Take the ACT vs SAT Quiz to Discover Your Best Test!
Not sure if you should take the ACT or the SAT?
Answer a few questions and I’ll make a personalized recommendation.
A decade of experience has taught me the crucial differences between the tests. With your answers to a few significant questions, I can predict which test you’ll score higher on.
- It takes just about 2 minutes
- It’s completely free
- Receive customized results instantly

How My ACT vs SAT Quiz Works
Before I started Next Step Prep, I worked as a test prep tutor a few other places. For years, I helped students decide between the ACT and the SAT.
I noticed that I had started to follow the same patterns of questions when I met with families to help them decide. Though I often asked them to take full-length practice tests to confirm my hunches (or long diagnostic tests like this one, which I used have everyone take), I found myself predicting wrong less and less often.
The truth you’ll find when you do a deep dive on the ACT vs the SAT is that they’re only superficially similar. They’re actually asking you to do pretty different things. At the heart of the ACT is a timing challenge, a sprint–the enemy is the clock. At the heart of the SAT, on the other hand, is a problem-solving challenge, an obstacle course–the enemy is the complicated language of the questions.
I developed these questions over the course of years of working with families to recommend the best test for them. With the few simple question in the ACT vs SAT quiz, I can determine which test will present the bigger challenge for the test-taker. Then I just recommend the opposite test! That’s part of why I get such great results with test prep: it’s about making prep and testing as efficient as possible.
It’s that simple. Check it out if you want to see for yourself!
Why The ACT vs SAT Quiz Result Matters
If you’re looking to decide between the ACT and the SAT, chances are that taking both tests occurred to you. But that’s a drag! I never want my students to spend more time on the test than the minimum they need to hit their goal scores.
It will take 7-8 hours of your time, and the scores aren’t even on the same scale. It will take some interpreting and consulting with an expert or the internet anyway. Wouldn’t you rather find out in 2 minutes and do something else with those hours?
Choosing the right test is important for your time and your sanity. For most people, studying for one test will be easier than the other. That means you’ll see bigger improvements on that test with the same amount of time spent studying.
Your Next Steps
So you've taken the ACT vs SAT quiz and you've gotten your recommendation. Now what?
Now it's time to get to work! Here's how to get started.
- Pick an official test date and sign up. You can sign up for the ACT here and the SAT here. Pick a date at least 8 weeks away so you have plenty of time to study.
- Order some study materials. For both the ACT and the SAT, you’ll want the official study guide. None of the other materials are really worth using.
- Make a study plan. Decide what you need to study, when you’ll study it, and pace yourself towards your goals. Make sure to track your progress so you know if you’re on track!