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 prep for and score well on.

When the SAT went fully digital, the SAT became the easier test to beat, and we shifted most students that way. Now that the ACT has made its own overhaul (beginning in the fall of 2025), we think the pendulum has swung back, and the ACT is the easier test to beat again. Here's why:

1. More time per question

The new “Enhanced ACT” gives students more time per question than the old format did. That extra breathing room matters most on a test that has historically punished students for going too slow.

2. Shorter overall, which plays to the ACT's strengths

The ACT has always rewarded students who can move quickly through straightforward questions. Now it's shorter overall than the old version, which amplifies that strength instead of fighting it: less time in the chair, less opportunity for fatigue to cost you points.

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 The SAT's scoring curve is adaptive, proprietary, and unpublished.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 lock you out of harder (higher-value) ones later, like on the digital SAT.

6. Predictable placement of unscored questions

Every ACT form includes some unscored 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 exponentially harder to predict and prepare for. The fewer vocab questions there are, 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, that crutch is no longer SAT-exclusive. The digital ACT now offers Desmos as well.

The bottom line

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