ACT
ACT Inc.
Complete guide to passing the ACT exam on your first attempt.
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ACT Inc.
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Complete Overview
The ACT is a college admission test taken mainly by United States high school students in grades 10 to 12, and the current registration fee is 70 dollars for the required English, math and reading sections, rising to 75 dollars with the optional science add-on, 95 dollars with the optional writing add-on, and 100 dollars with both. ACT Inc. redesigned the test in 2025: the Composite score is now the average of English, math and reading only, science became an optional add-on, and the required core runs 125 minutes across 131 questions. ACT publishes the section structure directly: English 50 questions in 35 minutes, mathematics 45 questions in 50 minutes, reading 36 questions in 40 minutes, optional science 40 questions in 40 minutes, and an optional 40-minute writing essay. ACT states the timed portion of the multiple-choice sections totals 2 hours 45 minutes when science is included, covering 171 questions. Every section is reported on a 1 to 36 scale, and the Composite is the average of the three required sections rounded to the nearest whole number, with fractions below one-half rounded down. Not every question counts: ACT lists 40 operational English questions out of 50, 41 operational math questions out of 45, 27 operational reading questions out of 36, and 34 operational science questions out of 40, with the remainder field tested. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so a blank is always worth less than a guess. The national picture is public. ACT reports that almost 1.4 million graduates in the class of 2025, about 36 per cent of the full United States graduating class, took the test at least once between sophomore and senior year, that the national average Composite score was 19.4, and that 30 per cent of that class met at least three ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. Among the 34 per cent of 2025 graduates who tested two or more times, ACT Superscores improved by an average of 2.4 points. ACT places no cap on retakes and says on its own site that there is no limit to how many times a student can take the test, with most students needing two or three sittings to reach their goal. The test is given seven times a year in the United States, on paper or online at test centres, and 81 per cent of the class of 2025 who tested did so at least once through school-day testing rather than a Saturday national date. Scores arrive fast by admissions-test standards: ACT says over 97 per cent are released within about two to four weeks.
Why Get ACT Certified?
Almost 1.4 million students in the class of 2025 took the ACT, about 36 per cent of all United States public and private high school graduates that year
The base fee is 70 dollars for the required English, math and reading sections, well below the cost of most graduate admission tests
ACT places no limit on the number of attempts, and 34 per cent of the class of 2025 tested twice or more
Students who retested improved their ACT Superscore by an average of 2.4 points, because the Superscore takes the highest English, math and reading section scores across all dates
Science is now optional and costs 5 dollars to add, so a student with no science strength can drop it without harming the Composite
A fee waiver covers two full registrations plus any science and writing add-ons, one free high school report, six free college reports, free ACT My Answer Key, and the Official ACT Self-Paced Course powered by Kaplan
Scores move quickly: ACT releases over 97 per cent of scores within about two to four weeks of the test date
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
125 minutes for the three required sections (English 35, mathematics 50, reading 40). ACT states the timed portion of the multiple-choice sections totals 2 hours 45 minutes when the optional 40-minute science section is added. The optional writing essay adds a 5-minute break plus 40 minutes of writing. ACT publishes paper ending times of 11:25 a.m. for the core test, 12:15 p.m. with science, 12:30 p.m. with writing and 1:30 p.m. with both, and online ending times of 11:05 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. respectively.
Questions
131 questions across the three required sections: English 50, mathematics 45, reading 36. Adding the optional science section brings the multiple-choice total to 171, which is the figure ACT publishes. Of these, 40 English, 41 math, 27 reading and 34 science questions are operational and scored; the remaining 10, 4, 9 and 6 respectively are field test items that do not count.
Passing Score
There is no pass mark. Each section and the Composite run from 1 to 36. ACT reports a national average Composite of 19.4 and describes 18 to 20 as widely accepted at regional and open-admission colleges, 20 to 23 as competitive at many mid-tier colleges, 24 to 28 as strong for more selective institutions, and 30 to 36 as the range associated with top-tier schools. The optional writing test is scored 2 to 12 and does not affect the Composite.
