Why the ACT Is the Easier Test to Beat Right Now

Tarkwork Test Prep

Every college that accepts the SAT accepts the ACT and vice versa. They are viewed and weighed equally by admissions offices. So the question now is, which test can you personally beat faster?

Our philosophy at Tarkwork (after helping hundreds of students increase their ACT scores by 6+ points and SAT scores by 200+ points) has always been to point students toward whichever test is easier to earn higher score growth in less time.

When the SAT went fully digital, it became the easier test to beat and our primary recommendation. Now that the ACT has made its own overhaul (beginning in the fall of 2025), we think it is the easier test to beat for the following reasons.

1. More time per question

The new “Enhanced ACT” gives students more time per question than the old format. That extra breathing room matters the most for the ACT because the ACT contains more straightforward questions and is more about pacing and timing than solving complex or abstract questions, as is the case for the SAT.

2. Shorter overall

The Enhanced ACT is shorter overall than the old version and shorter than the SAT (if you do not take science which is now optional). Less testing time overall means reduced testing fatigue and less time required to prep since full length practice tests take less time to complete.

3. You can order a copy of the real test

ACT, Inc. lets you order an actual, previously administered test 3 to 4 times a year (unlike the SAT, which has yet to release a full-length real test since it went completely digital in March 2024). This means you can see exactly where you went wrong on the actual ACT.

4. Full transparency on scoring

The ACT publishes exactly how many questions you can miss on a given test form and still get a specific score. The SAT's scoring curve is adaptive, proprietary, and unpublished. You never really know how many mistakes you can afford.

5. Non-adaptive means fewer mind games

The ACT gives every student the same question order on a fixed-form test. There's no adaptive branching where missing early questions locks you out of harder (higher-value) ones later, like on the digital SAT.

6. Predictable placement of non-scored questions

Every ACT form includes some non-scored field-test questions, but they show up in a semi-predictable location. That's one less unknown to manage on test day compared to a fully randomized placement (as is the case for the SAT).

7. Fewer vocabulary landmines

It's easier to land a 34 to 36 on the ACT than a 1550 to 1600 on the SAT, in large part because the ACT English and Reading sections lean far less on vocabulary-in-context questions. Vocab questions are the most difficult to predict and prepare for. The fewer vocab questions, the easier the test, especially in the upper score percentiles where one question can make the difference between a 98th and 99th percentile score.

8. Desmos is now available on the ACT too

If you're a student who leans on Desmos to work through the math section, the digital ACT now offers Desmos as well.

The bottom line

Colleges don't care which test you take. We care about which test gets you the best score with the least wasted effort. Right now, that's the ACT.