Most American colleges and universities require students to send results from either the SAT or the ACT when they apply for admission. Since high school curriculums and grading systems can vary widely from one school to another, these standardized exams allow admissions departments to compare the performance of students across schools. They are just one factor considered in the admissions process.
Some universities outside of the United States might consider the SAT or ACT in their admissions when an applicant does not have a local qualification. For example, Aalto University in Finland and Trinity College Dublin both consider the SAT or ACT, as do many Canadian universities.
Both the SAT and ACT focus on mathematics, reading comprehension, and writing. The ACT also includes a science section. The SAT takes about 4.25 hours to complete and the ACT takes 3.5 hours.
There is a second type of SAT exam, the SAT Subject Test, that is an hour-long exam on an individual subject. More on this subject in a later post.
The exams are created and administered by different testing organizations:
SAT vs. ACT: Which to Take?
The structure and types of questions differ between the two exams and a certain percentage of students will do much better on one than on the other. One suggested strategy is to take both the SAT and the ACT in the spring about 15 – 18 months before starting university, and then retake the one where you have better results the following fall. Alternatively, the student might prefer to take timed practice tests rather than official exams, but accurate timing is critical for making comparisons between scores. In either case, the student should spend time practicing sample test questions and learning recommended test strategies – test preparation frequently improve scores significantly.
When and Where to Take – or Sit – the Exams
Unlike the exams students sit before university in Europe, the student can choose when to take the SAT and ACT. Most universities require you to send exam results by January of the year you’ll start university, so you’ll typically need to take an exam no later than the middle of your last year of high school or gymnase.
- The exams are offered five or six times a year on Saturday mornings in international locations, typically in international or private schools.
- Anyone can register online to take the exams until four – six weeks before the test date.
- You can take the test as many times as you want, though few students take an exam more than three times.
To determine SAT test locations outside of the United States, go to this page on the College Board website, select the date you want to take the test, your country and city, and click Select. Note that not all locations are available on each test date.
The ACT is offered five times a year and a table of test dates and locations by country are available on their website by selecting your country and clicking Select.
How the Results Are Used in Admissions
Most American colleges and universities do not publish minimum scores on these exams, although they often provide mid-range scores for students admitted in the previous few admissions years. The College Board website defines mid-range test scores as follows:
This range reflects what most students scored – who were admitted and enrolled in the freshmen class, and who reported their scores to the college. It’s sometimes called “the middle 50%.” Keep in mind that 25% of students scored below and 25% of students scored above these ranges.
Mid-range scores are typically listed in the Admissions section of a college’s or university’s website, but other websites such as CollegeData.com aggregate this data so it is more easily accessed. For example, here is the mid-range data for Boston University. It is always a good practice to also check the university website and to find the year the data represents.