Question Types
- Multiple choice with four answer choices in mathematics
- Passage-based revising and editing questions in English, with the target text underlined on paper and highlighted online
- Passage-based comprehension and analysis questions in reading, including paired-passage synthesis items
- Data interpretation questions in science built on tables, graphs and diagrams from biology, chemistry, Earth and space sciences and physics
- One argumentative essay in the optional writing section, presenting a complex issue and three perspectives on it
Delivery Method
Paper at a test centre or online at a test centre, including a Bring Your Own Device option where the student brings a fully charged laptop and charger. ACT has offered a choice of paper or online since February 2024. Online testers use the ACT Gateway application and have the Desmos graphing calculator built into the platform for the math section.
How scoring works
Score scale
1 to 36 for each section (English, mathematics, reading, and science if taken) and 1 to 36 for the Composite. The optional writing test is scored 2 to 12 as the rounded average of four domain scores. Two derived scores are also reported: STEM, the average of math and science, and ELA, the average of English, reading and writing where taken.
Score needed to pass
None. The ACT has no pass mark and no cut score. ACT reports a national average Composite of 19.4 and describes 18 to 20 as widely accepted at regional and open-admission colleges, 20 to 23 as competitive at many mid-tier colleges, 24 to 28 as strong for more selective institutions, and 30 to 36 as the range for top-tier schools. Individual colleges publish their own ranges and there is no universal minimum.
Roughly what that means raw
ACT publishes operational question counts rather than a fixed raw-to-scale table, because the conversion changes with each form's difficulty. The counts that matter are 40 scored English questions, 41 scored mathematics questions, 27 scored reading questions and 34 scored science questions, which appear in ACT's free Preparing for the ACT Test booklet alongside that booklet's own conversion table.
When results arrive
There is no unofficial score at the test centre. ACT states that over 97 per cent of scores are released within about two to four weeks of the test date and publishes an initial score release date for each administration: 6 October 2026 for the 19 September test, 27 October for 17 October, 22 December for 12 December, 16 March 2027 for 27 February, 20 April for 10 April, 23 June for 12 June and 20 July for 10 July. Scores taken with writing may arrive slightly later because all components are processed together. Colleges designated at registration receive reports as scores are validated.
How the scale is built
Your raw score is simply the number of questions answered correctly, with no deduction for a wrong answer. That raw score is converted to a 1 to 36 scale score so that a given scale score means the same thing on every test form and every test date, which is what lets ACT compare a December form with a June one. Scoring is compensatory across the three required sections: the Composite is their average, rounded to the nearest whole number, so a strong reading score can offset a weak math score. Field test questions, which make up 10 of the 50 English items, 4 of the 45 math items, 9 of the 36 reading items and 6 of the 40 science items, are excluded from the raw score.
Pacing and time budget
131 questions in 125 minutes gives you 57 seconds per question.
17 (English section, halfway)
25 of 50 English questions
35 (end of English)
50 of 50 English questions, all answers recorded
60 (math, 25 minutes in)
23 of 45 math questions
85 (end of math)
45 of 45 math questions, all answers recorded
105 (reading, 20 minutes in)
18 of 36 reading questions
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| 17 (English section, halfway) | 25 of 50 English questions |
| 35 (end of English) | 50 of 50 English questions, all answers recorded |
| 60 (math, 25 minutes in) | 23 of 45 math questions |
| 85 (end of math) | 45 of 45 math questions, all answers recorded |
| 105 (reading, 20 minutes in) | 18 of 36 reading questions |
- The three sections run at very different speeds. English gives about 42 seconds per question, math about 67 seconds, and reading about 67 seconds including the time spent reading each passage. Practising to a single average pace guarantees you will run late in one of them.
- Adding the optional science section takes the multiple-choice total to 171 questions in 2 hours 45 minutes, at about 58 seconds per question, and adding the writing essay puts 40 more minutes after a 5-minute break.
- ACT's own published method is to subtract the minutes you expect to spend reading passages or stimulus material, then divide the remaining minutes by the number of questions. Do that separately for English, reading and science, because each has a different amount of reading.
