ACT Facts

So, here is everything you ever wanted to know about the ACT test. The ACT, originally stood for American College Testing and was first administered in 1959., in 2014 1.84 million high school graduates took the test.

It is divided into 4 sub-sections; English, Reading, Mathematics, Science Reasoning, plus an optional Writing test. Each sub-section is graded on a scale of 1-36. The sub-scores are averaged together to produce a number, which ACT calls a Composite score. English, Mathematics, and Reading are further divided into subscores which are graded on a scale of 1-18. The optional Writing test is graded from 2-12, and a combined score from English and Writing graded 1-36 is also computed. The Writing score does not impact the Composite score. Each question that is answered correctly receives 1 raw point and there are no penalties for incorrect answers or guesses.

In addition to the ACT, the testing service offers the EXPLORE test which is available to 8th and 9th graders and the PLAN test which is available to 10th graders. These tests allow students the opportunity to become familiar with the ACT. They can also be used as a tool for placement and consideration of high school courses and provide early insight into how competitive a student will be for college admission. PLAN and EXPLORE are not available in all areas. Typically, the are offered to all students in a given grade within a given school or district. You generally can’t just “sign up” to take these tests the way you can with the ACT.

Nearly all colleges will consider ACT scores as part of the college admissions process. Most any school that requires a standardized test for admission purposes will accept the ACT for that. The ACT Corporation views the test as indicator of a student’s potential success in a entry-level college courses.

I generally a recommend a student who is sitting for a ACT test to take the writing portion. Many colleges require it. So, if you don’t take the writing and end up applying to a school that requires it, you’ll need to retake the ACT with Writing, essentially making the first first attempt meaningless. Some colleges will super-score the ACT as well. This means If, say, your best English and Reading scores were from a October test and your best Mathematics and Science Reasoning scores were from the February test, you can combine these best sub-scores from two different test dates to produce a new Composite. Each college has different policies on super-scoring so it is best to do your homework there.

The test is offered six times a year in September, October, December, February, April, and June. The fee is $39.50 without Writing, and $56.50 with it. The test generally begins at 8am on a Saturday. English is 45 minutes, Mathematics is 60, Reading and Science Reasoning are each 35 minutes. The Writing portion is an additional 45 minutes. Factoring in breaks and administration time, non-Writing students are usually dismissed around 12:15 and Writing students around 1:00. Registration is done through the website at actstudent.org.