Daniel Parker B5 11/5/12

The question that I chose to answer is which test is better, the ACT or the SAT. This is i !ortant "or e to know since when I want to a!!l# "or colle$e, I nee% to "eel con"i%ent that the tests accuratel# # abilities. Base% on what I knew be"ore # research, I woul% sa# that the SAT is the better eant that it

easure

o" the tests because o" the "act that it woul% %e%uct !oints "or e&er# wron$ answer. This woul% count what I actuall# knew &ersus # luck# $uesses.

To start o""

# research, I checke% the 'iki!e%ia !a$es "or both o" the tests. (ne o" the "irst ain

thin$s that I notice% on the SAT was that it has ha% quite a bit o" contro&ers# surroun%in$ it. The !oint o" contro&ers# was the clai the "ollowin$ analo$# question* +unner* ,arathon A- en&o#* e bass# Bart#r* assacre

that the test was biase%. (ne o" the e)a !les o" this clai e% bias is

C- oars an* re$atta D- re"eree* tourna ent (ut o" all the test !artici!ants, 5./ o" white stu%ents answere% 0C1, the correct answer, as o!!ose% to 22/ o" black stu%ents who answere% correctl#. The clai is base% aroun% the i%ea that a black stu%ent,

li&in$ an inner cit# an% in !o&ert#, woul% ha&e no i%ea what a re$atta is an% woul% there"ore be less likel# to choose 0C1.

(n the ACT 'iki!e%ia !a$e, the "irst thin$ I notice% was that it was !a$e. 2ntil recentl#, the SAT ha% been taken b#

uch s aller than the SAT

ore stu%ents than the ACT. ,an# colle$es an%

uni&ersities woul% not ha&e acce!te% the ACT "or a% issions. It is because o" the contro&ers# surroun%in$ the SAT that these institutions are bein$ !ressure% to acce!t the ACT as an alternati&e.

So e other interestin$ "acts that I $ot "ro

the 'iki!e%ia !a$es were the %i""erences between inute to co !lete each question. ore %i""icult than the

the actual tests. The SAT !ro&i%es each stu%ent with at least one

Certain sub3ects are %i&i%e% into %i""erent sections with the last section bein$ !re&ious one. The ACT $i&es a

inute or less "or each question but %oes not !enali4e "or incorrect an%ator#

answers. Di""icult questions are inters!erse% between less %i""icult ones an% instea% o" a

essa# section the ACT has a scienti"ic reasonin$ section. A writin$ section is a&ailable, but is o!tional.

A"ter lookin$ at the 'iki!e%ia !a$es, I went to each o" the tests web !a$es. I %eci%e% to see what the# %i% to calculate scores. The SAT an% the ACT use si ilar their etho%s to calculate the score "or

ulti!le choice sections. The SAT takes the nu ber o" correct answer, an% then subtracts a quarter to co !are #our test score with other &ariations o"

o" a !oint "or incorrect answers. This allows the

the test. The result "or each section is a nu ber between 255 an% 655. This also allows "or co !arison with other test takers. I" #ou score a nu ber $reater than 555, then that eans that #our score is $reater

than the a&era$e score. 7or the ACT, the# take the total nu ber o" correct answers, a&era$e the , roun% to the nearest whole nu ber, an% then scale the result. 8our score will then be a nu ber between 1 an% .9.

7ro

# research I ha&e %eci%e% that the SAT is better than the ACT in the res!ect that it better

re"lects actual knowle%$e. 'hen I answer incorrectl#, I $et !oints taken o"" because I answere% incorrectl#. ,# istake %irectl# a""ects # score, since it is onl# scale% to re"lect the sa e score on

another &ariation o" the test. (n the ACT, an incorrect answer %oesn:t reall# %irectl# lower coul% !ossibl# lower the ACT hasn:t ha%

# score. It

# a&era$e %own, but as lon$ as it ke!t it abo&e .5.5, I woul% $et a .9. ;owe&er, uch contro&ers#, akin$ it see like a "airer test than the SAT, but this can be

attribute% to the "act that it has been less !o!ular until recentl#.

Biblio$ra!h# <2n%erstan%in$ #our scores.< The ACT. =.!., n.%. 'eb. 5 =o& 2512. >htt!*//www.actstu%ent.or$/scores/un%erstan%/?.

. =.!.. 'eb. 5 =o& 2512. >htt!*//sat.colle$eboar%.or$/scores/un%erstan%in$@sat@scores?.

'iki!e%ia contributors. .5 (ct 2512. >htt!*//en.wiki!e%ia.or$/wiki/ACTABtest-?.

'iki!e%ia contributors. .1 (ct 2512. >htt!*//en.wiki!e%ia.or$/wiki/SAT?.