Category: Languages

Start with the universities, not the test. Most universities that ask for one of these exams accept either, so the list you are applying against usually settles the question before any comparison does — check it first. If both are accepted, choose on format. The two differ in one structural way that matters more than any subject: the SAT adapts to you as you sit it, and the ACT does not. And as of the recent changes to the ACT, its Science section no longer counts towards the score most universities read.

What the SAT actually is

• Two sections: Reading and Writing, and Math. There is no separate science section and no essay.
• Each section is split into two equal modules. How you perform on the first module decides whether the second is harder or easier — the test adapts to you as you go.
• Reading and Writing is 64 minutes and 54 questions, in two 32-minute modules.
• Math is 70 minutes and 44 questions, in two 35-minute modules.
• Total testing time is 2 hours 14 minutes across 98 questions, with a 10-minute break between the two sections.
• Mostly multiple choice, though some maths questions ask you to type the answer rather than pick it.
• Scored 400 to 1600 — each of the two sections is scored 200 to 800 and the two are added together.
• Taken digitally.

What the ACT actually is

• Three required sections: English (35 minutes, 50 questions), Mathematics (50 minutes, 45 questions) and Reading (40 minutes, 36 questions).
• Two optional additions: Science (40 minutes, 40 questions) and Writing, a single essay in 40 minutes.
• Not adaptive. Every student sits the same questions in the same order, and the difficulty does not respond to how you are doing.
• Each section is scored 1 to 36. The Composite score is the average of English, Mathematics and Reading, rounded to the nearest whole number.
• If you sit the optional Science section it is reported separately, alongside a STEM score. It does not enter the Composite.
• The optional essay is scored 2 to 12 across four domains and does not affect the Composite either.

The change most guides have not caught up with

For years the honest one-line answer to “SAT or ACT?” was: if you are strong at reading scientific data under time pressure, the ACT rewards it, because Science is a quarter of your Composite. That advice is now out of date. Science is optional on the ACT and sits outside the Composite score, which averages English, Mathematics and Reading only.

Two practical consequences. If science reasoning was the reason you were leaning towards the ACT, that reason has largely gone. And if you are applying to an engineering or science programme, ask whether it wants the separate Science or STEM score before you decide to skip that section — the choice is now yours to make, which means it is also yours to get wrong.

The mistake that costs the most money

Choosing the test before reading the requirement. Sitting the wrong exam, or skipping an optional section a programme wanted, means paying for a second test and losing the weeks between the two sittings — and exam dates do not bend around admission deadlines. Read the exact wording on the admissions page of every university on your list, including whether it asks for the ACT essay or Science score. If the list disagrees with itself, prepare for what the strictest one on it wants.

If both are accepted, choose on pacing

The single most useful comparison is not subject matter, it is seconds per question. Work it out from the official timings and the difference is stark:

• SAT Reading and Writing — 64 minutes for 54 questions, a little over 70 seconds each.
• SAT Math — 70 minutes for 44 questions, roughly 95 seconds each.
• ACT English — 35 minutes for 50 questions, about 42 seconds each.
• ACT Mathematics — 50 minutes for 45 questions, about 67 seconds each.
• ACT Reading — 40 minutes for 36 questions, about 67 seconds each.

The ACT gives you noticeably less time per question across the board, and its English section is the fastest thing in either exam. Students who read quickly and decide quickly tend to do better on the ACT than their subject knowledge alone predicts. Students who need to re-read a passage before answering usually score better on the SAT, where the clock is kinder.

The adaptive design cuts the other way. On the SAT, a weak first module puts you into an easier second module, and an easier module caps the score you can reach from it. There is no equivalent on the ACT, where a slow start can still be recovered from later in the same section.

So which one is easier?

Neither, and universities know it — that is why they accept both. The honest question is not which exam is easier but which one loses you the fewest marks for the way you already work. The reliable way to find out is to sit one full timed practice paper of each under real conditions and compare, which is worth an afternoon and costs nothing. An untimed practice paper will not tell you, because pacing is most of what separates the two.

