Which Students Tend to Do Better on the ACT Than on the SAT?

Although the SAT and ACT now overlap more than ever, they still assess somewhat different skill profiles. As a result, many students discover that they perform meaningfully better on one exam than the other. Understanding why this happens can help students choose the test that better reflects their strengths.

The following is an evidence-based look at the types of students who often do better on the ACT than the SAT, and the cognitive and curricular factors that explain the difference.

1. Fast, Efficient Readers Who Handle Time Pressure Well

The ACT is widely known for its tight timing, especially in the Reading and Science sections. Students must read dense passages and answer questions at a rapid pace.

Students who tend to thrive on the ACT often have:

• Very fast reading rates

• Strong skimming and scanning skills

• Ability to answer questions quickly with minimal rereading

• High stamina across back-to-back sections

Where the SAT gives more time per question, the ACT rewards speed and decisiveness.

Who benefits: Students who read quickly, process information rapidly, or have trained in fast-paced academic environments (e.g., competitive debate, AP humanities courses with heavy reading).

2. Students Who Prefer Straightforward Questions Over Multi-Step Puzzles

ACT questions—especially in Reading and English—tend to be more literal and less puzzle-like. The SAT often structures questions as multistep reasoning tasks, particularly in Reading and the Math “Problem-Solving and Data Analysis” category.

Students who do better on the ACT often:

• Prefer direct questions with clear, immediately identifiable answers

• Struggle with the SAT’s layered logic or “evidence pairs”

• Find it easier to eliminate answers based on surface clarity

The ACT favors a what-does-the-text-say approach, while the SAT emphasizes why and how do you know.

3. Students Strong in Basic Grammar and Conventions

The ACT English section is grammar-heavy, long, and predictable. Many questions test:

• Punctuation

• Sentence structure

• Verb agreement

• Transitions

• Conciseness

Students who do well tend to have solid mastery of these rules and enjoy editing tasks.

For students who struggle with inference-heavy reading tasks but excel in rule-based language mechanics, the ACT can offer a significant advantage.

4. Students Who Are Comfortable With Calculator-Everywhere Math

The ACT allows calculator use on the entire math section, and its math questions tend to be:

• More straightforward

• More reliant on plugging in values and using formulas

• Less algebraically intricate than SAT Math

Students who benefit:

• Those stronger in geometry (ACT includes more of it)

• Students who prefer computational math to symbolic reasoning

• Students who rely on the calculator as a problem-solving tool

• STEM-inclined students with strong formula recall

Meanwhile, SAT Math often requires more multi-step reasoning, algebraic manipulation, and mental number sense.

5. Students Strong in Science Reasoning

The ACT includes a dedicated Science section, which does not test formal scientific knowledge but does require:

• Interpreting graphs and tables

• Understanding experimental setups

• Synthesizing scientific findings quickly

Students comfortable with lab work, AP science classes, or data-heavy assignments tend to excel here.

The SAT incorporates similar skills—mainly in Reading and Math— but does not give Science its own timed section, so students who like science often feel more at home on the ACT.

6. Students Who Struggle With the SAT’s Adaptive Format (Digital SAT Era)

The new digital SAT is adaptive, meaning:

• If you struggle in the first module, the second module becomes easier

• If you do well initially, questions accelerate in difficulty

Some students dislike adaptive testing because:

• Early mistakes penalize them more

• They feel psychological pressure in the first module

• They prefer to “earn” points steadily throughout the test rather than all at once in a compressed second module

The ACT, still a linear test, may suit students who don’t want the exam to adapt to their performance mid-test.

7. Students Who Excel With Predictability Rather Than Complex Strategy

SAT preparation often involves learning:

• How to decode question patterns

• How to navigate text-evidence pairs

• Multi-step math routines

• Passage-based critical reasoning

In contrast, the ACT tends to reward:

• Familiar school-based skills

• Repetition and pattern recognition

• Straightforward test-taking strategies

Students who dislike puzzles or trick-like question structures often find the ACT more intuitive.

In Summary

Students who often perform better on the ACT than the SAT typically share several traits:

✔ Fast readers comfortable with time pressure

✔ Prefer simple, literal questions to multi-step logic

✔ Strong in grammar and rule-based editing

✔ Comfortable with calculator-based math and geometry

✔ Enjoy interpreting charts and scientific data

✔ Prefer a linear test over an adaptive one

✔ Want a test that feels more like schoolwork and less like a logic puzzle

Each test reflects a different cognitive style. Neither is inherently “harder”—they simply reward different strengths.