than the SAT
|
- 4 single passages and 1 dual passages
- Includes graphs, figures, and diagrams
- Often more manageable than the ACT reading; students rarely struggle to finish
|
| ACT English (grammar) |
SAT Writing (grammar) |
| 75 questions in 45 minutes |
44 questions in 35 minutes |
- Edit and answer questions for five different passages.
- No graphs or charts included
|
- Edit and answer questions for four passages
- Emphasizes student’s command of evidence, both verbal and graphical
|
| ACT Math |
SAT Math |
| 60 problems to solve in 60 minutes |
38 problems to solve in 55 minutes
(Calculator Section)
20 problems to solve in 25 minutes
(No Calculator Section) |
- Can always use a calculator
- Provides no reference formulas
- Includes questions about equation of a circle and ellipse
- Includes logarithms
|
- Has a section where calculators are prohibited
- Provides some geometric formulas for reference
- Does not include formula of a circle or ellipse
- Does not include logarithms.
|
| ACT Essay |
SAT Essay |
| 1 essay topic in 40 minutes |
1 essay topic in 50 minutes |
- The Essay section is optional and is not part of the composite score
- Students critically engage with a topic and three provided perspectives/ways of thinking about the topic
- Scored by two graders on a scale of 1-36
|
- The Essay section is optional and is not part of the overall score
- Students construct a rhetorical analysis of a provided source text
- Scored by two graders on a scale of 6-24
|
| ACT Science |
|
| 40 questions in 35 minutes |
|
- Students must quickly analyze trends presented in graphs, tables, and figures
- Asks questions about experimental design and results
|
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