SAT vs. ACT in 2026: Which Test Should You Actually Take?

The most common question I get from families starting college prep is which test their student should take. The most common answer they get from other people is “take both, see which is higher, and submit that one.” That advice sounds sensible and is almost always wrong. Preparing for two different tests simultaneously is expensive, exhausting, and dilutes the depth of preparation on either one. Very few students have the time or bandwidth to seriously prep for both, and the ones who try usually end up with mediocre scores on each instead of an excellent score on one.

The right question isn’t which test is easier. Both tests are equally accepted at colleges, both can produce elite scores, and both are challenging in their own way. The right question is which test fits your brain better. Every student has a natural style of thinking, reading, and problem-solving. The SAT and the ACT reward slightly different styles. Picking the test that aligns with your natural strengths, and going deep on that one, is how you maximize your score in the time you have available.

This article breaks down what actually distinguishes the two tests in 2026, what changed recently that families should know about, how to figure out which one is right for your student, and what to do once you’ve decided.

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Challenge: Why “Take Both and See” Is Bad Advice

The default advice to take both tests assumes that the student has unlimited time and unlimited money for prep. In reality, students have neither. Junior year is already packed with AP courses, extracurriculars, college visits, and life outside of academics. Adding a second test into the same window means half the prep hours on each, half the practice tests on each, and a divided focus that produces worse results than a single test taken seriously.

The bigger problem is that the two tests reward different skills. The SAT emphasizes deliberate reading of shorter passages and problem-solving through word problems. The ACT rewards fast reading of longer passages and quick calculation across a broader range of math topics. A student who’s naturally fast but sometimes careless is more likely to thrive on one test. A student who reads deeply but works methodically is more likely to thrive on the other. Preparing seriously for both requires you to build two different sets of habits at once, and habit-building is hard enough with one target.

The third problem is that “take both” often means neither test gets a fair chance. Students take a diagnostic of each, score similarly on both because they’ve prepped for neither, and then are told they should focus on the one where they scored 20 points higher on the SAT scale or one point higher on the ACT. That single-attempt data is noise, not signal. The right way to decide is to look at what each test actually asks students to do and match it to who your student is.

“I took a 6-week ACT prep course with instructor Ilia Kolmagorov, and it was amazing! He reviewed everything clearly, and was always willing to give us extra tips.”

— Zara

The fourth problem is that families often make the decision based on which test is more familiar to them, rather than which test is right for the student. Parents who took the SAT in the 1990s often assume their student should too, without realizing how different the current digital SAT is from the paper SAT they remember. That familiarity bias leads to poor choices. This decision should be about the student in 2026, not the parent in 1998.

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Solution: What Actually Distinguishes the Two Tests in 2026

Both tests have gone through significant changes in the past two years. Understanding the current versions is the starting point for making a smart choice.

The Digital SAT is now the only version of the SAT available. There is no paper option. Students take it on a laptop or tablet using the BlueBook app, either on their own device or one provided by the testing center. The test takes about two hours and fourteen minutes, making it substantially shorter than the SAT of previous eras. It’s section-adaptive, meaning the difficulty of the second math and reading modules is determined by how the student performed on the first. The Reading and Writing section uses many short passages of roughly 25 to 150 words, each attached to a single question. The Math section allows Desmos, a graphing calculator built into the testing app, on the entire section.

The ACT also went through a major update in 2025. The current version is shorter than the older ACT, and the Science section is now optional rather than required. Students can choose to take the ACT with or without Science, depending on their strengths and what specific colleges recommend. The ACT is offered in both digital and paper formats, and unlike the SAT, it isn’t adaptive. Every student sees the same questions in the same order. The pace is faster per question than the SAT, especially in English and Reading, which historically causes more time-pressure issues than any other feature of either test.

“I took the 6-Week Flagship ACT Course and it could not have helped more. It gave me an astounding amount of strategies to help me get a better score on the ACT and cleared up any confusion that I may have had about the ACT. My practice ACT score improved drastically over the period of time in which I took the class.”

— Aarush Pandey

Beyond the format changes, the two tests still differ in what they emphasize. The SAT math section leans heavily on word problems, algebraic reasoning, and data interpretation. The ACT math section covers a broader range of topics, including some trigonometry, and rewards students who can execute quickly on more straightforward problems. Neither is harder. They just reward different math strengths.

The Reading and Writing differences matter even more. SAT Reading and Writing uses short standalone passages, each followed by a single question about that specific passage. ACT Reading uses four long passages, each followed by ten questions covering different aspects of the same passage. Students who read carefully and thoroughly tend to prefer the ACT’s longer-passage format because their careful reading pays off across ten questions. Students who read quickly and focus on precise textual details tend to prefer the SAT’s short-passage format because they can move through many independent questions.

“Kevin Parrish was my ACT instructor and he was very engaging and energetic throughout the course. My score improved from a 30 to a 33 on the ACT!”

— Ali Ziff Glueck (30 to 33 on the ACT)

The Science section is worth its own discussion. Even though it’s optional on the current ACT, some competitive colleges and specific majors still consider it. Science on the ACT isn’t really about science content. It’s about data interpretation: reading charts, tables, and experiment descriptions quickly and answering questions about them. Students who read charts fast and comfortably often find ACT Science to be their easiest section. Students who dread data interpretation typically find it their hardest.

