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07-12-2008, 03:50 PM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 89
| Why do people recommend taking the ACT if you scored lowly on the SAT?
I've seen this suggested quite often, people score below 19s on the SAT and people say, "Take the ACT, it's easier!"
How is this so? Wikipedia gives equivalences on ACT and SAT scores.. for someone to score better on the ACT would mean for them to get a higher equivalence rating.. how is this so? What do they mean? | 
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07-12-2008, 04:04 PM
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#2 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 290
| ACT and SAT tests are structured in different ways and they test different abilities... ACT is not necessarily easier... how familiar are you with its format?
Last edited by tmi; 07-12-2008 at 04:05 PM.
Reason: message posted is unclear
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07-12-2008, 04:05 PM
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#3 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 89
| I'm only aware that the ACT has a science portion. I absolutely adore science, but will that make that big of a difference? I don't know all that much about the ACT. Someone can explain if they'd like  | |
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07-12-2008, 04:38 PM
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#4 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 290
| Are you a soph/jr/sr? | |
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07-12-2008, 08:51 PM
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#5 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 89
| Uhh, rising senior. I'll still be taking the SAT 1-2 more times as well as the ACT. I'd just like more info on the ACT. | |
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07-12-2008, 09:00 PM
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#6 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 290
| Do you consider yourself a math/science person, or more eng/history? | |
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07-12-2008, 09:57 PM
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#7 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 89
| Heh, it's weird.
I really don't care that much for math that's on the SAT, I actually enjoyed precalc and trigonometry. I LOVE science. Biology is my projected major.
English.. I don't really have any problems with it, I'm indifferent.
History, though.. I hate it. I hate it more than anything. It's the most boring thing to read to me.
So.. if I really have to choose between what you said, math/science. | |
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07-12-2008, 10:52 PM
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#8 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Boise, Idaho
Posts: 615
| my scores were pretty much the same on my practice tests....i opted to take the SAT because i feel that it carries more weight. | |
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07-13-2008, 01:20 AM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007 Location: N. California
Posts: 2,020
| The ACT science is more interpreting charts and the like, rather than science like Biology. | |
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07-13-2008, 01:53 AM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: California
Posts: 1,472
| I haven't took both, let alone start preparing, but my guess is that they're obviously two different tests so if you got low on one, try the other to see if you would do better. The statistics is probably just there as a comparison to see pseudoobjectively whether ACT score X is as compared to SAT score X, but by no means an actual indicator of how well one does. | |
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07-13-2008, 02:35 PM
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#11 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 290
| OK, well one big difference to consider is that schools will see ALL of your SAT test scores, at least for the class of 2009, and ONLY the ACT scores you choose to send. That is why some feel there is less risk if you have say, a bad hair day. The SAT has 3 sections: Crit Reading, Math and Writing. You could say it leans 2/3 towards the English person. ACT, on the other hand, has Math, Science, Reading and English plus the writing component. The ACT composite is based on the 4 sections (does not include the Writing), so it divides into 1/2 for the Math/Science person and 1/2 for the English person. If you are decent in Reading/Eng skills and even better in Math/Science, I think your ACT score might be comparatively higher. That is, if you go into the test having prepared for its unique challenges... | |
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