ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW – SAT | ACT | TSA

SAT vs TSA VS ACT - what should you choose and why?

This article first appeared on the official website of Gurgaon Moms on Oct 22, 2020.

LIFE OF A GRADE 12 STUDENT —

Good Academic Grades – *Check*

Planning for courses and colleges – *Check*

Taking on a leadership activity – *Check*

Draft of your personal statement – *Check*

Recommendation letter from teachers – *Check*

Attempting the required tests for colleges — ????

If you too are planning on applying to international universities then you must be thinking about which tests to give amongst SAT, ACT or TSA. If you are confused about the college admission tests and which one you should attempt; you have come to the right place.

First thing first.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAT, ACT AND TSA?

Basis	SAT	ACT	TSA
About the Exam	Scholastic Aptitude Test is a standardized exam that is administered by the college board in the USA.	American College Testingis a standardized exam administered by ACT, a nonprofit organization.	Thinking Skills Assessment is an exam that measures the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of a student which is administered by the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing.
Pattern	1. Math 2. Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 3. Essay (optional, depends on the selected course)	1. English, 2. Math 3. Reading 4. Science) 5. Essay (Optional, depends on the selected course).	1. 50 MCQ – problem-solving skills, including numerical and spatial reasoning; critical thinking skills 2. A writing task. (Optional, depends on the selected course)
Duration	3 hours without the essay. 3 hours 50 mins with the essay.	2 hours 55 minutes without the essay. 3 hours 35 minutes with the essay.	Section 1 – 90 mins Section 2 – 30 mins
Level	High School \| Grade 10	High School \| Grade 10	High School \| Grade 10 with a good knowledge of critical thinking and problem-solving.
Mostly accepted by	Almost all four-year degree colleges and universities in the US.	Almost all four-year degree colleges and universities in the US.	Is mostly preferred by universities based in the United Kingdom like the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and University College London. Although Ashoka University, Stockholm School of Economics and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia also accepts TSA scores.
Score	Total Score – 1600	Total points – 36	Total Score – 100

IS THERE ANY PREPARATION REQUIRED?

As most of these universities test the knowledge of a school student, the questions mainly revolve around the content you studied in high school. Many universities advise that the test be taken without any preparation.

But, when you are writing any test and have to sit for long hours to attempt the test, you need a good amount of practice beforehand. Tutors or experts can help you with certain tricks and hacks on how you can save your time and attempt as many questions as you can, correctly.

Since students have limited time to prepare for the test and want to get good scores in their first or second attempt, it is advised that you get the expertise of a professional in this field.

WHEN IS THE IDEAL TIME TO TAKE THESE TESTS?

Generally, it is advised that students take one attempt in their grade 11. It helps the students familiarize themselves with the exam pattern and be more confident in giving another attempt (if needed). Ideally, the students should aim at closing all testing attempts by summer of your grade 12. This helps lock one major aspect of your application so that you can focus the rest of the year on your academic grades, essays, LOR’s and anything that can help enhance your profile

Richa

Richa Dwivedi Saklani is a certified coach from UCLA and is an accredited MBTI trainer who has worked with over 10,000 people across career planning and as a behavioral trainer in companies. She is the CEO & Founder of Inomi Learning and author of “The Ultimate Guide to 21st Century Careers”.