SAT is super popular with the Indian undergraduate test takers. The moment ACT is mentioned, one big question that pops up is “Is it as well received by colleges as is SAT?”
Off late, ACT, with more number of test dates in comparison to those offered by SAT, has begun to get noticed, more than it was earlier. On exploring further, it is very clear that there is no bias held by the colleges regarding the kind of test (i.e. SAT or ACT) that they would accept in all 4-year colleges and universities in the USA. In addition, ACT offers the ACT profile report, an awesome value-add to help students in their career and educational planning. This report provides a comprehensive profile of your work in high school and your future plans. The ultimate decision of choosing which test to take relies purely upon an individual’s attitude towards the exam type. Thus the right thing to do would be to take a mock test of each test type and figure out what really works best for you. Manya-The Princeton Review has a StartUp test to help you figure out which test is better for you.
Curriculum-based test
An obvious reason that an Indian test-taker would find ACT downright appealing is due to the curriculum-based nature of the multiple-choice test. As ACT is directly related to what you have learned in your high school courses in English, Mathematics, and Science, it is more familiar and comfortable than the traditional aptitude tests or tests with narrower content.
Calculator allowed throughout the Math test
One reason that makes the Math on the ACT seem less daunting is the freedom to use the calculator throughout the math test which is a blessing considering that each question needs to be done in less than a minute on an average.
Science section
The inclusion of the science section of the ACT, which is dominantly linked with charts and graphs and tables that need to be mostly understood and sometimes interpreted, is a welcome aspect for students who prefer seeing facts and figures over literary reading and analysis.
Lighter on Algebra!
One important factor for you to either choose or reject taking the ACT is the fact that it is lighter on the Algebra than the SAT and instead, includes more questions on trigonometry and geometry. There are no grid-in questions on the math where you need to work out the question and enter an answer, instead, answer choices accompany every question and you could plug in the answers and work backward to arrive at the correct answer.
ACT Writing- Have an opinion!
A great relief for Indian students, who are more used to the opinion-based essay structure, is that the ACT Essay, which is optional, expects the test taker to have an opinion on a topic given and state the same. This is a skill that most high school students have since they are used to writing such essays in school.
So, if you prefer straight-forward questions then the ACT is certainly your kind of exam and you won’t for a moment regret taking this test.
Since the SAT tests are getting cancelled multiple times. You can go for the Manya’s SAT to ACT Bridge course, which is for students who have prepared for the SAT but want to move to ACT. This course is an abridged version of the ACT that focuses on the ACT topics or sections which are not covered in your SAT preparation.
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