NYS Regents Exams vs SAT/ACT/SAT IIs

If your student feels like they’re not a “good test taker” or have a disadvantage while taking standardized tests, then they would appreciate the departure in format from other tests they’re scheduled to face in high school like the ACT or SAT, SAT IIs, and AP exams. There’s an average of 75 seconds per question on a math section of the SAT, compared to 5 minutes per question on any of the math Regents exams. Regents exams are not time sensitive; a decently-performing student has enough time to comfortably take an exam twice in the time allotted. In fact, that’s a good strategy for double-checking their work—to redo the questions.

Regents exams also have short answer sections where students hand write answers showing their work. This isn’t the case on the SAT, ACT, or SAT IIs. It’ll feel more familiar, like doing a homework assignment, and the test-taking strategies that are typically used on multiple choice questions don’t apply to short answer questions.

While Regents exams are still standardized tests, they come in a markedly different format than the rest of the tests high schoolers are scheduled to take.