The ACT includes a science section and is scored out of 36, while the SAT is scored out of 1600 and is fully digital and adaptive.
Format
- SAT: scored 400 to 1600 from two sections (Reading and Writing, and Math). Digital, adaptive, about 2 hours 14 minutes.
- ACT: scored 1 to 36 (composite average). English, math, reading and an optional science (since 2025 the ACT made science optional and shortened the test to about 2 hours 5 minutes).
Time per question
The ACT has less time per question.
Math
The SAT gives a formula sheet and has some no-calculator questions removed in the digital version. The ACT includes more geometry and trigonometry.
Accepted
All US colleges accept both.
Test-optional
Many schools are test-optional, but some, like MIT and Dartmouth, have returned to requiring tests.
Choose
Take a practice test of each.
Format
The SAT is run by the College Board and is now digital, with an adaptive format where the second module of each section adjusts in difficulty. It takes about 2 hours and 14 minutes and has two sections: Reading and Writing, and Math. Scores range from 400 to 1600. The ACT is run by ACT Inc. and has English, Math, Reading and optional Science sections, with an optional writing test, and scores of 1 to 36. In 2025 the ACT shortened and made Science optional. The paper-based ACT takes about 2 hours 55 minutes.
Time per question
The SAT gives about 71 seconds per Reading and Writing question and 95 seconds per Math question. The ACT is faster paced, with about 45 seconds per English question and about 60 seconds per math question. Students who like more time per question tend to prefer the SAT, and fast readers may like the ACT.
Content differences
- SAT math includes a no-calculator section on older paper versions, but the digital version permits a calculator on the whole math section, with a built in Desmos graphing calculator.
- ACT math covers more geometry and trigonometry.
- SAT reading uses short passages with one question each, while the ACT has longer passages.
- The ACT science section tests data interpretation, not specific science knowledge.
Acceptance
All US four year colleges that accept test scores take both tests equally. There is no advantage to either. Many schools provide concordance tables to compare scores, for example an ACT 30 is about SAT 1360.
Test-optional trend
After 2020 many colleges went test-optional, but several selective schools, such as MIT, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard and Stanford, have reinstated test requirements for later admission cycles. Strong scores can help even at test-optional schools, and also help with scholarships and some state programs.
How to choose
- Take a diagnostic of both under real conditions.
- Compare scores with the concordance tables.
- Pick the test you score higher on and prepare for it.
- Both allow multiple attempts. Many students take them 2 or 3 times, and superscoring is common.
Retaking
Taking the SAT twice raises scores on average by about 90 points for those who retake. Prepare through free resources such as Khan Academy’s official SAT practice.
Scoring and scores
The SAT is scored from 400 to 1600, with sections for Reading and Writing and for Math, and is now fully digital in the US, with adaptive modules and a total length of about 2 hours 14 minutes. The ACT is scored from 1 to 36 and includes English, Math, Reading and optional Science, with Science made optional in 2025 and the composite computed from the required sections. A composite ACT score of 21 is about the national average, and an SAT total near 1030 is average. Concordance tables from the College Board and ACT convert scores. Many students take both tests once and focus on the one with the better percentile.
Based on data from the College Board and ACT
