<p>For some reason I don’t seem to do all too well on the SAT, specifically the critical reading. It bores me to tears, literally. I can’t focus on it for too long. I barely reach 1900 total because of it.</p>
<p>Anyways, I have heard that some people are just naturally bad at the SAT. If this is the case, what’s so different about the ACT that would let the bad SAT-takers succeed more?</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>The ACT is more oriented to school-based knowledge. The SAT, by contrast, is designed to assess aptitude-based capabilities to a greater extent. In short, the ACT has more of an academic achievement focus.</p>
<p>Also, in terms of question and scoring anatomy, the ACT has four choices rather than five and only 1 point, rather than 1.25 points, is deducted for a incorrectly chosen answer. Moreover, the ACT is an average of all section scores whereas the SAT is a cumulative total.</p>
<p>Time-wise, the ACT is shorter.</p>
<p>I will attempt to be blunt but genuine and reasonable.</p>
<p>Indeed, some people are naturally bad at the SAT, just as some people are naturally bad at tests in school, sports, or IQ tests. All populations have diversity; such provides a menu from which natural selection can, through some personification, effect evolution. One of the most phenotypically salient variabilities in humans is intelligence. Intelligence is not defined without controversy, but there is concensus that different people have different levels of intelligence. The SAT serves in part to measure one’s intelligence. Many of the people who are naturally bad at the SAT are of low intelligence – some, however, may just be bad test-takers. People who claim the latter classification falsely, I suspect, greatly outnumber those who claim it accurately, though. Academic achievement is also, in part, tested on the SAT; thus, a perfect correlation between some hypothetical measure of intelligence and one’s SAT score would not exist.</p>
<p>The ACT, in partial contrast to the SAT, is primarily an achievement-based assessment. Those who studied hard in school but lack the ordinarily corresponding intelligence will likely favor the ACT. A rough psychological analogy: the SAT tends more toward fluid intelligence (problem-solving and making conclusions), whereas the ACT tends more toward crystallized intelligence (the application of acquired knowledge).</p>
<p>For example, the passage sections on the Critical Reading section of the SAT require almost no knowledge beyond the ability to read; more importantly, one must be able to make conclusions that are reasonable given the (textual) evidence. Similarly, the questions in the Mathematics sections are generally of a very basic nature but require keen problem-solving skills.</p>
<p>Woops, mifune beat me to it. :)</p>
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<p>Yes. To clarify, though: the one-point “deduction” for a wrong answer on the ACT is more precisely an opportunity cost; that is, omitting and answering incorrectly yield the same score. </p>
<p>The ACT’s having fewer choices and not deducting for wrong answers may facilitate a higher amount of luck in scoring well. One has a much higher chance of guessing his or her way from a good score to a great score on the ACT than on the SAT. </p>
<p>The fact that the ACT’s composite score is an average while the SAT’s total is additive results in a greater rarity of perfect scores on the SAT.</p>
<p>These differences suggest that, as I believe mifune has mentioned in the past, the ACT would be a good metric for benchmarking states’ curricula and that the SAT would be better as the required college admissions examination.</p>
<p>At the moment, however, most colleges treat the tests similarly. So try the ACT and see whether you do better. Good luck.</p>
<p>Post #3 is an excellent response.</p>
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<p>Exactly.</p>
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<p>I absolutely agree.</p>
<p>I’d probably do better on the ACT, because I’m more knowledge acquired, but I’m already friends with the SAT so I don’t think I’ll switch.</p>
<p>I agree with your decision. But I would recommend that you purchase/checkout/inquire into the “The Real ACT Prep Guide” to see if the ACT is a better representative of your academic abilities since it is a personal benefit to accentuate your individual talents (particularly when it comes to factors on a college application).</p>