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Results: What Students Say About Choosing the Right Test

The students in the reviews who committed to one test and went deep on preparation describe consistent outcomes. Meaningful score improvement. Confidence walking into test day. And clarity that came from focusing rather than splitting attention across two tests.

“I got a 20 on my last ACT test and now my score went up to the 30s. I liked how he helped us with any questions we needed help with. He helped me a lot and helped build my confidence when doing the test.”

— Ilia Kolmagorov student

“I was taught solid skills that will not only be useful for the ACT, but also for future tests and school assignments. I genuinely got something out of this class, not one bit felt like a waste of time!”

— Mira Glazier

“This course was AWESOME. Never have I learned more about the SAT than ever before… I was able to learn about many helpful strategies such as BOSS, KISS and PIN. Using this course I was able to majorly improve my predicted score by almost 300 points!”

— Prep Expert® SAT student

Notice the pattern. Students who chose a test and prepared seriously for it saw substantial improvements. Nobody in the reviews describes success from splitting their attention across both tests. Depth of preparation on one test consistently beats surface preparation on two, and this becomes more true the higher the target score.

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Recommendation: How to Actually Decide Which Test to Take

The right process is straightforward, and it takes about a weekend to execute. Here’s the framework I recommend to every family who asks.

Step 1: Take a full-length practice test of each, under real timing conditions. Do the SAT on one Saturday morning and the ACT the following Saturday morning. Use official practice tests from the College Board and ACT websites. No prep beforehand. This is a diagnostic, not a graded assessment. You’re looking for which test felt more natural to your student, not which one produced a higher score.

Step 2: Convert the scores to compare fairly. The SAT is scored 400-1600 and the ACT 1-36. Rough conversions exist online, but as a general guide, an SAT of 1200 is roughly equivalent to an ACT of 25, an SAT of 1400 is roughly a 31, and an SAT of 1500 is roughly a 34. Look at whether the scores are truly close after conversion or whether one is meaningfully stronger.

Step 3: Ask your student which test felt better. Not which was easier, which felt more natural. Did the shorter SAT passages suit them better than the ACT’s longer ones? Did the ACT’s faster pace energize them or overwhelm them? Did they enjoy Desmos on the SAT math? Did they find the ACT Science section approachable or exhausting? A student’s honest gut reaction to the two tests, after actually sitting through them, is more valuable than any conversion table.

Step 4: Consider strengths and preferences. Fast readers with strong data-interpretation skills often gravitate toward the ACT. Deep readers with strong word-problem instincts often prefer the SAT. Students who like structure and predictability tend to prefer the ACT because it isn’t adaptive. Students who prefer shorter tests tend to prefer the SAT because it’s about 15 minutes shorter.

Step 5: Check school-specific requirements. Some competitive programs still recommend or require the ACT with Science. Look at your student’s likely target schools before committing. Most schools accept both equally, but a small number have specific preferences.

Step 6: Commit to one test and go deep. Once you’ve decided, don’t second-guess. Structure all your prep around that test. Take full-length practice tests of that specific format. Learn the test-specific strategies for that format. Depth is the whole game once you’ve chosen.

A few cross-cutting principles for this decision:

• Diagnostic scores are more useful for direction than for absolute comparison
• Your student’s honest reaction to sitting through each test matters more than the score differential
• Neither test is objectively harder. They reward different strengths.
• Once you commit, stop looking at the other test. Split attention costs points.
• Consider taking the ACT with Science if your student has strong data-interpretation skills, since it can be a competitive advantage at some schools

“After completing this ACT course, I can confidently say that PrepExpert® turned test prep from something I dreaded into something I actually enjoyed. I’ve learned far more than just how to take a test; I’ve learned how to think critically, manage time efficiently, and stay calm under pressure.”

— Ali Ziff Glueck

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Final Insight: The Right Test Is the One That Fits Your Brain

The SAT and the ACT are both fair tests. Both are accepted at essentially every college in the United States. Both can produce elite scores that unlock admissions and scholarships. The choice between them isn’t about which is easier or better. It’s about which one lets your specific student demonstrate what they’re actually capable of. That’s a different question, and it deserves a real answer, not a coin flip.

The students who score highest are not the students who tried harder in general. They’re the students who picked the test that fit them and then prepared with focus for that test alone. Six weeks of serious preparation on one test will always outperform three weeks split across two. Commit to one, and commit fully.

If you’re a family reading this and haven’t yet decided, spend one weekend taking a full practice test of each. Have your student talk you through what felt harder and what felt more natural. Look at the scores after they’ve been converted to a common scale. Then pick the one that fits, and stop looking back. The test you commit to is the test you’ll master, and mastery is what actually moves scores. The one you didn’t pick was never going to give you a better result than the one you actually prepared for.

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Dr. Shaan Patel is a Shark Tank winner, bestselling author, and founder of Prep Expert®, an education company that has helped students improve test scores, win scholarships, and gain admission to top universities. He scored a perfect SAT and is passionate about expanding access to education worldwide.