Along with the SAT, the ACT is one of the two most used standardized tests taken by students who are trying to gain admission to college undergraduate programs in the United States. Between these two college placement exams, the ACT currently ranks number one in terms of which exam is most frequently taken each year. The ACT surpassed the SAT for the first time in 2012.
The ACT, which was founded in 1959 in Iowa, was designed to be an alternative to the aptitude-oriented SAT test. It is used to test a student’s previous education to not only ensure that they are ready to take on college, but also to see if they have any weaknesses in specific areas of study. Because it is perceived to be more closely aligned with common core, several states have signed contracts to use the ACT to test for mastery of school content, which helped to further boost the ACT’s popularity in those states.
It is a multiple-choice style test with 215 questions that cover four sections; Math, English, Reading, and Science. There is also an optional Writing section (essay).
How important ACT scores are in the college application process varies from school to school. Overall, the higher you score on the ACT (and/or other placement exams) the more options for attending and paying for college will be available to you.
How the ACT is Scored
The test questions, with the exception of the optional writing (essay) portion, are all multiple choice. Each section of the ACT is then scored on a point scale of 1 to 36. Your composite ACT score is the average of your four section scores, also on a scale from 1 to 36. If you take the ACT with Writing Test, you will receive a separate score on that portion of the Writing Test. For the writing portion, you will be graded on a point scale of 1-6.
The average composite score is usually about 21. For example, the graduating class of 2019 had a national average ACT Composite score of 20.7, which was down slightly from the class of 2018’s average of 20.8.
Here is a video that talks about understanding the ACT Score Report.
You can learn more about ACT test scores as well as check out a sample score report here.
When is the ACT offered?
The ACT exams are taken nationally during the months of February, April, June, July, September, October, and December. You can go to http://www.act.org/ to view test dates and locations.
When should I take the exam?
People of all ages and grade levels are eligible to take the ACT. That said, most high school students will take the ACT during the Spring of their junior year.
The spring of the junior year is kind of a sweet spot for taking the ACT for a few reasons:
- Most students will have probably completed the coursework that corresponds to the test material
- You will receive your test scores prior to your senior year, which will allow you to:
- Receive your test scores and other information in time to help better plan for your senior year and adjust your courses (if you want to focus on improving an area where your score was low)
- Better focus your campus visits on specific schools during the summer before your senior year
- Have time to retest if you feel your scores don’t accurately reflect your abilities
Whenever you want to test you will want to make sure that you sign up as early as possible. Registration deadlines fall five weeks before each ACT test date, so you should plan on registering at least six weeks in advance of your desired test date.
Also, know that the testing locations can fill up pretty quickly. So, if you don’t want to travel far to take the exam, your best bet is to get registered as early as possible in a location that is closest to you.
Do I need to take the Writing portion of the ACT?
The only reason you need to take the optional Writing portion of the ACT is if the colleges you are thinking of applying to need it as part of your admissions application. Some colleges don’t require the writing portion of the ACT while other schools require it while still, other schools recommend it. I would suggest that you take the Writing portion of the ACT if the schools you are looking at are in either the “require it” or “recommend it” camps.
You can check here to see if the schools you are thinking about applying to require the writing portion of the ACT.
How to register for the ACT?
You can register to take the ACT at http://www.act.org/.
We said this earlier, but it bears repeating… Students should plan on registering for the ACT at least six weeks in advance so they can avoid paying late fees and make sure they get their preferred testing location.
What to Expect
The ACT is broken up into four sections; Math, English, Reading, and Science. You’ll have 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete all of those sections. However, you should plan on being there for longer, because you will get breaks during the test. Including breaks, the exam takes 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete. If you opt to take the writing optional writing portion of the ACT, you’ll get an extra 40 minutes.
Here is a breakdown of the test so you can better know what each section will be like.
| Section | # of Questions & Time Allowed | What Is Measured | Types of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 75 questions 45 minutes | Understanding of English, production of writing and knowledge of language skills. (grammar & usage, punctuation, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style) | four-choice, multiple-choice (usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills questions) |
| Math | 60 questions 60 minutes | Mathematical skills you have typically acquired in courses up to the beginning of grade 12. (pre-algebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, coordinate geometry, plane geometry, and trigonometry) | five-choice, multiple-choice questions |
| Reading | 40 questions 35 minutes | Reading comprehension commonly encountered in first-year college curricula. | four-choice, multiple-choice (referring and reasoning questions) |
| Science | 40 questions 35 minutes | Interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning and problem-solving skills required in biology, chemistry, Earth/space sciences and physics. | four-choice, multiple-choice (data representation, research summaries, and conflicting viewpoints questions) |
| Writing (optional) | 1 essay 40 minutes | Writing skills taught in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses. | essay prompt |
How to Prepare for the ACT
If you are interested in applying for a college, you might want to brush up on your high school subjects. The ACT tests mostly on your knowledge of those sorts of subjects. Your scores determine whether you are ready to apply for college and/or if you need remedial courses. If you’d like to practice the ACT and see where you rank, you can go to the ACT testing website and take any number of practice tests that you like.
If you want to take your preparation to the next level you can hire a tutor or test prep company.
How Much Does It Cost to Take the ACT?
Below are a couple of charts that cover the fees to take the ACT as well as the cost for any additional services. The costs mentioned below are accurate as of 2020, but as with most things, fees usually go up a little bit every few years.
ACT Test Fees
| Fee | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| The full ACT (no writing) | $55 | Includes reports for you, your high school, and up to four colleges (if codes are provided when you register). |
| The full ACT with writing | $70 | Includes reports for you, your high school, and up to four colleges (if codes are provided when you register). More about the ACT with writing |
| Test option change | $15 | The writing test fee is refundable on written request if you are absent on test day or switch to ACT (no writing) before testing begins. |
| Fee waivers are available. |
Cost of Additional Fees & Services for the ACT
| Fee | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Late registration | $35 | Registration or test date change made during the late period for a national test date. |
| Standby testing | $56 | Refunded if you are denied admission to the test center on test day or registration was cancelled due to no photo provided. More about standby testing |
| Change Fee | $35 | Includes making a Test Date Change or Test Center Change. How can I make changes to my registration? |
| Score reports to 5th and 6th college choices | $13 | Request online before the test date. Refundable on written request if you do not test. |
| Additional Score Reports | $13 | You can request additional score reports online or by providing an additional score report form. |
| Test Information Release | $22 | You can request a copy of your test questions and answers. |
When you sign up to take the ACT, you can select four colleges where your score reports will be sent for free. As mentioned in the above table you can always add more colleges later for an additional fee.
Final Thoughts
Depending on where you live, the ACT could be the most common test that is taken in your area. However, regardless of where you live, every college in the United States will take either test.
Taking a practice test is a good idea, regardless of which test a person is planning to take. If you take a practice ACT test and do a fantastic job, you might stick with the ACT and spend your time doing some ACT prep work. However, if you didn’t do as well as you expected, give the SAT a try. Usually, students will have comparable results on each test, but sometimes students do better on one test and/or may enjoy one test over the other.
Taking practice tests for both the ACT and SAT is probably a good idea. Once you have completed the practice tests, you can prepare for the one that you did the best on or enjoyed taking the most. Ultimately, the decision you make needs to be about what is the best fit for you and your situation.