- Answer the easy questions first and skip the hard ones, then return with elimination. ACT states this explicitly, and adds that all questions in a section carry equal weight regardless of difficulty.
- Never leave a blank when time is called. There is no guessing penalty, and you cannot return to a section after time is called for it, so spend the last 30 seconds of every section filling every remaining answer.
Where the marks are
Mathematics: Preparing for Higher Math
80 per cent of the mathematics section
The single largest published band anywhere on the test, covering Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability across 41 scored questions in 50 minutes.
Reading: Key Ideas and Details
44 to 52 per cent of the reading section
Close reading, central ideas, summaries, cause and effect and logical inference make up roughly half of the 27 scored reading questions, and every one of them is answerable from the passage without outside knowledge.
English: Conventions of Standard English
38 to 43 per cent of the English section
A finite, learnable rule set: sentence structure, usage and punctuation. ACT publishes worked examples of each error type, so this band converts study hours into points more reliably than any other.
English: Production of Writing
38 to 43 per cent of the English section
Topic development and organisation questions ask what a sentence adds, whether a detail is relevant, which transition is logical and where a sentence belongs, so they turn on rereading the surrounding sentences rather than on grammar rules.
Science: Interpretation of Data
38 to 50 per cent of the optional science section
Reading tables, graphs and diagrams, identifying trends, translating between formats and applying basic mathematical reasoning, all answerable from the figures on the page rather than from remembered biology or chemistry.
Reading: Craft and Structure
26 to 33 per cent of the reading section
Word meaning in context, text structure, purpose and point of view, and the effect of a specific sentence or figurative device, tested with prompts such as as it is used in line x, the word most nearly means.
Mathematics: Integrating Essential Skills
20 per cent of the mathematics section
Multi-step problems using rates, proportions, averages and measurement in real-world contexts, which is where the four-answer format makes back-solving from the choices faster than algebra.
English: Knowledge of Language
18 to 23 per cent of the English section
Redundancy, wordiness, precision and consistent tone, tested with prompts such as which choice is least redundant in context, where the shortest grammatical option is usually correct.
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics: Preparing for Higher Math | 80 per cent of the mathematics section | The single largest published band anywhere on the test, covering Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability across 41 scored questions in 50 minutes. |
| Reading: Key Ideas and Details | 44 to 52 per cent of the reading section | Close reading, central ideas, summaries, cause and effect and logical inference make up roughly half of the 27 scored reading questions, and every one of them is answerable from the passage without outside knowledge. |
| English: Conventions of Standard English | 38 to 43 per cent of the English section | A finite, learnable rule set: sentence structure, usage and punctuation. ACT publishes worked examples of each error type, so this band converts study hours into points more reliably than any other. |
| English: Production of Writing | 38 to 43 per cent of the English section | Topic development and organisation questions ask what a sentence adds, whether a detail is relevant, which transition is logical and where a sentence belongs, so they turn on rereading the surrounding sentences rather than on grammar rules. |
| Science: Interpretation of Data | 38 to 50 per cent of the optional science section | Reading tables, graphs and diagrams, identifying trends, translating between formats and applying basic mathematical reasoning, all answerable from the figures on the page rather than from remembered biology or chemistry. |
| Reading: Craft and Structure | 26 to 33 per cent of the reading section | Word meaning in context, text structure, purpose and point of view, and the effect of a specific sentence or figurative device, tested with prompts such as as it is used in line x, the word most nearly means. |
| Mathematics: Integrating Essential Skills | 20 per cent of the mathematics section | Multi-step problems using rates, proportions, averages and measurement in real-world contexts, which is where the four-answer format makes back-solving from the choices faster than algebra. |
| English: Knowledge of Language | 18 to 23 per cent of the English section | Redundancy, wordiness, precision and consistent tone, tested with prompts such as which choice is least redundant in context, where the shortest grammatical option is usually correct. |
The numbers
Almost 1.4 million United States graduates, about 36 per cent of the full graduating class; 1.1 million of them, 81 per cent, tested at least once through school-day testing
Students tested, class of 2025
Source: ACT, Grad Class Database 2025 research release
19.4
National average Composite score
Source: ACT, Grad Class Database 2025 and Understanding Your ACT Scores
2.4 points, among the 34 per cent of 2025 graduates who tested two or more times
Average Superscore gain from retesting
Source: ACT, Grad Class Database 2025 research release
30 per cent of the 2025 ACT-tested graduating class met at least three benchmarks; the benchmarks derive from research on 214 institutions and more than 230,000 students
College Readiness Benchmarks met
Source: ACT, Grad Class Database 2025 and Understanding Your ACT Scores
70 dollars for the English, math and reading Composite; 75 dollars with science; 95 dollars with writing; 100 dollars with both
Base registration fee
Source: ACT registration fees page (act.org)
Over 97 per cent of scores released within about two to four weeks of the test date
Score release speed
Source: ACT test dates and deadlines page (act.org)
If you fail
Wait before retaking
No mandated waiting period. In practice you wait for the next national test date, and ACT runs seven per year in the United States: for 2026-27 those are 19 September 2026, 17 October 2026, 12 December 2026, 27 February 2027, 10 April 2027, 12 June 2027 and 10 July 2027, with July testing available for learners in New York from 2027. Projected 2027-28 dates are 11 September, 16 October, 11 December, 26 February, 8 April, 10 June and 15 July.
