What Is the ACT?
Updated April 05, 2010
What is the ACT exam?
Well, the ACT exam, or the American College Testing Exam, is an exam administered to high-school students in the United States who wish to continue into post-secondary studies at a Bachelor, undergraduate level.
Why Should You Take the ACT?
Are you an international or American student who just about to finish their high-school education? Are you considering studying at a college or university in the US? If so, taking the ACT is a good idea.
The ACT is used as an admission requirement for many colleges and universities across the United States, particularly the Midwest and South. If you want to get into a Bachelor/Undergraudate degree in the United States, a good ACT score will be required of you together with your grades and other secondary-school records.
You don’t have to take the ACT if:
- You’re looking for a graduate, Master’s or PhD degree. In that case, you should look to take the GRE Exam.
- You’re looking to get into a college/university outside the United States (whether in Europe, Asia, Canada, or wherever else).
How Can you Take the ACT?
You can register online or by mail. Consult the ACT website for more information about test centre and dates. The ACT is only administered 4-5 times a year, so make sure to register well ahead of time! There are test-centres in many major cities around the world, so finding one won’t be hard. The test costs about $75US plus additional fees.
What’s in the ACT?
The ACT includes 4 sections, plus an optional Writing section:
- The ACT English English Section is a 75-multiple choice section. You have 45 minutes to complete it. The section will test your rhetoric and written English skills using questions that require you to correct sentences in given passages.
- The ACT Math Math Section contains 60 multiple choice questions and must be completed within 60 minutes. The test will primarily involve algebra and some geometry at a high-school level.
- The ACT Reading Reading Section has 40 questions and you get 35 minutes. You’ll have to answer questions about 4 different passages, testing your ability to comprehend written material.
- The ACT Science Science Section also has 40 questions in 35 minutes. You’ll be asked questions about research summaries, data representation and conflicting viewpoints. Basic knowledge of high-school level science is assumed.
- The optional Written Section includes simply writing 1 essay in 30 minutes. You’ll have to adpot a perspective on a given issue and develop your point of view in writing.
ACT vs. SAT
You’ll hear in many places that the SAT and ACT are equivalent. That’s partially true- most US colleges will accept both tests, so you only need one score. If you’ve got an SAT score, you don’t have to take the ACT test (unless you suspect it’ll give you a better score).
There are some differences between the SAT and ACT. The SAT is more popular on the coasts, so if you’re applying to schools in New York, Florida or California, it’ll be better to present the SAT. The ACT is more widely accepted in the Midwest and South of the US, places like Michigan, Illinois, Oklahoma or Arkansas. It makes no difference overall, but taking the more popular test will make you more easily compareable to other students competing for admission.
The SAT is considered to feature slightly harder questions, while the ACT is a bit easier but the timing guidelines are much more strict, so the ACT puts more emphasis on your ability to answer questions fast, under pressure. It also includes science-based questions, which the SAT doesn’t. However, there is no correction factor, so while guessing on the SAT is less adviseable, you can guess as many answers as you have to on the ACT.
Trying to choose which one to take? Either one is fine, really. Just choose one according to whatever format sounds easier to you or whichever test date or centre is more comfortable.
How Do You Ace the ACT?
Easy- practice, practice practice!
The trick to the ACT is timing. The more practice tests you take, the faster you’ll be able to answer the questions on the ACT. Make sure you get some prep-books and visit our ACT Guide page for good tips on the different sections of the test.
We’ve got you covered. There are lots of info pages and free, online practice tests right here on JumboTest! Just try then out and you’ll see how your score is improving!
