ACT English
The ACT English test includes a total of 75 questions, which must be completed in no more than 45 minutes. English test questions are based on a total of five reading passages, each of which has certain words or phrases underlined. All questions are multiple choice, but they may concern either the underlined material or the passage as a whole. Test-takers are primarily asked to choose the answer that "best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole." The test's three content areas are referred to by ACT as "Conventions of Standard English" (which comprises about 51-56% of the total), "Knowledge of Language" (13-19%), and "Production of Writing" (29-32%). Each question has four answer choices, one of which is usually "no change" (leaving the text as it is). Some test passages are rendered in first-person narrative form, while others are third-person descriptive texts. The subject matter, which includes a variety of subjects such as politics, art, and history, is suitable for non-specialists.
ACT Math
The ACT Math test includes 60 multiple-choice questions, and the total test timing is 60 minutes. About 60% of the test is devoted to a category called "Preparing for Higher Math," which covers the areas of number and quantity, algebra, functions, geometry, and statistics and probability. The remaining 40% is referred to as "Integrating Essential Skills," which involves combining abilities from pre-high school math (such as percentages, surface area, or average versus median). Each Math test question is accompanied by five answer choices. Certain types of calculators are allowed, although ACT states that all problems can be solved without calculators. Students should expect several different types of exercises, from word problems to analysis of graphics. Math test problems tend to become progressively more difficult (later exercises are harder than earlier exercises).
ACT Reading
The ACT Reading test is distinguished from the English test by its emphasis on passage content rather than the technical aspects of language use. On the ACT Reading test, students must answer 40 questions in 35 minutes. All questions are multiple choice with four answer options, and the test is constructed around four reading passages. Three of the passages feature a single text, while the fourth is a pair of shorter texts. ACT assessment areas include Key Ideas and Details (about 55-60% of the questions), Craft and Structure (25-30%), and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (13-18%). Passages are at the level of an introductory college course, and they cover several subjects in the arts and sciences.
ACT Science
The ACT Science test is also 40 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes, with four answer choices for each question. All of the questions relate to scientific information represented in several different forms, including graphs, tables, research summaries, or conflicting hypotheses. Science test content is divided into Interpretation of Data (45-55%), Scientific Investigation (20-30%), and Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results (25-35%). Some pre-existing scientific knowledge at the high school level is necessary to successfully answer all of the questions.
ACT Writing
The optional ACT Writing test is a single essay, for which students are given 40 minutes. Essay prompts concern issues of general interest, and students must write an essay on the given topic that completes three tasks: analysis of the opinion given in the prompt, expression of the student's own beliefs on that same issue, and a comparison of those two viewpoints. The ACT Writing test is graded in the four areas of Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use and Conventions. Graders are concerned with how well test-takers express their opinions rather than the opinions themselves (students will not be penalized for controversial positions).
ACT Scoring
Students receive one raw point for each ACT English, Math, Reading, or Science question answered correctly, and points are not deducted for incorrect answers (there is no penalty for guessing). Raw point totals are then converted to scaled scores of 1 to 36 for each of the multiple-choice sections. The ACT total score is the mean of these four section scores, also represented from 1 to 36. The ACT Writing test is not included in the total ACT score and is evaluated separately on a scale of 2 to 12 (two graders contribute scores of 1 to 6 each).
