The ACT is an alternative college admissions test now offered six times throughout each academic year, always on different Saturday mornings from the SAT. Any college or university will accept without prejudice either SAT or ACT scores (or both). The tests are very similar with six major differences.
1) The student-written essay on the ACT is optional for an extra fee when you register to take the test. On the SAT the essay is mandatory.
2) The ACT contains a misnamed “Science Section” which should have been called “Data Interpretation.” Students are required to read information from pie charts, bar graphs, et al. Such section does not appear on the SAT.
3) The reading passages on the ACT are college textbook passages from science, humanities and social studies. The SAT reading passages can be from anywhere.
4) The ACT sections are scored from 0 to 36 whereas the SAT sections are scored from 200 to 800. We have a conversion scale from one scoreboard to the other.
5) The ACT Math section contains SAT math for the first half, but classroom mathematics (algebra and geometry with one or two introductory trigonometry problems for the second half.
6) Students taking the ACT should answer every question because unlike the SAT no deduction is taken for wrong answers.