New SAT vs. ACT Which Should You Take

New SAT vs. ACT: Which Should You Take? by: Andrew Geller on March 04, 2015 | 1 Comment Comments 8,875 Views March 4, 2015In the past decade the powers of the standardized test universe have been shifting. The GRE has been nibbling away at the GMAT (detailed here in GRE vs. GMAT) for MBA supremacy while the ACT has crept up on the SAT in competition for those seeking spots at top undergraduate programs. Come spring 2016, the SAT will up the ante with a major re-design. High school students worldwide will have the choice between this newly designed SAT and the now long-in-the-tooth ACT. You can find a massive amount of new SAT propaganda here but if you want the short of it read on as we clarify the major updates of the new SAT and consider the best option for you.New SAT vs. ACT MathThe literature for the new SAT screams: critical thinking test! Think math puzzles as opposed to a standard math test. The SAT has always been the more conceptual of the two exams and although the ne w SAT continues in this direction the College Board has indicated that the math questions will be given a more real world context. In addition, the new SAT math sample questions seem a notch tougher than classic SAT questions. But, the sample set is very small and we don’t have any indication of what difficulty level those questions are.The ACT math is akin to a standard math test and although it might present some tough questions tends to focus on recalling content rather than on creative ways of applying that content. On the ACT math section there are very few surprises. It was designed as  a strict content test. What can be tough on the ACT math section? A slim sixty minutes for the sixty questions versus a meaty eighty minutes for the fifty-two questions on the new SAT math section. So if math timing is a big issue, you might consider the new SAT. But be warned that there is a reason why you have more time on the new SAT: the questions you will likely face will be more challenging and less familiar. If youre a quant whiz, that can be to your favor because the revised SAT is a great way to highlight your astonishing quantitative reasoning skills.  New SAT vs. ACT WritingThe College Board emphasizes that the new SAT writing focuses on context. The new exam does away with grammar rules isolated in lonely sentences and instead focuses on applying this knowledge in full texts. Strangely (or not so strangely) the format is almost exactly the same as the format on the ACT. The sections are nearly  identical. It is important to note though that the new SAT offers a generous thirty-five minutes for forty-four questions while the ACT offers an anemic forty-five minutes for a whopping seventy-five questions. So the format is the same but expect to see a greater proportion of head scratchers on the new SAT.New SAT vs. ACT ReadingThe new SAT reading comprehension section is somewhat familiar but a bit jazzed up with some new question types including charts and graphics. Nothing mind melting but just keeping with the tests greater critical reasoning/practical thinking focus. Practical application remains a top priority so sentence completions are gonzo. Great move! All vocabulary is tested in the context of the paragraphs. These changes seem for the better and generally align the new SAT with the ACT. The sections diverge quite a bit on timing: seventy-five seconds per question on the new SAT vs. fifty-two seconds per question on the ACT. This timing gap again reinforces that the new SAT is deeper than the ACT.ACT Science – Live long and prosper or Fa-Get-About-ItThe ACT science section has no true parallel on the new SAT. Yes the new SAT will have data interpretation questions resembling questions on the ACT science section but those will comprise a small portion of the test rather than an entire section of the exam. Is the science section a reason to avoid the ACT? For most people no. This isn’t usually the section t hat holds the score back and generally doesn’t require as much preparation as the math and verbal sections do.New SAT vs. ACT EssayEducators are divided on this issue but I’m sure that nearly all students are breathing a collective sigh of relief that the essay on the new SAT is optional. This is another move in the direction of the ACT. Why the change? Perhaps a move to entice more students to the new SAT (a shorter test is much more appealing to students) but the College Board now claims the essay added little predictive value to scores and that many admissions officers found it  extraneous. If you do decide to take the essay either for fun or because your school application requires it then be ready for two major changes: First off, the essay prompt will be the same for every test administration. That’s right. You know the question in advance. Why the change? To make the test more standardized! Second, you will no longer be using outside information or your imagination to support your essay. The new SAT will provide texts/charts/graphics which you must use to support your point. Considering that both of the essays are optional and that many schools do not require them the new SAT and ACT seem equal here.New SAT vs. ACT ScoringThe SAT has abandoned the guessing penalty. Hurrah. In addition, the new SAT follows in the ACT’s footsteps and provides detailed sub-section scoring. Whether that gradation is actually helpful is up for debate. How universities will use this i- depth scoring is yet to be seen, but I wouldnt bet on it being extremely relevant. Regardless, the ACT and new SAT rank equally here.New SAT v. ACT PreparationThe now veteran ACT has been the same for many years so there is a wealth of study materials along with 11 official ACTs there are a myriad of third party guides. For the new SAT you are left high and dry. Yes the old SAT will still be good practice but it will only be an approximation of the real deal. It is highly likely that the college board will release more practice questions but still it will take some time before there is a critical mass of solid preparation material for the new SAT. In addition, the College Board is partnering with the Khan Academy to create a free new SAT curriculum. That may tip the balance towards the new SAT but we will have to wait to judge.SummaryIn some key areas (no guessing penalty, essay optional, charts/graphs, vocab and grammar in context) the SAT has moved closer to the ACT but the mantra of the SAT remains somewhat unchanged. It is a critical thinking test. Those students who might have chosen the old SAT would still be making a good choice with the new SAT and might even have an easier time considering that the essay is now optional and the guessing penalty is gone. These two things may not make the content easier but will certainly make the test less draining and stress inducing.Still in the dark? My general advice would be to take an ACT prac tice test and an SAT practice test. See which test is easier for you. The difficulty is that the new SAT has no practice tests but the old questions will still give you a reasonably good indication of what to expect on the new test. Still in the dark? Here come some colossal generalizations to sum it up: If you are smart but lazy think new SAT because it rewards creative thinking over memorizing content. If you are a hard working overachiever or generally struggle with standardized tests you may be better off with the ACT because there is a lot of practice material for you and the way that the content is presented is remarkably consistent. If you are an all-around superstar you might have an edge in admissions by acing the tougher of the two.Andrew Geller has been teaching test takers  since 2002 and throughout the past decade has worked for various big and small test prep companies helping people succeed on the GMAT, LSAT, SAT, ACT, and GRE. Throughout his career he has successfu lly taught people from many different backgrounds, countries, and starting scores.  He now leads  Atlantic GMAT, a company which he founded to provide a creative and nuanced approach to GMAT preparation especially for students who have struggled to achieve their GMAT goals through big box test prep. Page 1 of 11

