The ACT and SAT scores have traditionally been a requirement for college applications. While they are not the sole factor used to determine whom to admit or offer scholarships, they are part of the student's overall academic profile—which includes grades, extracurricular activities, and other achievements—that will be evaluated by college admissions officers.

The tests are equally difficult, although students may perform better on one test over the other, according to the Princeton Review. Both tests have sections on reading, math, and either writing and language or English, but the ACT includes another on science reasoning and an optional essay that adds 40 minutes to the test. The ACT allows calculators for all math questions, while the SAT has one math section that does not.

Originally intended as an IQ test for U.S. Army recruits during World War I, the SAT was adapted as a college admission test that currently operates on a scale of 400 to 1600. Introduced in 1959 as a competitor to the SAT, the ACT is scored on a 1 to 36 scale and tests for material learned in school.

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