The ACT is based more on content than thinking. The SAT is based more on thinking than content. By and large, the ACT expects understudies to accomplish more work in a shorter time-frame than the SAT does. The ACT additionally contains a science area, which will test understudy’s capacity to translate charts, figures, and outlines. There is no negative marking for wrong answers on either exam.
| S.N. | ACT Reading | SAT Critical Reading |
| 1 | 40 questions in 35 minutes | 52 questions in 65 minutes |
| 2 | 3-4 single passages and 0-1 dual passages | 4 single passages and 1 dual passages |
| 3 | Does not include graphs, figures, and diagrams | Includes graphs, figures, and diagrams |
| 4 | Favors students who are good at synthesizing a lot of information in a short time as there is more reading than the SAT
| Often more manageable than the ACT reading; students rarely struggle to finish the SAT reading
|
| S.N. | ACT English (grammar) | SAT Writing (grammar) |
| 1 | 75 questions in 45 minutes | 44 questions in 35 minutes |
| 2 | Edit and answer questions for five different passages | Edit and answer questions for four passages |
| 3 | No graphs or charts included | Emphasizes student's command of evidence, both verbal and graphical |
| S.N. | ACT Math | SAT Math |
| 1 | 60 problems to solve in 60 minutes | 38 problems to solve in 55 minutes
(Calculator Section)
20 problems to solve in 25 minutes
(No Calculator Section) |
| 2 | Can always use a calculator | Has a section where calculators are prohibited |
| 3 | Provides no reference formulas | Provides some geometric formulas for reference |
| 4 | Includes questions about equation of a circle and ellipse | Does not include formula of a circle or ellipse |
| 5 | Includes logarithms | Does not include logarithms |
| S.N. | ACT Essay | SAT Essay |
| 1 | 1 essay topic in 40 minutes | 1 essay topic in 50 minutes
|
| 2 | The Essay section is optional and is not part of the composite score | The Essay section is optional and is not part of the overall score |
| 3 | Students critically engage with a topic and three provided perspectives/ways of thinking about the topic | Students construct a rhetorical analysis of a provided source text |
| 4 | Scored by two graders on a scale of 1-36 | Scored by two graders on a scale of 6-24 |
| S.N. | ACT Science |
| 1 | 40 questions in 35 minutes |
| 2 | Students must quickly analyze trends presented in graphs, tables, and figures |
| 3 | Asks questions about experimental design and results |
