The New SAT: Much More Similar to the ACT

“This looks like the ACT.” Paul, a junior at Branford High School, noted. He was reviewing the new SAT for the first time.

The SAT has long been the dominant standardized test for college admission. The ACT, traditionally the test used by many Midwestern and Southern colleges, gained tremendous popularity in the last decade. Since most every college accepts either the SAT or the ACT, many Connecticut students decided to take both in a “hedge your bet” strategy. An increasing number of students were also choosing to focus on the ACT.

The College Board, makers of the SAT, reacted to the ACT’s popularity by changing its format and some of its content to look very similar to the ACT. On the issue of format, for example, the new SAT has a single reading section, much like the SAT. In the past, the SAT had three shorter reading sections. On the issue of content, the new SAT math section has more questions aligned with math taught in school and less high level aptitude problems.

This is great news for Connecticut students because now preparation for the two is so similar that prepping for the new SAT is almost identical to prepping for the ACT.