The SAT and ACT are nationally recognized and respected exams. Historically, there has been a geographical divide between the two; Today, very few universities require or prefer one test over the other. So which one should you take? Well, since you can’t really say that one test is easier than the other, it all depends on your skills and preferences. Basically, you should choose the one where you will get a higher score!

Here are some tips to help you make your decision:

1. Who says size doesn’t matter?

The ACT is a shorter test. The SAT takes a whopping 3 hours and 45 minutes, while the ACT lasts 2 hours and 55 minutes, making the SAT 30% longer than the ACT. Either way, you are stuck doing a long test. If you have a ridiculously short attention span, then the ACT may be right for you, but realistically, after almost 3 hours, why sweat an extra 50 minutes?

2. When in doubt, guess … right?

The SAT has a penalty for guessing, minus a quarter point for each incorrect answer. Not so with the ACT. Guess! Therefore, you must answer all questions on the ACT, but on the SAT, you must leave the answer blank when you cannot eliminate at least one answer choice. Does this make the SAT “harder”? Not really. With the right strategies, you can even make the SAT guessing penalty work to your advantage.

3. It’s a bird! It is a plane! It’s super score!

The SAT reports each of its three “subscores” separately, one for critical reading, writing, and math. Therefore, many colleges will combine your best three subscores from all the times you took the SAT to get an “super score.” In the past, schools did not do this with the ACT. Recently, however, many schools have also started to get “super scores” on ACT.

4. What’s the difference anyway?

Both tests have portions of grammar, reading comprehension, writing, and math. The ACT has an additional “science” section, but don’t worry. I used quotes because it’s really just another test of your reasoning skills – you don’t need a lot of chemistry, physics, or biology knowledge. Generally speaking, the ACT assesses the skills you (should have) learned in high school, while the SAT tries to assess your innate problem-solving skills.

For example, the math section of the ACT tests some topics that are not normally covered until before calculus. While the SAT skips these topics, its math problems generally have more complicated setups.

The ACT essay is optional, but some colleges require it anyway. The subjects of your essays are always school policy questions, while the SAT essays address more abstract moral or philosophical issues.

In the critical reading sections, the vocabulary on the SAT is more difficult, but the ACT tests your critical reading and analysis skills. ACT’s English section offers you a couple of long passages with mixed grammar and critical reading questions; the SAT assesses reading and grammar separately.

5. You can’t tell if you like it until you’ve tried it!

How do I know which test is best for me? Give them a try! Take some free practice tests online and see which one suits your needs. Both the SAT and ACT offer practice questions or tests on their official websites.