Attempt limit
None. ACT states directly that there is no limit to how many times students can take the ACT test, and adds that on average students take it two to three times to reach their testing goals. ACT's Grad Class Database 2025 puts the share who actually retested at 34 per cent of graduates, and those students raised their Superscore by an average of 2.4 points.
Retake fee
The full registration fee again: 70 dollars base, 75 dollars with science, 95 dollars with writing, 100 dollars with both. A fee waiver covers up to two registrations including any add-ons. Late registration adds 42 dollars and standby testing costs 75 dollars with no guaranteed seat.
A retake cannot lower your Superscore, which ACT builds automatically from your highest section scores across every date since September 2016, using English, math and reading from 2025 onwards. You choose which scores to send, and each report costs 20 dollars per test date beyond the four college reports included at registration, plus a 30 dollar archive fee for scores more than three years old. A test date change costs 49 dollars on ACT's fees page, though ACT's own test dates FAQ still quotes 44 dollars for the same fee; either way you also pay the full fee for the new date, and your basic fee for the original date is refunded only if you make a change rather than register afresh. The change is unavailable once you have broken the seal on the test booklet. Registration fees are otherwise nonrefundable, and if you do not test no score reports are sent.
Exam Domains & Topics
50 questions in 35 minutes, 40 of them scored. Several passages, each followed by questions asking you to revise and edit the text. On paper the target is underlined; online it is highlighted. ACT publishes three reporting categories with percentage ranges: Production of Writing 38 to 43 per cent, Knowledge of Language 18 to 23 per cent, and Conventions of Standard English 38 to 43 per cent.
Key Topics to Master:
- Topic development: what a word, phrase or sentence adds, and whether a detail is relevant
- Organisation: transitions, opening and closing sentences, sentence order, paragraph breaks
- Expressing ideas clearly: redundancy, wordiness, precision
- Style: maintaining a consistent tone across a passage
- Sentence structure: fragments, run-ons, parallelism, subordination and coordination, misplaced modifiers
- Usage: pronoun-antecedent agreement, pronoun ambiguity and case, subject-verb agreement, frequently confused words
- Punctuation: possessives, restrictive and nonrestrictive elements, unnecessary punctuation, colons and dashes for sharp breaks
45 questions in 50 minutes, 41 of them scored, with four answer choices per question rather than the five the pre-2025 test used. Content covers mathematics typically learned through the beginning of grade 12. ACT publishes two reporting categories: Preparing for Higher Math at 80 per cent and Integrating Essential Skills at 20 per cent, with Modeling assessed throughout. Within Preparing for Higher Math the published sub-ranges are Number and Quantity 10 to 12 per cent, Algebra 17 to 20 per cent, Functions 17 to 20 per cent, Geometry 17 to 20 per cent, and Statistics and Probability 12 to 15 per cent.
