What is the difference between the SAT, ACT and EMSAT exams in the United Arab Emirates?

SAT exam

As we mentioned in our previous article, the SAT exam is to measure the student’s abilities in terms of critical and logical thinking, analysis, and understanding of the subject matter. All SAT exams are conducted in English, so the student who hopes to obtain the SAT certificate needs to be a professional in the English language and able to understand the language well.

With the SAT exam, different certificates and exams appeared, such as the ACT exam, which many students compare to the SAT, and sometimes the student needs to prefer one of the two tests over the other according to his goals or the difficulty or ease of the test.

On the other hand, the Emirati student becomes increasingly confused regarding his choice between the SAT, ACT and EMSAT exams, as a number of questions revolve in his mind related to whether he can dispense with the SAT certificate as long as he has obtained the EMSAT certificate, or he must obtain it in order to be able to enroll in American universities or travel abroad, and does the SAT exam suffice him from obtaining the EMSAT?

In this article, we will provide you with a set of information that will help you differentiate between the SAT, ACT, and EMSAT exams. We will explain the most important of these differences through a set of explanations that will help you make a decision and know whether one of the tests can be dispensed with in exchange for another test, or whether all three tests must be passed?

SAT exam in points:

SAT exam

• It tests the student's logical thinking, and how he or she comprehends the English language and educational materials.
• There is a specific time for each section of the SAT exam. There is a specific time for the SAT Math, SAT Science, SAT Critical Reading, and SAT Writing exams.
• You are given 1 minute for each question on the SAT exam.
• The test contains 170 questions.
• The SAT does not have a science section.
• Test duration 3 hours
• If you will solve the essay part during the exam, 50 minutes will be added for writing, making the total 3 hours and 50 minutes.
• This exam is administered in the spring or fall of each academic year.
• Getting high scores on the SAT exam helps in admission to international universities in the UAE
• The SAT contains:

Reading and Grammar: 52 Multiple Choice Questions

Writing and Language: 44 multiple choice questions.

Mathematics: 58 multiple choice questions, divided into 20 non-calculator questions and 38 calculator questions.

• SAT scores range from 200 to 800 for each section of the SAT, with a maximum total of 1600.

ACT exam

What is the CAT exam and the difference between the SAT and the ACT?

• ACT is an abbreviation for American College System.
• The ACT exam is intended for admission to universities abroad such as the United States.
• The CAT exam consists of 4 sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science and Writing: The writing section is optional, and some universities may require it.
• The total time for the CAT exam is 215 minutes, divided into 45 minutes for the English language, 60 minutes for the math test, 35 minutes for the reading test, and 35 minutes for reading. If you take the writing test, 40 minutes will be added.
• The number of questions includes multiple choice and written questions and includes 215 questions, distributed as 75 questions in English, 40 questions in reading, 60 questions in the mathematics section and 40 questions in the science section.
• The ACT test is administered by a non-profit American organization.
• The ACT test is administered 6 times during the year.
• The exam appointment is booked through the website and the fees are paid according to the website’s instructions.

Yesterday's exam

• It is the Emirates Standardized Test EmSAT.
• Its goal is to measure the skills of the Emirati student in all subjects (Arabic language - English language - Science - Mathematics - Computer - Biology - Chemistry - Physics)
• The questions consist of multiple choice questions, written questions, fill-in-the-blank questions and extract from the passage.
• The exam targets UAE students in grades 4 to 12.
• The exam is also intended for students wishing to obtain master's and doctoral degrees in Emirati universities.
• The EmSAT exam, specifically the science-specific exam, measures a student's ability to think logically and solve problems.
• The EMSAT exam is divided into (EMSAT Continuous - EMSAT Basic and EMSAT Achievement)
• The basic Emsat targets students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Its aim is to measure the student’s skills in the Arabic and English languages, and to measure the school’s skills in imparting information to the student.
• The purpose of the EmSAT Sequential Test is to measure a student's skills in language, science and mathematics.
• The EmSAT Achievement exam is the most advanced and complex exam, targeting twelfth grade students.
• The dates of the exams are announced according to the schedule of each year.
• The AMSAT exam is conducted in specific centers.
• To get the highest score on the IELTS exam, you need to train, study, and attend online or offline training courses.

In the end, the SAT, ACT, and EMSAT exams meet to measure the student’s skills in languages ​​and sciences, but they differ in terms of the targeted students, the nature of the questions, and the way they are presented. Sometimes, the SAT and EMSAT exams cannot be dispensed with for students in the UAE, if the student wants to enroll in an international university within the UAE, for example.