Students are often told that the SAT and ACT are “basically the same test”, which is a lie spread by counselors, parents, and teachers.
Recently, choosing between the two of them feels less like an academic decision and more like picking which nightmare you’d prefer to experience. But if I’m going to be stressed and questioning my life choices on a random Saturday morning, I’m picking the SAT.
At first glance, most students focus on the time of each test, and no, I’m not talking about how much time you get per question. I’m talking about how long you’re stuck in a chair taking a test.
The digital SAT, with standard time, takes about 2 hours and 14 minutes; this time includes a full 10-minute break between the English and math sections.
As of 2026, the ACT’s science and writing sections are optional, so standard time without these additional sections is only 2 hours and 5 minutes. However, you should, for whatever god-forsaken reason, choose to add in both the science and writing sections to your test, which brings the total time up to 3 hours and 25 minutes. Making it nearly a whole hour longer than the SAT.
While the additional time does benefit some students, I’d rather focus for a shorter amount of time than deal with the consequences of mentally clocking out halfway through.
Beyond just the total time, the structure of the SAT is much better than that of the ACT. The digital SAT is adaptive, meaning the difficulty of the second module is dependent on your performance during the first module. This design works to the student’s advantage. Along with the structure, the SAT provides you with a formula sheet during the math section, which I love.
Finally, there are the practical considerations to think about when picking which test to take. With the SAT being fully digital, with shorter, faster-paced modules, many students, particularly those with ADHD, find it easier to manage.
Furthermore, all SAT accommodations, once approved, always transfer to future test dates. The ACT, which is often paper-based, can feel more traditional, offering a different pacing style that benefits slower readers and those with dyslexia. However, ACT accommodations must be reapproved for each test.
For me, the SAT’s shorter length, adaptive structure, and digital format make it the lesser of the two evils. To all juniors, I wish you the best of luck during this testing season, regardless of which test you’re taking. And to the underclassmen, good luck picking your poison. •
