I got a 30 on the ACT, but I didn't take it with Writing. I wasn't expecting to get this high of a score the first time around, so I figured it was fine to save Writing for a retake.
At this point, I have to either take the ACT again with Writing or take the SAT. I'm thinking maybe I should go with the SAT because I'm better in English/Reading, and I know the SAT slightly favors that type of student. Then again, I'm more familiar with the ACT since I've already taken it.
What should I do? And will colleges consider my SAT essay score alongside my high ACT score if I take the SAT and get a less impressive score overall?
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I would advise you to stick with the ACT. The new SAT is similar to the ACT in many ways, so you're unlikely to gain anything by switching over. With the elimination of a separate Writing score, the SAT no longer favors students who are better at English and Reading. The Math sections on the new SAT test essentially the same concepts as the ACT math section). Your best chance of getting a higher overall score lies in retaking the ACT because you already have experience with the timing and format. To answer your follow up question, in the event that you did choose to take the SAT, colleges wouldn't look at your SAT essay score in conjunction with your current ACT score. There is no cross-test superscoring.
If you're still concerned that you might be throwing away an opportunity for a higher score on the SAT, I'd recommend taking a real timed SAT practice test to get a sense of how your scores would look. That way you can make a decision that's directly informed by your personal experiences rather than just adhering to generalized advice about which test is better for which types of students. If you'd like to compare your SAT practice test score to your ACT score, the College Board recently released concordance tables to help with these conversions. A 30 composite score on the ACT is approximately equivalent to a 1400 on the new SAT.
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