The SAT and ACT is a major requirement that is part of applying to four-year colleges. With the choice between the two tests, comes analyzing the pros and cons of each. A lot of the time, students don’t know which exam to take.

There are quite a few differences, and some students may perform better on one test than the other. The ACT questions tend to be more straightforward, and don’t require as much critical thinking, according to the website Aplustutoring. SAT questions are worded so that it may take a student more time to read over the question to really understand it and get the right answer.

The ACT includes a science section, while the SAT does not. The ACT is three hours and 55 minutes and the SAT is three hours and 50 minutes. Both the SAT and ACT requires a good amount of studying. English teacher Courtney Lockwood recommends to her AP students that they take both test in junior year, then retake the test with the best score.

“A major difference is students feel that the SAT is more common sense,” replied College Counselor Guy Cerda when asked what students feel about the SAT versus the ACT.

Students should take the SAT with the essay because it is more universally required by colleges.