First, check and see what test the school of your choice requires. If you have a choice, keep reading. If you don’t, skip to “Test Preparation.”

Both the SAT and the ACT are standardized tests used by college admissions offices and scholarship committees. Obviously, the higher your score the better chance you have of being selected as a recipient of an award. They do not test your intelligence, but rather, they are standardized achievement tests. The implication here is that you can prepare for them (more about this later). The ACT has traditionally been required by colleges in the Midwest while the SAT has been the test of choice in the Northeast, and on the East and West coasts. Many schools will accept either. Certain programs and scholarships also require a specific test.

The SAT

The SAT is divided into math and verbal sections that test specific skills. The test changed considerably in 1994. Now it is more than just a multiple choice test. There is more reading, longer reading passages, and a new math question type called “grid-ins.” You can legally take a calculator to the exam. The SAT is designed to predict college performance.

The ACT

The ACT consists of 245 multiple choice questions divided into 4 sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. Your score includes a composite score that averages all four sections. You also get scaled scores for each section and sub scores for three of the four sections. Like the SAT, the ACT is designed to measure acquired skills and predict college performance. Most students find that the ACT more closely resembles the work they do in high school.

More Information to Help you Decide

If you have a choice, take the exam that tests your strengths. For example:

The ACT has a science reasoning test, the SAT does not.

The ACT math test includes trigonometry.

The ACT tests English grammar, the SAT does not.

The SAT tests vocabulary much more than the ACT.

The SAT is not entirely multiple choice.

The SAT has a guessing penalty, the ACT does not.

The best way to find out which test is best for you is to take a sample test. Sample test items are available in the test application packet. Also, services such as Kaplan and the Bridges Project for Education offer diagnostic tests that will help you discover your strengths and weaknesses.

Test Preparation

Since these tests are not a measure of intelligence (they’re just standardized tests) the implication is that you can prepare for them. The best way to prepare for either exam is to take academically challenging courses.

Many find test preparation courses, such as the free Centinel Bank ACT Success Workshop offered for all area students at Taos and Peñasco High Schools by the Bridges Project, helpful. Kaplan also has a website (see next page), offers services via America Online, and has preparation software. Test seminars are also offered periodically in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Finally, you can do much to prepare yourself physically and emotionally for the test. Get a good night’s rest, have a small enjoyable breakfast and relax. If you are a senior who has taken college bound courses, chances are you will do well on the test.

Call Bridges at 758-5074 if we can help. Good luck!

email us at  info@bridgesproject.net
Bridges project for education
PO Box 308  Taos, NM 87571   505-758-5074
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