Preparing for either one with us

Al Khawarizmi Institute has prepared students for university entrance exams since 2011 and teaches both, so we have no reason to steer you towards the one we happen to be running. Tell us where you are applying and we will tell you what those universities accept. We assess your level first either way — and if your English base needs strengthening before exam technique will help, we will say so and route you through our general English course rather than sell you exam coaching that cannot work yet.

See our SAT preparation course and our ACT preparation course for what each covers. If your destination asks for an English language test rather than an entrance exam, our guide to choosing between IELTS and TOEFL covers that question instead. Classes run at our three branches — Beirut (Mar Elias), the Chouf (Simkanieh) and Choueifat — and as live Zoom groups for students elsewhere in Lebanon or abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Do universities prefer the SAT or the ACT?
Most that ask for either accept both and state no preference. Check the admissions page of each university on your list rather than assuming, and note whether it asks for the ACT essay or Science score as well.

Is Science still part of the ACT?
It is still offered, but it is optional and it does not count towards the Composite score, which averages English, Mathematics and Reading. If you sit it, it is reported separately along with a STEM score.

How are the two scored?
The SAT is scored 400 to 1600, adding two sections each scored 200 to 800. The ACT scores each section 1 to 36 and reports a Composite that averages English, Mathematics and Reading, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Which exam is shorter?
The SAT is 2 hours 14 minutes in total. The ACT’s three required sections run 35, 50 and 40 minutes, and the optional Science and Writing sections add 40 minutes each if you take them.

What does it mean that the SAT is adaptive?
Each SAT section has two modules, and your performance on the first decides whether the second is harder or easier. The ACT is not adaptive — everyone sits the same paper, so a weak start can be recovered within the same section.

Should I sit both?
Rarely worth it. You pay twice and split your preparation across two formats. Sit one full timed practice paper of each, pick the one that suits how you work, and prepare properly for that one.

Can I prepare from outside Lebanon?
Yes. Both courses run as live Zoom classes with the same teachers as our in-person groups, and students join from across Lebanon and from abroad.

Talk to us before you book a test date

Send us the universities you are applying to and your deadline. Call 00961 71 27 67 13 or message us on WhatsApp and we will tell you which exam those universities accept, assess your level, and send you the next group dates and fees.

Start with the requirement, not the test. Whichever university, employer or immigration authority you are applying to publishes the English tests it accepts and the minimum score it wants, and that list settles the question far more often than any comparison of the two exams does. Check it before you book anything. If both IELTS and TOEFL appear on it, then the choice comes down to format — and the largest single difference is that IELTS asks you to speak to a human examiner, while TOEFL records your answers into a microphone to be scored later.

What IELTS actually is

• Four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
• Scored on a nine-band scale in half bands. Your overall band is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band — so one weak skill pulls the whole result down.
• Two modules, Academic and General Training. They share Listening and Speaking but differ in Reading and Writing.
• Academic Writing Task 1 asks you to describe a chart, graph or process in your own words. General Training Task 1 asks you to write a letter. Task 2 is an essay in both.
• Speaking is a conversation with a trained examiner, not a recording.
• Available on paper or on computer.
• Listening uses a spread of accents — British, Australian, New Zealand and North American.
• Results are normally valid for two years.

What TOEFL actually is

• Four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.
• Each section is scored from 0 to 30, for a total out of 120.
• One version only. There is no Academic and General split to choose between.
• Taken on a computer. Your speaking answers are recorded and marked afterwards, so there is no examiner in the room and no conversation to carry.
• Writing includes an integrated task: you read a short passage, listen to a lecture on the same topic, then write about how the two relate. IELTS has nothing equivalent, and it is the task most students underestimate.
• Listening is predominantly North American English.
• Results are normally valid for two years.

The mistake that costs the most money

Booking the wrong IELTS module. If you are applying to a university you almost always need Academic. If you are applying through a migration or general work route you usually need General Training. They are not interchangeable, and a General Training result will not satisfy an admissions office that asked for Academic — which means paying for the test twice and losing the weeks in between. Read the exact wording of the requirement before you book, not after.

