by Shilpa Saravanan, opinions editor

Seniors Cynthia Zhang (CZ) and Bryan Conlee (BC) received perfect scores of 2400 and 36, respectively, on the nationally standardized SAT and ACT tests. The Roar spoke with them about the differences between the two tests.

ROAR: So, perfect scores. 2400 and 36. How’d you feel?

CZ: Like, I did that? I did that!

BC: I thought it was really unexpected. Like, I took a bunch of practice tests and I didn’t get nearly as good of a score. It didn’t cross my mind that I could possibly get that good of a score.

CZ: I always thought that I’d miss questions–that I might get close to it, but never actually get it. When I got it, I was like: this is not my score. Wait, it is!

BC: It’s pretty surreal. You don’t even really hear much about people getting perfect scores.

CZ: I read somewhere that it’s only one out of 5000 for the SAT and one out of 1000 for the ACT.

BC: It’s not one out of a thousand.

CZ: I don’t know, this was a source I saw!

BC: I think it’s more like: there are a thousand kids in the nation who get these kinds of scores.

CZ: I think it’s around 300 or something…close to 300. I don’t know.

ROAR: What, in your opinion, are the biggest differences between the two tests?

CZ: Well, as I understand it, the SAT adds up all your subscores. So if you miss ten points on one section, that’s going to affect your overall score. You have to get perfect scores on every section.

BC: I mean, they’re just two very different tests. Like, there’s definitely–

CZ: There are definitely huge differences.

BC: Yeah, there’s a reason why colleges tend to have a preference. The ACT, as you may have heard, is very, very logic-based. I did the practice tests and everything, but it wasn’t like a studying day-and-night sort of thing. I just did my absolute best, and that’s what happened. Cynthia, I’m sure you studied a lot for the SAT?

CZ: Not really. I studied a lot in eighth grade and freshman year, but after that I was like, “nope!” And then I wrote four practice essays, and that was it. The SAT–it’s a reasoning test. It’s still a reasoning test even though it’s–

BC: Well, I would say it’s a lot easier to study for. Because the ACT–

CZ: It is because you can study vocabulary…some of the vocabulary can get you.

BC: There’s nothing like that on the ACT. Plus, the fact that you are encouraged to guess on the ACT also makes it a little more reasoning-based.

CZ: The SAT doesn’t count off for wrong answers–

BC: Yes, yes they do count off for wrong answers–

CZ: I don’t care–

BC: It’s negative ¼ of a point.

CZ: Oh, yeah. But they say the best way to prepare for the SAT is to do some practice tests, just so you know how it’s structured–the questions and such. And you have to get enough sleep, because you can’t reason on a reasoning test with only three hours of sleep. I mean, the night before, we had a football game, and I went and hung out with my friends afterwards. That’s what I did to prepare, you know?

BC: There are both…well, when I say the SAT is “study-able,” I should also say that it’s all curriculum-based. I mean, it is a lot of logic and reasoning. I would just say that the ACT is a little more heavy on that, and–

CZ: The SAT is more conniving. It’s very astute at, well, tricking you.

BC: I believe that’s why some colleges–most colleges–probably prefer the SAT to the ACT: because the SAT can show a person’s ability to study. On the ACT, I feel like you could walk in and get a pretty darn good score if you’re just a naturally smart person, whereas the SAT requires at least some sort of preparation.

CZ: I don’t know. I just feel like the SAT is more demanding because it’s such a large scale. Like, it shows the little subtleties in how you do, because the ACT–as I understand it–is like, if you get a 35 or 36, it’s all very good. But on the SAT, that’d be the difference between a 2250 and a 2400. So it’s a bigger range. It’s more telling.

ROAR: What makes your particular test better than the other?

CZ: I’ve only ever taken the SAT. I’ve never taken the ACT, only the SAT–

BC: Both were a challenge. They were kind of different challenges. The ACT probably challenged my brain a little more, and that was the one I was more time-crunched on. There were some sections on the ACT where I was going all the way until the time limit answering questions. The SAT was a lot more marathon-ish because it’s a longer test, but it’s very, very seldom that you’re pressed for time.

CZ: I don’t know. I got an adrenaline rush during the SAT. I know that sounds really weird, but I was like, “yeah, I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna finish all these questions! I’ll do ‘em as quickly as possible!” And then I ended up with seven minutes extra on the section. Whew!

ROAR: Do you have any last pieces of advice for future takers of these tests?

BC: I’d say that the SAT’s more like a marathon because it’s something you can train for. It’s very much something that you practice to get, and you get what you practice for. The ACT, I’d say, is more just–I don’t know–more like a sprint race, because it’s all very performance, exertion, in the moment.

CZ: Yeah, the SAT is like: can you figure out the questions, the test, the way the test is worded? And can you reason yourself out of the little traps they set up for you?

BC: And the ACT doesn’t have those.

CZ: One thing about the essay: I was surprised about how I did on the essay. My body paragraphs were equal to each other, and I just kind of bookended it–I began with an introduction and just ended with a concluding sentence.

BC: What’d you make?

CZ: A 12. You just have to balance your essay. They want to see consistent mastery. They want to see that you can really write. They don’t need to read a–what’s a famous literary author?

BC: I don’t know.

CZ: They don’t want to see a literary masterpiece. They want to see something that’s well-developed in the time that you have. So you have to practice with the essay and practice with the time, and when you get to the test, you’ll just have to figure out how to tackle it…like the rest of the test.