Composing the Best College Application Essay

To enter the college or university is the next step in your life that provides you with a prosperous and happy future. Furthermore, it is the last chance to prepare yourself for the work, life, and future hurdles. If you think about your tomorrow, further education is the best way to secure your adult life. But how to get to college if there is too big enrollment competition, how to show up among this crowd of craving students? You can find all answers in this article! We will help you to concentrate on the winning essay composition and give you some good essay writing tips below. But what is a college application essay? Knowing the answer to this question, you will be able to write at least a half of your work. A college application paper is a piece of writing according to that the admission committee considers students candidacy to have the opportunity to get educational services in the exact establishment. To be the persona Grata in the university, you require a range of qualities to fit the professors demands. Not only grades and awards are the display of your validity and educational level but, at the same time, your way of thinking, intentions, personal traits, and ambitions can play this essential role. How to Write a College Application Essay? While writing a college application essay, you need to think about the topics that will highlight your personality in a proper way and give you the chance to be admitted to the university. If it is too hard for you to find the appropriate theme, just think a little and write down all the ideas on paper. Afterwards, choose the theme that you prefer the best. Make sure that the topic will describe your positive qualities and mark your personality out of numerous other applications. You may choose a couple of themes to write about. Thus, the committee will be sure in your diversity of thoughts and devotions. Soon after you have selected the college application essay topics, try to understand the themes as clear as you can. Thereupon, you may display the idea fully and consistently. The first rule of application essay is read and re-read your theme. The second rule is denoting the aim of the essay (whether it serves to inform about or defend your idea). The third rule is showing how your topic can apply to your personality and individuality. Dont even try to cheat on the themes, and take one of your previous school papers as the basis. Scanning the Internet for a ready work is also a bad idea. Your early works are simple, immature, and describe the former you, not the present person. The Internet papers are familiar to the committee and show borrowed thoughts and ideas. In brief, that is simply not you. Keep focused, narrow, and personal to illustrate your character traits, abilities, desires, and intentions. The most common pieces of advice for these purposes are: To reflect yourself and recollect all significant achievements and deeds that can describe you positively. If you are too shy to esteem yourself reasonably, ask friends and parents about what type of person you are, and what valuable things you did. To write everything down! As it has already been stated, this helps you to see all the variants together and make the right topic choice. Not to describe the ideas too generally in your paperwork. Reduce the existing variants to two or three points in order to describe them at length. Remember to choose the attractive options. To narrate the story that shows all your advantages. You must describe the facts and avoid decrying or exaggeration of the truth. Tell only correct information. After you have found your position of what topic to describe, it is, without doubt, necessary to make an outline of your future work. Break your application paper into several sections to structure and arrange your thoughts, and then, muse about the opening sentence, the stylistic, and lexical means to use in your article. Your work should be coherent and logical, hence watch the flurry of speculations. Axe your arguments with proof. The words are only words, without evidence and facts. Enrich your sentences with justified data. College Application Essay Format It is important to denote that the structural shape of the application paper is similar to any other essay structure. It has three major paragraphs: introduction, body, and conclusion. Every of these sections serves the same role as in other works, except that the content varies a lot. Here you dont have to write about someones opinion on a question, analyze the book or film, and evaluate the problem effects. In fact, you make an analysis of your personality to assure the enrollment board to confirm your candidacy. To write a good and coherent essay work, you must follow these recommendations: Dont lose your main idea, insert it all over the text not to confuse the reader and focus your writing on the central topic. Write with your own words. Avoid using non-typical lexical means for you, as the way how you speak is the personality index. Dont be afraid to show your ego. Compose your writing in a clear and relax way. Dont go into unnecessary details, be concise. Long sentences are difficult to perceive. At last, you have got a ready paperwork to send to the admission committee. Is there anything left? The final check for grammatical, stylistic, and contextual errors will show all the text’s deficiencies. Make a checklist to your paperwork and look the article through several times to detect mistakes. Ask your parents, friends, and teachers to read the article, not only to eliminate the skipped errors, but to assess if the essay is consistent and logical, and whether they see your point of view. Ask them about their attitude to your written work. Follow our strategies and tips to find the answers to your college application essay questions, and you will compose a brilliant and well-done paper that will conquer the hearts of the committee members.