Informative

The ACT vs. SAT

Elena Abarra, Staff Reporter • May 5, 2025

So, you’re a high schooler juggling classes, sports, and sometimes a part-time job, and then you’re told you have to take the ACT or SAT, two of the most infamous tests in the academic world. No pressure, right? These standardized exams might sound like alphabet soup, but choosing the right one can actually make your college application journey a whole lot smoother. Well, look no further. Here we’re diving into the differences, the history, and the must-knows to help you figure out which test is your perfect match, or at least the one that stresses you out the least.

ACT

Born 1901 on June 4, Professor of education at the University of Iowa College of Education. Everett Franklin Lindquist was the original creator of the ACT.

Introduced by Everett Franklin Lindquist, a former professor of education at the University of Iowa, the ACT is the top readiness test in the US. It examines the knowledge students have gained throughout their school years to predict how they will perform in first-year college work. While Lindquist started researching and adapting the ACT in the 1920s, the test was not officially taken until 1959, when 75,000 students participated for the first time. Therefore, at least 35 years were spent developing this test. Lindquist, as a professor, saw one problem with the SAT: that the assessment purported to evaluate theoretical reasoning as opposed to practical knowledge, which he thought was more important for university studies. With this test officially in schools, in 1972 the ACT surpassed a million test takers throughout the US. In 2018, the ACT surpassed the SAT as the most popular college admissions test in the US, with 2 million test takers. Now, nearly 1.4 million students take the ACT every year.

Now that you know how the ACT was created and why, what really is the test? Well, the ACT test comprises four sections, including English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. After concluding the test, each section is scored out of 36 points, and your final score is the average number between all four sections. This differs significantly from the SAT, which is scored out of 1600 points. Fortunately, students have the choice between taking the test digitally or on paper. This option is provided so students can maximize their performance and confidence by taking the ACT in the way they feel is best for them. Additionally, there’s an optional 40-minute essay assessing writing skills. In total, you get 2 hours and 55 minutes, which includes the four multiple-choice sections and a 15-minute break after the math section. If you do take the optional writing section, it adds another 40 minutes to the total test time, plus a 5-minute break before you write.

Around the US, approximately 20% of colleges and institutions use ACT scores when reviewing applications. This makes the test extremely important for top colleges that are looking for the best of the best straight out of high school. While the average composite score is 19–20, to compete with students across the country, colleges recommend a score of 24 or higher. Usually, students take this test during the month of April, but if you want to retake it, you have to respect the 60-day waiting period between each test and the overall limit of 12 attempts.

SAT

Carl Campbell Brigham was an American eugenicist and professor of psychology at Princeton University’s Department of Psychology and a pioneer in the field of psychometrics.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test, officially recognized as the SAT, is a standardized test taken by many colleges and universities throughout the US. It is also used to determine the readiness of a high school student for college. It was developed by Carl C. Brigham, a former professor at Princeton University. While Brigham started creating the SAT in the 1920s, the first officially administered SAT test took place on June 23, 1926.

Like the ACT, when taking the SAT you get 2 hours and 14 minutes. With a total of 98 questions on the digital exam, they are distributed between two sections: Reading and Writing, with 54 questions, and Math, which has 44 questions. Though the test has a wide score range, colleges usually look for a 1200 and higher, with top-tier universities looking for scores in the 1400–1600 range.

On the other hand, unlike the ACT, 80% of four-year colleges throughout the US do not require applicants to take the SAT. Although, specifically in California, a vast majority of colleges require SAT scores to be present in the application, including Stanford University and the University of California campuses at Berkeley, Davis, and Irvine. Likewise, students would take the SAT for the first time in their junior year of high school (11th grade) in the spring, but the test is also offered in the fall or winter of the school year. While college professors recommend taking it at least twice, once in their junior year and another time in their senior year, students are able to take it as many times as they want.

Why did Illinois switch from the SAT to the ACT?

ISBE, standing for the Illinois state board of education. Decides to sign with ACT inc. for the next 6 years.

As students know after taking their exam this year, Illinois switched from the SAT to the ACT after eight straight years of the SAT. This switch is due to the ISBE contract with College Board (which administers the SAT) ending on June 30, 2024. The ACT then took its place. Though many students prefer the SAT over the ACT, ISBE has signed a contract with ACT Inc. for the next six years, making the SAT no longer a requirement.

Conclusion

And with that, you are now completely informed about the SAT and the ACT. So hopefully, when this time does come around for you, you’re a pro and can help the people around you with the same questions you once had.

Works Cited:

A (Mostly) Breif History Of The SAT And ACT Tests. (2025, February 20). erikthered. https://www.erikthered.com/tutor/sat-act-history-printable.html
College Adissions Tests: A Breif History. (2024, August 19). Education Writers Association. https://ewa.org/issues/higher-ed/college-admissions-tests-a-brief-history-act-sat#:~:text=Now%2C%20they%20are%20used%20interchangeably,will%20become%20a%20for%2Dprofit
Lindsay. S. PrepScholar. blog.prescholar. https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-history-of-the-act-test
The History of the ACT. Manhattan Review. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nT018l9G67fIzreELeTwQDPv_5wCa3rgXuE476F0M8Q/edit?tab=t.0
Who Created the ACT and SAT Exams and Why? (2024, April 5). UWorld College Prep. https://collegeprep.uworld.com/blog/who-created-the-act-and-sat-exams-and-why/#:~:text=The%20ACT%20recently%20surpassed%20the%20SAT%20to,programs%20to%20high%20school%20and%20college%20students
2024 Average ACT Scores by State. (2024, December 16). Horizon Education. https://horizoneducation.com/blog/average-act-scores-by-state#:~:text=23-,National%20Averages,United%20States%20took%20the%20ACT

Issue #6

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About the Contributor

Elena Abarra, Staff Reporter

Hey! My name is Elena Abarra, and I am currently a freshman at Elmwood Park High School. I am on the JV Cheerleading team at EPHS. I am also involved in DECA, Student Council, and Operation Snowball. I love to read, watch TV, run, play piano, and play sports in my free time. Some goals I have are to travel as much of the world as I can and to work hard in school to set myself up for success. My plans after high school are to go to either the University of Hawaii, New York University, or Michigan State University, most likely to study business.