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SAT www.collegeboard.com
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vs.
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ACT www.act.org
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reasoning test
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Type of Test
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content-based test
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Critical Reading: 2, 25-min sections and 1, 20-min section; Math: 2, 25-min sections and 1, 20-min section; Writing: 1, 25-min essay, 1, 25-min section, and 1, 10-min section
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Test Format
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English: 1, 45-min section; Math: 1, 60-min section; Reading: 1, 35-min section; Science: 1, 35-min section; Writing: 1, 30-min essay (optional)
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reading, vocabulary, grammar & usage, writing, and math
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Content Covered
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grammar & usage, math, reading, science reasoning, and writing (optional)
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tricky, questions can be phrased in ways that make them difficult to decipher
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Test Style
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straightforward, questions may be long but are usually less difficult to decipher
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Math, Critical Reading, and Writing scores will each range between a 200-800; total SAT score ranges between 600-2400
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Scoring
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English, Math, Reading, and Science scores will each range between 1-36. Composite ACT score is the average of your scores on the four sections; ranges between 1-36
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yes – you lose ¼ of a point for incorrect answers (except on the grid-in math questions)
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Penalty for Wrong Answers?
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no – you do not lose points for incorrect answers
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yes – you can choose which set(s) of SAT scores to submit to colleges
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Score Choice?
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yes – you can choose which set(s) of ACT scores to submit to colleges
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questions increase in difficulty level as you move through that question type in a section (except reading passage questions, which progress chronologically through the passage)
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Difficulty Levels
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difficulty level of the questions is random
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arithmetic, data analysis, algebra I and II, functions, geometry; formulas are provided in the test booklet
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Math Levels
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arithmetic, algebra I and II, functions, geometry, trigonometry; no formulas are provided
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with private schools and schools on the east and west coasts; however, every four-year college in the US accepts SAT scores
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Tends to be more popular?
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with public schools and schools in the Midwest and south; however, every four-year college in the US accepts ACT scores
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seven times per year: January, March or April, May, June, October, November, December
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Offered when?
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six times per year: February, April, June, September, October, December (note that some states offer the ACT as part of their state testing requirements; these tests are not administered on the national test dates)
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typically about four weeks before the test date
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Registration deadline?
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typically about five to six weeks before the test date
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