In the US, college admissions are determined by a standardised test called the American College Testing (ACT). In addition to an optional writing component, it evaluates high school students’ intellectual preparedness for college in four main sections, namely English, Math, Reading, and Science scores on the ACT range from 1 to 36.
The average of those four scores is your composite score. Your composite score is unaffected by the optional essay, which is graded independently from 2 to 12.
Knowing how the ACT is structured will help you feel more confident and help you do your best on this important part of the college admissions process. Let’s examine each ACT section and what to expect in each section.
English Section
There are 75 questions in the 45-minute English segment. It tests rhetorical abilities, sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. Here, the capacity of students to edit and improve written passages for clarity, grammatical accuracy, and overall effectiveness is assessed.
Grammar standards, including subject-verb agreement and appropriate comma usage, should be reviewed to be ready for this part. It’s also beneficial to practice recognising key concepts and improving sentence structure. Additionally, you can increase your accuracy and speed during test settings by taking timed practice sections.
Math Section
There are 60 problems in the 60-minute maths portion. It tests topics like algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and fundamental statistics. This section evaluates your ability to solve problems, use mathematical reasoning, and apply ideas to various situations.
Reviewing important formulas and mathematical ideas, particularly in algebra and geometry, should be part of the preparation process. To save time, it’s also critical to practise using an ACT-approved calculator efficiently. You can go through the section faster by improving your mental math abilities for easier questions.
Reading Section
There are 40 questions in the 35-minute reading portion that are based on four passages. Usually, these excerpts are drawn from natural science, fiction, the humanities, and social science. Your reading comprehension, theme recognition, and textual inference skills are evaluated in this part.
Try reading the passages quickly to understand the main concept before answering the questions to perform well in this part. You can improve your performance by practicing reading quickly while keeping in mind crucial details. The process of elimination is an excellent method for quickly selecting the right response.
Science Section
There are 40 questions in the 35-minute Science segment. It tests your skills in applying scientific thinking, comprehending scientific experiments, and evaluating data. It also focuses on your ability to evaluate data displayed in graphs, tables, and research summaries, not just scientific knowledge.
Focus on learning how to read charts and analyse scientific data to do well in this area. The test favours reasoning abilities over memorisation of scientific facts. You can get more accustomed to the structure and speed of the ACT by practicing with the official science questions.
Optional Writing Section
You have forty minutes in the optional Writing portion to answer a prompt that presents one problem from three distinct viewpoints. You have to write an essay that presents your point of view while analysing and contrasting the provided viewpoints.
Practice creating a strong thesis statement and structuring your thoughts logically to be prepared for this portion. One way you can strengthen your viewpoint is to respond to counterarguments and provide examples to back up your claims. Effective time management is also essential to finishing your essay in the forty minutes that have been permitted.
Conclusion
Gaining confidence and performing well on test day requires an understanding of the ACT’s structure and the subject matter of each ACT section. It is more efficient to customize ACT preparation to improve confidence and scores by becoming familiar with each section: English, Math, Reading, Science, and the optional Writing section.
Focused preparation can help learn the English section’s grammar rules, reviewing math formulas, improving reading techniques, analysing scientific data, or writing an engaging essay.
You’ll be more prepared to demonstrate your academic preparedness and make significant progress towards your college objectives if you become familiar with the format of the test and practise frequently.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a standardized college admissions exam. This is mostly used in the United States. It’s necessary because many colleges and universities use it as part of the admissions process to determine how prepared a high school student is for college.
There are four mandatory sections in the ACT: English, Math, Reading, and Science. Additionally, there is an optional Writing (Essay) section.
A score ranging from 1 to 36 is assigned to each section. The composite score is the mean of the scores from the four mandatory sections. If taken, the writing portion is graded independently on a scale of 2 to 12; it does not affect the overall score.
The ACT takes about two hours and fifty-five minutes without the writing portion. The entire test takes about three hours and thirty-five minutes, including the writing portion.
Forty minutes are allotted to compose an essay in the optional Writing section that analyses and contrasts three different points of view while presenting your own.
