“Should my students take the ACT or the SAT?”
I’m asked this question several times a week by parents, and reasonably so. It’s an honest question. Performing well on standardized tests can influence the trajectory of many opportunities for high school students. In my tutoring practice, we measure a cluster of variables to help determine which test is a better fit for students.
- Processing Speed
- Practice Scores
- Verbal Memory
- Abstract Reasoning
When the choice is left to students, I’ve noticed many now gravitate towards the Digital SAT. This makes an odd sense. After all, the Digital SAT is new, digitally intuitive, and, most notably to students, a shorter test (2 hours and 14 minutes)[1] compared to its ACT counterpart (2 hours and 55 minutes).[2]
TIR and Other Benefits of the ACT
One of the ACT’s greatest advantages is its Test Information Release (TIR) feature. This feature boasts a unique and industry-defining accomplishment. Aside from the LSAT, the ACT is the only test that gives students the exact copy of the test they took, with its accompanying questions and answers. In the 2024 -2025 test cycle, the ACT offers TIR tests roughly five times (see table below).
TIR Test Dates Availability April 2024 Saturday and non-Saturday testing June 2024* Saturday testing only *A special study is being conducted in June 2024. TIR service will not be available for the online test mode.
September 2024 Saturday testing only December 2024 Saturday testing only February 2025 Saturday and non-Saturday testing Adapted from the ACT website
Due to the importance of this ACT advantage, we’ll cover this feature extensively in a subsequent post. Additionally, we’ll briefly touch on other advantages the ACT possesses.
How the ACT Helps Students
We’ve written on the societal benefits of standardized testing previously. However, in addition to capitalizing on scholarship opportunities, scoring well on the ACT opens doors in higher education for students that would otherwise be closed.
Finally, many of the students we test prep tutors teach are fantastic literaries. They comprehend the nuts and bolts of grammar mechanics, can wax poetic or rein in their prose to be more laconic, and read and analyze text critically. The ACT provides these high school students a unique opportunity with the ACT Writing Section.[9] Yes, the ACT Writing Section is optional. But what if students wield their pen fluently or with more mastery than their calculator? A high ACT Writing score on their college applications may speak to their writing prowess.
Conclusion
In the coming articles, we’ll cover these topics on the ACT:
- ACT TIR
- Education Benefits
- Scholarship Opportunities
- ACT Writing Section
If that sounds relevant to you, please follow along. The NTPA blog also covers the state of test prep, best practices in education, and the success of NTPA members. If you’re a student, you’ll learn how to best leverage the benefits of the ACT in your test prep and college applications. As an educator, you’ll discover insights you can use in advising your students. Stay tuned, and let us know in the comments what other test prep topics you’d like the NTPA blog to cover.
-Happy Testing
About the Author
Marc Gray, owner of Odyssey College Prep and CEO of Powerful Prep, streamlines college admissions with advanced aptitude testing. He guides students in creating unique passion projects for their applications. An active blogger, he writes on college admissions, test prep, and aptitude testing. As Chair of the NTPA’s Blog Committee, he updates members on the latest in test prep and community news.
Editor
Ben Sexton, owner of Sexton Test Prep & Tutoring, founded the company in 2005 in MetroWest Boston. His company offers SAT/ACT, SSAT/ISEE test prep, and academic tutoring for grades 5-12. Ben began tutoring in 2003 and expanded his business in 2012, now managing a team of 20 tutors and two managers. He holds degrees from Skidmore College and Boston College. Ben also serves on the NTPA Blog Committee. He enjoys boxing, strength training, and following Boston sports in his free time.
References
[1] The College Board. “How Long Does the SAT Take?” College Board Blog, 8 February 2024, https://blog.collegeboard.org/how-long-does-the-sat-take. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[2] ACT. “What You Need to Know for Test Day.” ACT, https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-day.html. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[3] McGibbon, Mike. Mathchops, https://www.mathchops.com/. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[4] MentoMind. MentoMind, https://mentomind.ai/. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[5] Terracciano, Kyle. No B.S. Prep: Increase your SAT® / PSAT® Score, https://nobsprep.com/. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[6] Seltzer, Neill. “ScoreSmart | Digital SAT.” Score Smart, https://score-smart.com/digital-sat/. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[7] Hanson, Brooke. “SAT® Courses.” SupertutorTV, Supertutor TV, https://supertutortv.com/the-best-sat-prep-course-ever/. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[8] Test Innovators. Test Innovators | Prep for Success – Test Innovators, 4 June 2024, https://testinnovators.com/. Accessed 5 July 2024.
[9] ACT. “Writing Test Prep.” ACT, https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/writing-test-prep.html. Accessed 5 July 2024.
Last Updated on October 29, 2024 by Michael Jordan