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ACT (American College Testing Program)

The American College Testing Program (ACT) has four sections that measure academic achievement: English, Reading, Mathematics, and Science Reasoning.  Each section is scored separately, and a composite score is the most commonly reported index in the program.  ACT uses a low scale of 1 to a high of 36 in scoring each subtest.

English Test

The English Test is a 75-question, 45-minute test that measures your understanding of the conventions of standard written English. It tests your proficiency in punctuation, grammar and usage, and sentence structure as well as your rhetorical skills of strategy, organization, and style. The test consists of five prose passages, each of which is accompanied by a sequence of multiple-choice test questions. Different passage types are included to provide a variety of rhetorical situations.

English Test Tips

• Pace yourself.
• Be aware of the writing style used in the passages.
• Examine the underlined portions of the passage carefully.
• Eliminate answers before making your final choice.

The ACT Mathematics Test is a 60-question, 60-minute test designed to evaluate your mathematical skills. The test is in multiple-choice format and you may use a calculator on it. 

You are given 4 Math scores: 

• a total test score
• a sub-score in Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra based on 24 questions
• a sub-score in Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry based on 18 questions
• and a sub-score in Plane Geometry/ Trigonometry based on 18 questions

Math Test Tips

• Pace yourself
• Check your work
• Try to the solve the problem on your own before you whip out your calculator. Your scratch work will help you think the problem out.
• Solve all the problems.

The Reading Test is a 40-question, 35-minute test of your  reading comprehension. There are 4 passages on the test. You will be asked questions that require you to figure out what a passage means. You will have to draw conclusions, realize not only what is stated but what is implied, and draw comparisons, and generalizations. The questions on the reading test are also multiple-choice

You are given three scores on the reading test:

• a total test score based on all 40 questions
• a sub-score in Social Studies/Sciences reading skills based on 20 questions 
• a sub-score in Arts/Literature reading skills based on 20 questions

Reading Test Tips

• Pace yourself
• Read each passage carefully

Science Test

The Science Reasoning Test is a 40-question, 35-minute test that measures your knowledge of the natural sciences. It tests your abilities to interpret, analyze, and evaluate scientific information. The science test is also multiple-choice.

The scientific information that you are given will be in the form of graphics, research summaries, and conflicting viewpoints that contrast two opposing hypotheses.

You only receive 1 score on the science test and it is based on all 40 questions.

Science Test Tips

• Pace yourself
• Read each passage carefully
• Note different viewpoints in passages, are they opposing, concurring, conflicting?