SAT and ACT
The SAT and ACT can be intimidating to the best students, so this page is dedicated to breaking down the differences. We will also point you toward some free quality practice materials.
The Basics
- 154 questions with a time limit of about 3 hours
- Composed of a reading (65min), writing/language (35min), and math (80min) sections
- Science does not have a separate section but is incorporated throughout the test
- Costs $60, but fee waivers are offered to those with free/reduced lunch
**Research suggests that students who are stronger in math tend to score better on the SAT than the ACT.
Free Practice/Registration
SAT has partnered with Khan Academy to provide free practice materials for students. You can access this practice through your College Board account - if you do not have one, create on for free! Click here to be directed to the practice portion of their website. You can also register for this exam through College Board as well. The good news is Jacksonville is the host test site for SAT, so you will be testing in a familar environment.
The Basics
- 215 question test with a 2 hour 55 minute time limit
- Composed of reading (35min), English (45min), math (60min), and science (35min) sections
- A writing section is optional but will tack on an additional 40 minutes, and most colleges do not require it
- Costs $66 for the exam, but bumps up to $91 if writing is included
- ALL JUNIORS WILL TAKE THE ACT ONE TIME FOR FREE AT SCHOOL DURING THEIR SECOND SEMESTER.
**Research suggests that students who are stronger in English tend to score better on the ACT than the SAT.
Free Practice/Registration
The ACT website offers free practice material and registration tips as well; click here to be directed to their website. They will lists all of the test prep that costs you first, but there are free materials online as well: Free ACT Test Prep. In order to register you will have to make an account through ACT. This account is completely free, but you will want to remember your login information!
1. There is no guessing penalty on the ACT or SAT. If you are running low on time, guess the rest of the answers! (Check out this article from the Princeton Review for some tips to strengthen your guessing skills.)
2. These tests are superscored, which means they will only consider the highest score from each section regardless of the test date. So it may be worth studying and taking the exams again to bump up your score.
3. This is not fun advice but is accurate - The best way to prepare for these exams is to take full length practice exams. Then note the areas that you are weakest and spend time reviewing and studying those areas.
4. If you feel the need to buy study books, make sure they come from credible sources. The three strongest publishing companies are College Board, ACT, and the Princeton Review. They participate in creating the tests so they know how to direct you in studying. (The free online resources are just as strong and valid.)