US Students
District Testing
ACT v. SAT
How the ACT Compares to the SAT
ACT |
SAT |
|
|---|---|---|
| Accepted at all U.S. Colleges |  |
|
| Calculator allowed for entire math test | |
 |
| Essay is optional | |
|
| No penalty for guessing | |
|
| Free daily practice questions | |
|
| Free comprehensive test practice | |
|
| Test fees waived for eligible students | |
|
| Fee waiver students eligible for college application fee waiver | |
|
| Free score reports | |
|
| All tests 1 hour or less | |
|
| Measures what you learn in high school | |
|
| You always know which questions count | |
|
| You have access to English learner supports | |
|
| You get a STEM score | |
|
| Subject scores are balanced | |
|
| Testing time | 2 hours 55 minutes + 40-minute essay (optional) |
3 hours + 50-minute essay (optional) |
| Structure | 4 tests + optional writing test | 3 tests + optional essay |
| Longest test | 1 hr | 1 hr 20 min |
| Shortest test | 35 min | 35 min |
| Score range | Composite 1–36 (writing domain scores: 2–12) | Composite 400–1600 (SAT Essay: reported in 3 dimensions, each 2–8) |
*Based on publicly released SAT information.