TOEFL has no equivalent split, and that is part of why it is not a drop-in substitute for IELTS on migration routes.

If your goal is Canada

These are two different questions, and merging them is where most of the confusion starts.

• Studying at a Canadian university or college. Both IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT are normally accepted. The institution’s own admissions page states the minimum it wants — take your number from there.
• Permanent residence through Express Entry. The English tests Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada accepts are IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General and PTE Core. TOEFL is not among them. If permanent residence is the goal, the real question was never IELTS or TOEFL.

Accepted-test lists and minimum scores are changed by the bodies that publish them. Confirm on the IRCC website and on your institution’s own admissions page before you pay for a test date — not on a forum, and not on this page.

If your goal is the UK, Australia or Europe

Outside North America, IELTS generally has the wider footprint. UK visa routes commonly require an approved Secure English Language Test taken at an approved centre, and a specific IELTS for UKVI booking exists for that purpose — an ordinary IELTS booking does not always satisfy it, which catches people out. Australian and New Zealand routes accept IELTS widely. Many European universities accept both tests and simply publish a minimum for each. TOEFL remains strongest where it started, in North American admissions. In every case the accepting body’s own page is the authority, and it costs you five minutes to read.

If both are accepted, choose on format

• You speak more fluently to a person than to a machine — IELTS.
• You tense up in interviews and would rather answer a fixed prompt against a timer — TOEFL.
• You learned mostly British English at school — IELTS listening will sound familiar.
• Most of your English comes from American film, television and YouTube — TOEFL listening will sound familiar.
• You write faster by hand than you type — of the two, only IELTS still offers a paper sitting.
• You read long academic passages comfortably — TOEFL reading suits you.
• You would rather face many short, varied question types than a few long ones — IELTS reading suits you.

So which one is easier?

Neither. They are differently hard, and the two scores do not sit on the same scale, so “I got 7 in IELTS, that is about X in TOEFL” is a conversion rather than a difficulty ranking. Comparison tables between the two do exist, but you rarely need one: if a university states “IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 90”, it has already done the conversion for you, and its numbers are the ones you are marked against.

What actually moves a score is preparation matched to the format you picked — the timing, the question types, and the marking criteria the examiners are working from. Knowing the shape of the exam is part of the score, not something separate from it.

Preparing for either one with us

Al Khawarizmi Institute has taught English in Lebanon since 2011 and prepares students for both tests, so we have no reason to push you towards the one we happen to be running. Tell us where you are applying and we will tell you which test that destination accepts. We start with a level assessment either way, and if your English base needs strengthening first we will say so and route you through our general English course before you spend money on exam coaching.

See our IELTS preparation course and our TOEFL preparation course for what each one covers. Classes run at our three branches — Beirut (Mar Elias), the Chouf (Simkanieh) and Choueifat — and as live Zoom groups for students elsewhere in Lebanon or abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Is TOEFL accepted for Canadian immigration?
Not for Express Entry — the English tests IRCC accepts there are IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General and PTE Core. For admission to a Canadian university, TOEFL is normally accepted. Confirm both on the official pages before booking.

Do I need IELTS Academic or General Training?
Academic for university study; General Training for most migration and general work routes. The requirement you are applying against will state which one, and the two are not interchangeable.

How long are the results valid?
Both are normally valid for two years from the test date. Some institutions ask for a more recent result than that, so check the one you are applying to.

Should I sit both tests?
Rarely worth it. Nothing prevents you, but you pay twice and split your preparation. Pick the test your destination accepts and prepare properly for that one.

Can I prepare from outside Lebanon?
Yes. Both preparation courses run as live Zoom classes with the same teachers, and students join from across Lebanon and from Arab countries abroad.

Talk to us before you book a test date

Call 00961 71 27 67 13 or message us on WhatsApp with where you are applying and your deadline. We will tell you which test that destination accepts, assess your level, and send you the next group dates and fees.