What are the differences between the SAT and the ACT?

I am unaware of any college that won't accept either exam, so which you choose is a personal decision.  There are a lot of differences between the exams, but most people score comparably on each.  There are, however, people who do significantly better on one or the other.  When that happens it is often due to one of the following differences:To score highly on the ACT requires a faster pace than scoring highly on the SAT.The ACT math section is fully multiple choice and calculator active.  The SAT has two math sections.  You will take one without your calculator.  Each section has questions for which answer choices are not provided.  You must compute an answer and bubble it in.The SAT reading passages can be challenging, but you will have more time than you will for the ACT passages.  The trade-off is that 65 minutes is a long time to sit through a reading test.The ACT reading questions are more straight-forward (I've even encountered a few questions that merely required that I look up a date or a number in the passage) however, the pace at which you will need to read the passages and find the answers is a challenge for most people.The SAT writing multiple choice contains a higher number of errors you may not have been taught in school, but it's easier to improve your score by learning a few principles.The ACT has a "science" section that requires little science knowledge, but is more like a critical reading section on steroids with charts and graphs thrown in.  The pacing in this section is an issue for most people.If you can, I suggest that you take a timed practice test for each and see which you like better.  There is a practice test for the ACT here:http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/Preparing-for-the-ACT.pdfThere is a practice test for the SAT here:https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sat-practice-test-1.pdf

Engineering? MIT will accept either the SAT or the ACT but doesn't consider either one very highly. MIT also requires two SAT Subject Level tests (one math and one science) and weights those scores Ten times the basic SAT or ACT score. So, don't worry about the SAT vs ACT. Instead determine which SAT Subject Level test to take. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-subject That is what separates the STEM students from all the rest.....

There are a number of differences between the two tests. Here are seven of the most major: (1) Unlike the SAT, the ACT does not test vocabulary. While a difficult word might occasionally appear on an ACT reading passage, the SAT is packed with advanced vocabulary. It shows up on vocabulary questions, dense reading passages, and even in questions and answer choices. (2) The ACT allows less time per question than the SAT. While many students can finish SAT sections and still have time remaining, students taking the ACT often struggle to complete the sections in time. (3) The SAT is, at its core, a reasoning test, whereas the ACT is more a test of content. Questions on the SAT resemble puzzles and require logical thinking. The content on the ACT is often more advanced than the content on the SAT (it includes more algebra 2 and trigonometry, for example), but it is presented in a much more straightforward manner. (4) The ACT contains a science section. This section is very different than anything on the SAT, which does not test science. Practically no scientific knowledge is needed to do well on the ACT, however, as the test is primarily concerned with your ability to quickly analyze data like graphs and charts. Still, the science section can be a major factor in score differences between the SAT and ACT. (5) The essay is optional on the ACT and is not included in the official composite score. The essay in required on the SAT, on the other hand, and it does contribute to the official composite score (it makes up part of the "Writing" score). (6) The SAT penalizes you for wrong answers, the ACT does not. (7) In terms of content, ACT English tends to focus more on punctuation than does SAT Writing. It also tests fewer grammatical rules than the SAT does. ACT math contains some more advanced topics than SAT math, such as trigonometry, matrices and logarithms. For more information on how to choose between two tests, check out my blog post on this topic: http://www.koheneducationalservices.com/should-you-take-the-sat-or-act-heres-how-to-decide/.

Here is a blog post I wrote that answers this question: http://satprepget800.com/2014/06/09/differences-between-act-sat/ Note that this assumes we are talking about the current version of the SAT.

The ACT test more what a student has learned and covers science and more advanced math skills.  The test is longer and requires adequate speed to complete on time.  No points are deducted for wrong answers.  The SAT seems to be a better match for critical thinkers and does deduct partial points for wrong answers.  The writing section of the SAT is not always used by colleges and accompanying SAT Subject tests may be required by some colleges.

By a quick web search I found these sites http://www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-act http://blog.prepscholar.com/is-the-act-easier-than-the-sat https://greentestprep.com/resources/sat-prep/act-vs-sat/ https://www.kaptest.com/college-prep/test-information/sat-vs-act Cheers.