What is the difference between the SAT and the ACT? If you are wondering whether or not you have to take these tests, then you should know that you don't really have to take them at all. There are some colleges out there that do not require any of the tests and simply go by your GPA. Keep in mind, however, that most of these colleges would require an extremely high GPA if that is all they would go by in terms of scores.

Scores are very important to universities. Higher scores mean a higher ranking for them. Top universities such as Harvard and Yale won't even glance at your application unless you have scores that meet their minimum scores. Both the ACT and SAT scores can and most likely will be used as part of their application percentiles which means, if you scored on the seventy-fifth percentile, which is a decent score, that score will be looked at by the college.

But, beware that most universities also put your scores in with the rest of the application scores they receive. The seventy-fifth percentile score that you received is a score that means that you did better than seventy-five percent of the people that took the test the same time you did both nationally and internationally. The percentile does not mean you got a higher score than the average score, just higher than the average score made during that test. So what does that mean?

This concept is rather confusing. It means your college will take note that you scored higher than most people that had taken the SAT or ACT when you did, but they will match up the scores of all the people that applied to their institution. Since scores from applicants can come from any time period of the test dates, there will be scores where being on the seventy-fifth percentile would be much tougher; for instance, if you received a score for the SAT that is 1500 out of 2400 and are in the seventy-fifth percentile for October 2004 and someone else gets a score of 1750 and is in the seventy-fifth percentile then your percentile rating compared to that person's percentile will be lower.

In shorter words, just because you did well against all the people that took the test along with you does not mean that you did well against all the people that applied to the same college. So, what is the difference between the SAT and the ACT when it comes to scores?
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

This exam is formatted to test a student's logical reasoning. The test initially focused on reading comprehension, vocabulary, trigonometry, geometry, algebra, and basic arithmetic problems, and scores were out of 1600. Now, the score has an additional writing section, and major changes have been done to the overall test to improve internal validity of the test's so-called generalization.

The SAT has a devastating rule that penalizes for wrong answers. The test's ideal is that a student takes time to work out problems instead of guessing. A blank answer is not penalized and students are encouraged to leave answers blank instead of guessing. A wrong answer has a penalty point of -1/4, so if you missed four questions then you could point an entire point! There are three main sections to the test: math, verbal, and writing. More information on test format and schedules are available on CollegeBoard.com.

You have to register for the SAT through CollegeBoard.com or through a school counselor if he or she is able. The fee for the SAT is $45 including the new writing requirement. There are SAT subject tests as well if you feel like taking them.The subject tests can be used to replace certain required courses in college but generally are not given credit for and course requirements in college are dramatically different for each college. Most liberal arts institutions accept these tests, but prefer the Advanced Placement tests or APs over these subject tests.