ACT Exam

The ACT is a standardized, multiple-choice test used primarily for college admissions in the U.S. It provides colleges with a common data point that can be used to compare all applicants and is offered seven times a year, from September through July. Most students take the test in the spring of their junior year of high school or the fall of their senior year.

What’s on the Test?

The ACT’s four mandatory sections and one optional section test on the following subject areas:

• English measures standard written English usage and mechanics such as grammar, punctuation and sentence structure, and familiarity with rhetorical techniques.
• Mathematics covers areas of math students typically learn by the start of senior year in high school. These include algebra, geometry and trigonometry.
• In reading, students read passages from different disciplines to identify the main ideas, supporting details and comparisons, and to demonstrate they understand complex relationships.
• Science assesses the interpretation, analysis and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences.

In the optional writing section, students are given an essay prompt that presents an issue and asks them to respond to it with a coherent, well-reasoned argument supported by persuasive evidence.