whatsapp

Reasons to Take Both the SAT & ACT

Want to Increase Your College Admissions Options but Cut Down on Stress?

Learn why taking both the SAT and the ACT is a smart choice and why you can consider taking both the tests?

To understand better…

Admission into colleges abroad is a competitive one and high school students would constantly look for various means to improve their chances of getting admitted into the University of their choice. Taking both the ACT and SAT and scoring well on these tests clearly gives the message to the admission committee that the student’s performance was not just by fluke or by luck and instead shows consistency in terms of high performance.

 

How Does This Impact Your Preparation for the Tests?

Preparing for the ACT or SAT is a monumental task, so studying for both exams may seem like an impossible feat, especially for busy high school seniors. But the good news is that there is a lot of content overlap on these two tests. The ACT and SAT focus on the same key subjects, which makes it a lot easier for students to prepare simultaneously. To make it simpler, studying for the SAT will also help you get ready for the ACT, and vice versa.

Considering a major decision that students have to take with regard to their career and undergraduate studies abroad, more and more students have decided to play it safe and leave no stone unturned. A report from New York times indicated that close to 8000 of Princeton’s 26000 applications submitted scores from both the ACT and SAT. This is definitely an indication that more students are taking both the tests.

Are You Planning to Prepare for SAT?
Click Here to Book Your Free 1-On-1 Session with Experts

Learn Why Taking Both the SAT and the ACT is a Smart Choice

1. You’ll Give More Information to the Admissions Committee

Princeton University’s dean of admissions is on record as saying:

“…more information is always better. If students choose one or the other, that’s fine, because both tests have value. But if they submit both, that generally gives us a little more information.” Most colleges require either the  SAT exam or ACT, and many offer score choice, allowing you to report only your best scores on either exam.

 

2. You Can Prep More Efficiently

You’re applying to competitive schools and crafting a stellar college application —which means you’ll likely end up taking the SAT or ACT more than once to get the scores you want. If you start by taking both tests, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about which one best displays your strengths, and work on raising those scores.

Related Blog Post: ACT Prep Guide

 

3. You Can Cut Down on Stress!

Knowing you have more than one option will lower your stress level—helping you perform better on test day.

 

4. You Might Cut Down the Number of Tests You Need to Take

Some schools require applicants to submit scores from either the ACT or the SAT and Advanced Placement Subjects as well. If you plan to take the SAT, taking the ACT too will cover you just in case something goes wrong on one of the Advanced Placement Subject tests.

 

5. You’ll Have More Options

Considering both tests gives you a lot more flexibility when it comes to choosing test dates.

What’s the downside? More time and more cost in prep. You’ll need to invest time to get into your reach schools, but we’ll make sure you prep efficiently, and we have excellent options to help you prep for both cost-effectively.

 

What Could be the Reasons to Avoid taking Both the Tests?

Even if there is an overlap of content while preparing for both the tests, you will definitely need plenty of time to prepare for each test and this would gradually become longer nights leading up to the test days.

There is a lot of potential to boost your college resume by taking both the tests, there is no guarantee that this helps. This would also mean that the student would have to expend a lot of energy and time and if this ends up hurting your scores, the entire purpose of the exercise would be defeated.

At the end, the decision has to be made by the student. For most students, it’s always a good idea to pick one of the tests and focus extensively on preparing for the test. Taking both the tests do have benefits but the benefits vs risks need to be measured before taking this step.

 

Manya – The Princeton Review Advantage

Manya – The Princeton Review offers end-to-end study abroad services encompassing admissions consulting services, test preparation, English language training, career assessment, and international internship opportunities to study abroad aspirants. Founded in 2002, Manya holds an impeccable track record of enabling more than 4 lac students to accomplish their study abroad dreams through its network of 47+ centers across India.

Manya has formed long-lasting global alliances with several market leaders in the education industry in order to maximize the benefits of its large service portfolio. Their list of esteemed partners and affiliations includes – The Princeton Review (TPR), Cambridge University Press (CUP), Cogito Hub, British Council, Tuding to name a few. Manya has also forged 600+ partnerships with international universities across top study abroad destinations.

Sharing is caring:
Book your Free Counselling Session now!

FAQs

Why the SAT is a good measure of Intelligence?

The SAT questions are designed for enhancing the intelligence thought process, better than the traditional IQ test to measure intelligence. Because the SAT questions are designed to focus on using thought processes rather than just giving a direct answer. It results are that the format of the questions may be the same, but the answers from each student will be different. Thus, SAT is a good measure of Intelligence.

What is the benefit of taking an SAT practice test?

SAT practice tests will provide an experience of the actual SAT exam. It helps the student to get familiar with the actual examination environment. Also, SAT Practice test helps to evaluate the performance of the student’s preparedness. Thus, these are the benefits of taking an SAT practice test.

How is the SAT different?

The SAT is different in its shorter reading passages, making it easier to read and faster to analyze. The report of Digital SAT is much faster than the traditional one. A student can receive the report within a few days.

What are the pro and cons of the SAT and ACT?

Both tests are about the same length. But it depends on the ability of the students that match the SAT and ACT requirements. The SAT comprises a fewer but longer section, while the ACT section is broken into smaller sections. Thus, it is recommended that students should understand the exam format and then decide to for one exam, although it’s not mandatory to take only one exam. These are the pros and cons of SAT and ACT.

Why SAT and ACT score is so important for college admissions?

These exams are designed to judge one’s mental argumentative thought processing capability and having good SAT and ACT scores will open various amenities for the students at the time of college entrance or admissions.

Planning to study abroad?
Get free 1-on-1 counselling with our experts

Subscribe to this blog