For years students (and their parents) have been sweating the SAT. Now, the ACT is increasing in popularity, with many students taking both. An article in CNN.com explains why many students opt to take both:

Last year, many students reported being worn out by the length of the newly revised SAT, which is has been expanded to three hours, 45 minutes of official testing time. The ACT lasts just under three hours (plus a half-hour for the optional writing section).

The ACT has gained broader acceptance by colleges, and may allow students to do less testing overall. Some selective colleges require both the SAT and SAT subject tests, but will take the ACT alone. The ACT also gives students more flexibility to submit to colleges only the scores they wish them to see.

There’s an easy way to check out samples of each test; they’re available online: SAT & ACT sample questions.