The clock is ticking away and you are lagging. The coffee you had at seven just isn’t cutting it now as you struggle to answer all of the questions on time.

Standardized testing is a boring, yet necessary aspect of high school, if you plan on attending college. There are two tests to chose from: the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT). The SAT is scored out of 2400 points and the ACT is scored out of 36.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test is often thought of as “the hard test”, using analysis and problem solving to measure knowledge.

“I didn’t want to take the SAT because the ACT is easier,” senior Erin Shafranek said. “I went to an ACT tutor who tutors both, and she knows from experience that ACT is easier to make yourself better at than the SAT.”

The testing time for the SAT is three hours and 45 minutes, split into ten sections, consisting of  critical reading, math, writing, and one experimental section, in which the College Board tests new material and skills in either math, verbal, or English.

“I felt pretty good about the timing, I finished all of the sections without rushing and I had time to bubble my answers,” senior Alex Adkins said. “I was able to get through everything reasonably quickly and formulate good answers for everything.”

The ACT, or American College Test, is another form of the Standardized testing that assesses the knowledge gained over the course of high school. Instead of ten sections, the ACT is made up of 4 sections: Math, Science, Critical Reading, English, with an optional Writing section.

“I took both the SAT and the ACT,” senior Lacy Crisler. “Except for the science, I thought the ACT was easier because it was more common sense.”

Taking a standardized college entrance exam multiple times has become the norm for most students, especially for those applying to schools that Superscore. Superscoring is taking only the best sections from multiple tests.

“I think the SAT went well, and my score was above average,” Adkins said.

Test prep courses are also becoming a more standard procedure as test takers work to better their scores again and again. There are a multitude of ways to prepare for one of the tests, including books, classes, one on one sessions with tutors, or self- learning dvd’s.

“I took both the SAT and the ACT,” senior Lacy Crisler said. “I didn’t take any prep classes, but I did cds at home to prepare.”

Although there are many opinions as to which test is the best or easiest to take, it remains up to the individual test taker to decide.

“I’ve taken the ACT twice,” Shafranek said. “I would rather spend most of my time on one test, rather than perfecting two.”

Upcoming SAT Dates:
December 1, 2012
January 26, 2013
March 9, 2013
May 4, 2013
June 1, 2013

Upcoming ACT Dates:
December 8, 2012
February 9, 2013
April 13, 2013
June 8, 2013