High school seniors who are applying to college can take either the ACT or the SAT when applying to universities, since almost every college will accept scores from either test. Before taking the ACT, you should learn the key facts about the exam, and study with the best test prep material available. You can also check out a comparison of the ACT and SAT.
ACT Structure
The ACT consists of an English section with 75 grammar questions based on 5 passages, a math section with 60 questions covering high school math up to pre-calculus, a reading section with 40 questions based on 4 passages, a science section with 40 questions based on short passages that describe experiments, and an optional essay section that consists of 1 essay. As for timing, you have 45 minutes for English, 60 minutes for math, 35 minutes each for reading and science, and 30 minutes for the essay. Including the break after the math section, the entire test takes about 4 hours.
The entire ACT is multiple choice with 4 answer choices for each question, except for the math questions which have 5 answer choices, and the essay which is written.
Test takers with disabilities may apply to have extended time. Although the essay is optional, most colleges require that you write the essay, unless you also take the SAT, which has a non-optional essay.
ACT Scoring
Each section (except the essay) is scored from 0 to 36. The ACT composite score is the average score of the 4 sections, rounded to the nearest whole number. The essay is scored from 2 to 12. (It is read by two ACT essay graders, each of whom gives the essay a score from 1 to 6. The two scores are then added.
There is no penalty for guessing, ie, a choosing the wrong answer choice is not penalized more than leaving a question blank. Therefore, you should answer every ACT question, even if you must guess on some of the questions.
The national average score for each section hovers right around 21, and the average composite score is also about 21.
Who can help you succeed on the ACT?
There are many books and courses that can help you ace the ACT. Here are three particularly easy to use and effective ACT prep books:
- Kaplan ACT 2010 Premier Program strategies and tricks for answering tough questions plus a thorough review of test topics
- Real ACT Prep Guide contains 3 real ACT exams
- Cracking the ACT, 2009 Edition
one of the most trusted ACT test prep books
The key to getting a good score on the ACT is taking lots of practices tests, and doing many sample questions. The ACT does not test every English, math, and science concept learned in high school, so when you study, you should focus only on topics that will appear on the exam.
For live classroom courses, you can enroll in a Kaplan ACT course if you have a Kaplan center in your area.
ACT Retake Policies
You can retake the ACT to get a higher score, and you can choose the scores that colleges receive. Keep in mind your various college application deadlines when retaking the ACT. Also understand the the ACT and SAT are made by different companies, so if you score low on the ACT and decide to take the SAT instead to get a higher score, no one has to know about your ACT scores.