Key Topics to Master:
- Linear expressions, equations and inequalities
- Quadratic and polynomial functions
- Exponential, logarithmic, radical and rational expressions
- Coordinate geometry and graph interpretation
- Plane and solid geometry, including circles and triangles
- Right triangle trigonometry and trigonometric functions
- Statistics, probability, counting and data displays
- Integrating Essential Skills: rates, proportions, averages and measurement in real-world contexts
- Modeling: creating, interpreting and refining a mathematical model of a described situation
36 questions in 40 minutes, 27 of them scored, based on passages comparable to first-year college texts. ACT publishes three reporting categories: Key Ideas and Details 44 to 52 per cent, Craft and Structure 26 to 33 per cent, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 19 to 26 per cent. Paired passages appear, with questions asking you to compare the two.
Key Topics to Master:
- Close reading: locating details and drawing conclusions from them
- Central ideas, themes and summaries at paragraph and passage level
- Text structure and how an author has organised information
- Word meaning in context, including figurative language
- Purpose and point of view, including narrator perspective in literary narrative
- Argument: claims, counterclaims, evidence and the strength of reasoning
- Fact, opinion and reasoned judgment
- Synthesis across paired passages
- Visual and quantitative information presented alongside a passage
40 questions in 40 minutes, 34 of them scored, added for 5 dollars. Passages come from biology, chemistry, Earth and space sciences and physics, and the section measures interpretation and reasoning rather than recall. ACT publishes three reporting categories: Interpretation of Data 38 to 50 per cent, Scientific Investigation 18 to 32 per cent, and Evaluation of Models and Results 24 to 38 per cent. Note that ACT states the section description slightly differently on its exam structure page, where the third category appears as Evaluating Scientific Arguments and Models with Evidence at 25 to 35 per cent.
Key Topics to Master:
- Reading tables, graphs and diagrams and translating between formats
- Identifying trends and interpolating or extrapolating from data
- Experimental design: variables, controls and procedure
- Predicting or extending the results of an experiment
- Evaluating the validity of a scientific claim against the evidence given
- Forming conclusions and predictions using a claim, evidence and reasoning model
- Goals, constraints and tradeoffs in engineering and design thinking contexts
One essay in 40 minutes, added for 25 dollars, preceded by a 5-minute break. You are given a prompt describing a complex issue and three perspectives on it, then asked to develop your own position and analyse its relationship to one or more of the given perspectives. Four domains are scored and the overall writing score is the rounded average of them. ACT states the national average writing score falls between 6 and 7.
Key Topics to Master:
- Ideas and Analysis: generating relevant ideas and engaging critically with multiple perspectives
- Development and Support: explaining ideas, discussing implications, illustrating with examples
- Organization: arranging ideas clearly and guiding the reader through the argument
- Language Use and Conventions: grammar, syntax, word choice and mechanics
- Taking a clear position rather than summarising the three perspectives
- Managing 40 minutes across planning, drafting and a final read-through
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Sit a full official practice test in the current format: English 50 in 35 minutes, math 45 in 50, reading 36 in 40, and science 40 in 40 only if you plan to add it
- 2Use ACT's free online practice tests in the timed version so the clock behaviour matches test day
- 3Score by section and convert to 1 to 36, then compute the Composite as the average of English, math and reading
- 4Decide now whether to pay the 5 dollar science add-on and the 25 dollar writing add-on by checking each target college's stated requirements
- 5Build one error log with columns for section, reporting category, and why the answer was wrong
- 1Work Conventions of Standard English, the largest English band at 38 to 43 per cent, one rule family at a time
- 2Drill punctuation using ACT's own examples: possessives, restrictive and nonrestrictive elements, unnecessary commas, colons for sharp breaks
- 3Drill usage: pronoun-antecedent agreement, pronoun ambiguity and case, subject-verb agreement, frequently confused words
- 4Drill sentence structure: fragments, run-ons, parallelism, subordination and coordination, dangling modifiers
- 5Complete two timed English sections at 35 minutes and record seconds per question
- 1Work Production of Writing, also 38 to 43 per cent: topic development, relevance of a detail, effect of adding or deleting a sentence
- 2Work Organization: transitions, sentence placement, where to start a new paragraph
- 3Work Knowledge of Language at 18 to 23 per cent: redundancy, wordiness, precision, consistent tone
- 4Learn the ACT rule that English asks for the best answer, not merely a correct one, and practise comparing choices against each other
- 5Retake the week 1 English section and compare category by category
