The ACT is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school. The SAT has changed as of March 5th, 2016. The new Redesigned SAT now also focuses on what a student learns in school.

The ACT has up to 5 components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test. The New SAT has only 3 components: Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, and an optional writing test.

The College Board introduced a new version of the SAT in 2005, with a mandatory writing test; however, they implemented a new Redsigned SAT as of March 5th, 2016, and the writing test became optional again. ACT continues to offer its well-established test, plus an optional writing test. You take the ACT Writing Test only if required by the college(s) you're applying to.

The new Redesigned SAT and the ACT are scored based on the number of correct answers with no penalty for guessing.

The ACT has an Interest Inventory that allows students to evaluate their interests in various career options.

Other useful links about ACT:

ACT(American College Testing) official site: www.act.org

FAQ about ACT: www.actstudent.org/faq/