The ACT is a multiple-choice exam that tests students on what they've learned through school curriculum. The exam covers four major subjects: math, English, science and reading. An optional essay portion is available where students can demonstrate their writing skills.
The SAT exam is a combination of short essay and multiple-choice questions designed to test problem-solving abilities. Test questions are divided into critical reading, writing and math sections. Students can also take additional SAT tests in specific subjects.
The actual testing time of the ACT exam is 3 hours and 25 minutes. The SAT exam is 3 hours and 45 minutes long.
The highest ACT score is 35 while the highest SAT score is 2400. In 2008, the average ACT score was 21.1 while the average SAT score was 1511.