SAT or ACT for non-native English speaker?

[plansrme]

I have unexpectedly acquired an exchange student from a Central American country. He is a junior and has been in the U.S. a whole week now, so I don't yet know much about his strengths and weaknesses as a student. He wants to finish high school here and go to college in the U.S. Is there a consensus as to whether the SAT or ACT is better for someone whose first language is not English? Obviously he is not taking either immediately, but the question came up today, so I thought I would ask here.

[Lanny]

My answer to your question would be the same if he was a native speaker of U.S. English.  I believe students should take both the ACT and the SAT. Some students do much better on one than on the other.  QUESTION: How long is his U.S. Visa (High School Exchange Student) valid?  Possibly that will allow him to also do his Senior year and graduate there, if the High School he attends will give him credit for his previous courses in his Passport country.

He would need to apply as an International Student to colleges/universities and he would need to apply for a Student Visa, valid for studying in a college/university in the USA.  The International Dept. of the school he enrolls in will help him get the Student Visa.  I believe there are other requirements for International Students (exams for English proficiency, medical, Financial, etc., ). After the COVID-19 vaccine is in widespread use I believe the U.S. Consulates will be processing Visas much more quickly. If his family has the money to pay all of his expenses he should be welcome in many U.S. Colleges/Universities.

ETA: In a meeting I attended for U.S. Citizens (in Cali, Colombia) about 10 years ago, hosted by the Consul from the U.S. Embassy, the head of the Visa Fraud Department in the Embassy, and a man who worked in the ACS (American Citizen Services) we were told that Student Visas are the ones they hate to deny. So from that, I assume Student Visas are the easiest for people to get. A lot of that meeting had to do with U.S. Visas, because they know that we get a lot of questions about Visas.

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by Lanny
add ETA and change a few words

[plansrme]

Yes, I think he and his family are aware of some of the bureaucratic hurdles. He is an athlete and hopes to have athletic department $ and, just as importantly, logistical assistance in navigating the entrance requirements. My daughter is a college athlete and has many teammates from a variety of foreign countries--Serbia, Mexico and South Africa to name a few, and both colleges have been quite helpful to their international student athletes. Hoping my bonus kid can likewise benefit from their expertise one day! But, first, I'm back in homeschool mom mode to help him catch up in school. Thank goodness his school is on fall break this week or, as I've been calling it, Math Boot Camp Week.

 

[Farrar]

Disagreeing with Lanny's advice to take both. Try a practice test for both, whichever one has the higher base score is the one to prep for and take. Especially this year when finding a seat for testing is very difficult in many areas, I can't imagine trying to take both. Even outside of that, why pay for two tests and prep for both?

My guess is that the SAT will be be better for most non-native English speakers, just because the ACT has an extra section that's essentially more reading. But I'm guessing it will depend, just like with native-English speakers.

[Arcadia]

SAT is likely going to be easier as ACT's Science section is also heavy on English skills. Another factor is ACT requires faster reading and processing skills than SAT. 

ACT practice test https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/Preparing-for-the-ACT.pdf

SAT practice test https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests

ETA: @plansrmecorrected SAT practice test link

Edited September 28, 2020 by Arcadia

[EKS]

3 hours ago, Farrar said:

Try a practice test for both, whichever one has the higher base score is the one to prep for and take.

Agreeing with this.

I suspect that a non-native speaker may do better with the SAT because it is much less tightly timed.

[plansrme]

18 minutes ago, EKS said:

Agreeing with this.

I suspect that a non-native speaker may do better with the SAT because it is much less tightly timed.

This and others who have suggested the  SAT--this was exactly my thought, but I have not paid any attention to the SAT since it was revamped, so I appreciate the confirmation. Taking both is not really on the table; getting prepped for one is likely going to be all we can manage. 

[EKS]

11 minutes ago, plansrme said:

This and others who have suggested the  SAT--this was exactly my thought, but I have not paid any attention to the SAT since it was revamped, so I appreciate the confirmation. Taking both is not really on the table; getting prepped for one is likely going to be all we can manage. 

I have taken practice tests from all three--the ACT and the SAT both before and after revamping.  The new SAT is now very similar to the ACT except it gives more time per item.