ACT stands for American College Testing. SAT stands for, well, simply SAT.
A basic comparison
| ACT | SAT | |
| Scoring |
Score range – 1 to 36 per section Composite score = mean of the 4 sections (also 1 to 36) Essays scored separately – 2 to 12 |
Score range – 200 to 800 per section Composite score = sum of the two (400 to 1600) Essays scored separately – 2 to 8 |
| Total time |
With writing – 3 hrs 35 mins Without writing – 2 hrs 55 mins |
With essay – 3 hrs 50 mins Without essay – 3 hrs |
| Sections (in order) |
1. English 2. Math 3. Reading 4. Science 5. Writing (optional) |
1. Reading 2. Writing and Language 3. Math – No Calculator 4. Math – Calculator 5. Essay (optional) |
If you are a student from India that wishes to take admission in any college or university in the U.S., be very clear as to the requirement of the institution that you are considering.
While certain schools and colleges accept either ACT or SAT, there might be others who are more specific.