- 1Cover Algebra at 17 to 20 per cent and Functions at 17 to 20 per cent, the two largest math bands together
- 2Practise linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, radical and rational forms
- 3Practise on the calculator you will actually use, and confirm it against ACT's approved list before buying anything
- 4If testing online, work through ACT's free tutorials on the built-in Desmos calculator, which is only available in the online platform
- 5Complete one timed 50-minute math section and mark every question where you spent over 90 seconds
- 1Cover Geometry at 17 to 20 per cent and Statistics and Probability at 12 to 15 per cent
- 2Cover Number and Quantity at 10 to 12 per cent, including radicals, exponents and complex numbers
- 3Work Integrating Essential Skills at 20 per cent: rates, proportions, averages and measurement in real-world settings
- 4Practise Modeling items, which ACT says appear across the section rather than in a block
- 5Exploit the four-answer format: eliminate two choices then test values rather than solving in full
- 1Set the pace explicitly: 36 questions in 40 minutes is about 66 seconds per question including reading time
- 2Work Key Ideas and Details at 44 to 52 per cent first, because it is the largest reading band by some distance
- 3Practise paired-passage synthesis questions, which are their own skill and appear on every form
- 4Practise questions that attach a chart or table to a passage under Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- 5Test two approaches on separate passages, questions-first and passage-first, and keep the one that scores better
- 1Work Interpretation of Data first, the largest band at 38 to 50 per cent
- 2Practise going to the figures before the prose, since most questions point at a specific table or graph
- 3Work Scientific Investigation at 18 to 32 per cent: variables, controls, and predicting the result of a modified experiment
- 4Work model and argument evaluation, which asks you to judge a claim against evidence rather than recall biology
- 5Complete a timed 40-minute, 40-question science section and count how many questions you reached
- 1Sit a second full official practice test at the same start time as your registered test date
- 2Compare reporting category percentages against test one, not just section scores
- 3Rebuild the error log so the top three categories by error count drive the next fortnight
- 4Practise the transition between sections, which is where online and paper testers lose focus
- 5If you have taken a real ACT already, order ACT My Answer Key for 36 dollars before the test or 44 dollars after it, on the four dates it is offered, to see your actual questions and answers
- 1Write three timed 40-minute essays on the three-perspective prompt structure ACT publishes
- 2Score each against the four domains: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, Language Use and Conventions
- 3Take a clear position and relate it to at least one given perspective, rather than summarising all three neutrally
- 4Budget the 40 minutes: about 6 minutes planning, 30 writing, 4 reading back
- 5Remember the writing score does not affect the Composite, so cap the time you spend here
- 1Run English at 35 minutes for 50 questions, about 42 seconds per question, until you finish with time to check
- 2Run reading at 40 minutes for 36 questions and practise abandoning a passage rather than a whole section
- 3Practise ACT's published strategy of answering easy questions first and returning to hard ones with elimination
- 4Practise filling every remaining bubble or field in the last 30 seconds, since there is no guessing penalty
- 5Rehearse with a watch that has no alarm, kept on the desk, which ACT permits
- 1Sit a third full test with the exact add-ons you registered for, and stop when your paper ending time would arrive
- 2Do a logistics rehearsal: be inside the test centre by 8:00 a.m., which is ACT's stated deadline, since late arrivals cannot be admitted
- 3Check your photo ID against ACT's rules: an original, valid, hard plastic photo ID issued by a city, state, federal agency or your school, with a name matching your registration
- 4Print the admission ticket from MyACT once your photo is approved
- 5Confirm your calculator has no CAS functionality and is not on ACT's prohibited list
- 1Cut to short targeted sets on your two weakest reporting categories and stop new content
- 2Pack the night before: admission ticket, hard plastic photo ID, sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers, permitted calculator, spare batteries, a watch with no alarm, snacks for the break
- 3Leave phones, smartwatches and fitness bands out of the room entirely, since accessing one means dismissal and an unscored test
- 4If you registered for online Bring Your Own Device, charge the laptop fully and complete device readiness in advance
- 5Plan the retake date before you sit, since ACT sets no attempt limit and retesters improved their Superscore by 2.4 points on average in the class of 2025
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Best Study Resources
ACT free online practice tests
Official practiceFull-length practice tests published by ACT in timed and untimed formats, with the timed version matching standard testing conditions and the untimed version available for students who need different timing.
