For many years, the SAT was really the only choice for college-bound students. The ACT was largely unknown beyond the west coast, and many, if not most, colleges didn’t accept it. This circumstance has changed dramatically in the last few years. The ACT is accepted almost everywhere, and it has gained in popularity with students. While the standard version of the test isn’t for everyone, the accommodations available to students with disabilities make it an attractive choice for ADHD students.
I’ve mapped out the differences between the SAT and ACT in terms of the available accommodations useful for ADHD students. While the options are largely identical in name, in practice the ACT has significant advantages.
| Available accommodations | SAT | ACT |
| Extended time (time & ½) | Yes (5 hours, 11 minutes) | Yes (up to 5 hours; 5 hours, 45 minutes with writing) |
| Extended time (double time) | Yes, very difficult to qualify | Yes, very difficult to qualify |
| Multiple day testing | Yes, for double time only | Yes for special circumstances |
| Extra breaks | Yes, between each section | Yes, between each section |
| Extended break time | Yes, twice length of standard breaks | Yes, breaks are student paced |
| Small group testing | Yes | No (but if receive extended time, will be small group setting) |
Specifically, the ACT allows students granted extended time to largely work at their own pace within a five hour total time limit (five hours and 45 minutes if taking the ACT with writing). This means students can take breaks after each section as needed, and for as long as they prefer. If a student finishes the test before the time limit, he or she is free to leave. This flexibility may be invaluable for an ADHD student.
In contrast, with standard accommodations the total testing time for the SAT is five hours and 11 minutes (the experimental section is eliminated for students with extended time). However, if a student also receives extra and/or extended break time, which may be critical for an ADHD student, the total testing time could be increased by an hour or more. While snacks are allowed, a student in this situation could find him/herself not eating lunch until 3 PM! The stress of such a long day can be very difficult for an ADHD student, and his/her performance on later sections will almost certainly be negatively impacted.
While I don’t recommend choosing the ACT solely because of the available accommodations, the advantages should certainly be considered when choosing which test to take. For those students who prefer the format of the SAT, they should absolutely take the SAT. In the end, the ability to get more questions correct is the most important variable.
******************
Today’s guest post was contributed by Jenn Cohen, owner of Jenn Cohen Tutoring and President and Chief Word Nerd of Word-Nerd.com, an SAT vocabulary website. She specializes in tutoring ADHD students for the SAT, PSAT and ACT. You can find her on Twitter @satprepforadhd and @SheldonWordNerd.