Grantmom Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 For those who have experience with both, what is your opinion on which is more difficult? I know that many say one or the other isn't harder, they are just different, but I really just want to know your opinion. I am especially curious about the SAT essay vs the writing component on the ACT. Do you think one is innately easier to prep for and get to what they are looking for? Just curious for opinions. I understand this will vary widely from person to person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 I can't answer regarding the ACT. My dd prepped for the SAT with essay. As I wrote in another thread, after doing some internet research, she is convinced that a longer essay correlates with a higher score. I'm skeptical, but time will tell. (In a couple of weeks.) She also says there is a specific vocabulary that you need to memorize and use in your essay to maximize your score. Again, according to our friends on the internet. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 I can't answer regarding the ACT. My dd prepped for the SAT with essay. As I wrote in another thread, after doing some internet research, she is convinced that a longer essay correlates with a higher score. I'm skeptical, but time will tell. (In a couple of weeks.) She also says there is a specific vocabulary that you need to memorize and use in your essay to maximize your score. Again, according to our friends on the internet. HTH. My dd did the SAT with essay. She read through the essay section in the prep book and then practiced writing one essay and then did the preliminary planning for one more, might have been two. She got a perfect score. What we did was just look very closely at what they were looking for in the essay and then did just that and it worked well for her. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 Kids who have studied rhetoric now have an advantage on the new SAT in that they don't need to learn the lingo of how to analyze an essay. The ACT still has a "make up your own examples" format that favors improvisation, while on the SAT you must use only what's given, not outside examples or opinions. DD was thrown off by a question about TV- it was hard to generate examples since she doesn't watch much. Either can be coached. Both can be harder than you think because you're starting to get tired after the bubble part of the test. Since the essay is generally weighted less by adcoms, you should take the test where your bubble score is high and prep for whichever essay that is going to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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