Free
Preparing for the ACT Test (official PDF booklet)
Official practice testACT's annual free booklet containing a complete practice test with answer key and scoring instructions, including the operational question counts of 40 English, 41 mathematics, 27 reading and 34 science.
Free
The Official ACT Prep Guide
Official book with online extrasACT describes it as the only guide from the makers of the ACT exam, with six genuine full-length practice tests and 400 additional questions online.
Paid, sold by ACT and general retailers
The Official ACT Self-Paced Course, powered by Kaplan
Official online courseAutomatically added at no cost to fee waiver registrations: 30 short video lessons, more than 2,000 ACT questions with answers, five full-length practice tests, a built-in syllabus and one year of access.
Free with a fee waiver, otherwise paid
ACT My Answer Key (formerly Test Information Release)
Official score analysis serviceOffered on four test dates a year, it returns your actual test questions alongside which you answered right, wrong or skipped, which is the only way to diagnose a real ACT rather than a practice one.
36 dollars ordered before the test, 44 dollars after; free with a fee waiver
ACT exam sections and structure page
Official blueprintACT's own breakdown of every reporting category with its published percentage range, plus worked examples of what each English, reading and science question type looks like on the test.
Free
ACT Calculator Policy page
Official policyLists permitted four-function, scientific and graphing models, the prohibited CAS models by manufacturer and number, and the modifications required for calculators with programs, paper tape, sound or an infrared port.
Free
ACT Test Day checklist page
Official policyPublishes the 8:00 a.m. arrival deadline, the acceptable and unacceptable forms of ID as an explicit list, the break rules, and paper and online ending times for each combination of optional sections.
Free
ACT Desmos and handheld calculator video tutorials
Official tutorialsACT publishes free video tutorials covering both the built-in Desmos calculator used on the online test and handheld TI calculators used on paper, which matters because the two behave differently under time pressure.
Free
Bluebook of national ranks and percentiles (ACT National Ranks page)
Official statisticsACT's published percentile tables showing how a Composite or section score compares with recent graduates, which is the correct tool for setting a target rather than a college's advertised average alone.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Preparing from a pre-2025 book with 75 English questions and five math answer choices
The current test is 50 English questions in 35 minutes, 45 math questions in 50 minutes with four answer choices, and 36 reading questions in 40 minutes. Science is optional and no longer counts toward the Composite. Check any book or course against ACT's own exam sections and structure page before spending a single session on it.
Paying for science when no target college needs it
Science costs 5 dollars extra and is excluded from the Composite, which ACT now defines as the average of English, math and reading. It is worth taking if you want a STEM score, if a scholarship programme asks for it, or if science is a genuine strength. It is 40 minutes of extra fatigue if none of those apply.
Skipping the optional writing section without checking each college
ACT states that some colleges and universities require or accept ACT writing scores. Check every school on your list before deciding, because the essay cannot be added after the fact and the 25 dollar add-on is far cheaper than a second full registration.
Leaving questions blank at the bell
ACT states directly that scores are based only on the number of questions answered correctly and there is no penalty for guessing. Reserve the last 30 seconds of every section to fill every remaining answer, and eliminate what you can first, since the four-choice math format makes a filtered guess a 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 shot.
Bringing a calculator with computer algebra system functionality
ACT bans all TI-89 and TI-92 models, the TI-Nspire CAS, HP Prime, HP 48GII, all HP 40G, 49G and 50G models, the Casio fx-CP400 and ClassPad 300 and m330, the Algebra fx 2.0 and all CFX-9970G models. The non-CAS TI-Nspire is permitted. Breaking the calculator policy means dismissal, not a warning.
