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ACT

FASTER PACE

~215 questions in 2 hours 55 minutes

~Better for students who work quickly, guess confidently

MATH

~Only multiple-choice questions

~Calculator allowed on all questions

~Covers a wider range of content than the SAT, including advanced topics such as logarithms, graphs of trig functions, combinations and permutations

~Less opportunity for "careless" errors

READING

~Passages tend to be more engaging and easier to understand

~Fast-paced:  students have about 50 seconds per question

ENGLISH

~Tests grammar, punctuation, diction, writing conventions, clarity and efficiency of expression

SCIENCE

~Tests the ability to understand experiments and interpret graphs and tables

~Mostly a test of a student's ability to think logically in a scientific context, but does contain a few questions about a student's outside knowledge (such as about the pH scale or which planet is the biggest)

SAT

SLOWER PACE

~154 questions in 3 hours

~Better for students who work more deliberately and carefully

MATH

~Has both multiple-choice and non-multiple-choice questions

~Has a calculator and a non-calculator section

~Covers a narrower range of content, with more emphasis on algebra

~Problems designed to "catch" students who don't read the problem carefully or tend to make careless errors

READING

~Passages tend to be more difficult and less engaging to the average student

~Includes a history passage that can be 100+ years old, which can be the most difficult for many students

~Slower-paced:  students have about 75 seconds per question

WRITING & LANGUAGE

~Tests grammar, punctuation, diction, writing conventions, clarity and efficiency of expression

SCIENCE

~Does not contain a dedicated Science section, but will require the student to interpret charts and graphs on the science-themed passages in the Reading and Writing/Language sections

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