Turning up with a paper, electronic or expired form of identification
ACT requires an original, valid photo ID issued by a city, state, federal agency or your school, on a hard plastic card, with the name matching your registration. It explicitly rejects birth certificates, Social Security cards, school transcripts even with a photo, employer IDs, credit cards with photos, yearbook photos, learner permits without a photo, LA Wallet, and recognition by test centre staff. Without acceptable ID you are not admitted and the fee is not refunded.
Touching a phone or smartwatch during the break
ACT states that electronic devices are not allowed during breaks and that all devices must be off and out of sight. If a device is accessed or activated you are dismissed, your test is not scored, and the device may be confiscated. Leave them in the car or the bag at the front of the room.
Opening the test then trying to reschedule
ACT states that once you break the seal on your test booklet you cannot request a test date change even if you do not complete all your tests. You must register again and pay the full fee. If you are unwell, do not report to the test centre at all, and request a date change instead.
Testing once and treating the score as final
ACT says there is no limit to how many times you can take the test and that on average students need two or three sittings to reach their goal. Among the class of 2025, 34 per cent tested twice or more and improved their Superscore by an average of 2.4 points. The Superscore is the average of your highest section scores across all dates, so a retake cannot lower your best sections.
Practising on paper then testing online, or the reverse
The two formats differ in more than presentation. Online testers get the Desmos calculator built into the platform and see English targets highlighted rather than underlined; paper testers bubble an answer sheet and see underlined text. ACT publishes different ending times for the two formats. Practise in the format you registered for.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Be inside the test centre no later than 8:00 a.m. ACT states plainly that late arrivals cannot be admitted, and your fee is not refunded if you miss the door.
- 2
Carry an original, valid, hard plastic photo ID issued by a city, state, federal agency or your school, with a name matching your registration. If you have none, present a fully completed ACT Student Identification Form with a photo, signed by a school official or notary, never by a relative.
- 3
Print your admission ticket from MyACT after your photo is approved. ACT will still admit you without it, but for paper tests missing match information can delay your scores.
- 4
Bring sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers. ACT does not permit pens or mechanical pencils, and does not permit highlighters, coloured pens or correction fluid.
- 5
Bring your own permitted calculator plus a backup or spare batteries. Test centre staff do not provide calculators and sharing one during the test is not permitted.
- 6
Bring a watch or timing device with no alarm and keep it on your desk. Smartwatches and fitness bands are prohibited and must be off and out of sight.
- 7
Tell the staff before the test if you decided not to sit science or writing, so they dismiss you at the right time. ACT does not refund an optional section you registered for and then skipped.
- 8
Use the scheduled short break after the second section for food and water, and stay inside the supervised test area. ACT bars leaving the site, including going to your car.
- 9
Answer every question. ACT scores only correct answers and applies no penalty for guessing, and if time runs short on a passage, filling the remaining answers costs nothing.
- 10
Tell the staff before you leave if you do not want your test scored. Otherwise your answers will be scored automatically.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Admission to a four-year college
ACT's own guidance on what counts as a good score. It reports that many colleges accept students with Composites between 18 and 20, particularly at less selective or open-admission institutions, alongside GPA, coursework rigour, activities, essays and recommendations.
Composite 18 to 20 is widely accepted at regional and open-admission colleges
Admission to a mid-tier public or private university
The band immediately above the national average Composite of 19.4. ACT publishes national ranks and percentiles so a student can convert a target Composite into a percentile against recent graduates rather than guessing from a college's advertised average.
Composite 20 to 23 is competitive at many mid-tier colleges
Admission to a selective university
ACT's stated band for selective institutions. Reaching it typically means clearing the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, which ACT defines as the scores giving a 50 per cent chance of a B or higher in the matching first-year college course, based on 214 institutions and more than 230,000 students.
Composite 24 to 28 is a strong score for more selective colleges and universities
Admission to a top-tier university
ACT publishes a concordance with the SAT for institutions comparing applicants across tests and gives an ACT 30 as roughly equivalent to an SAT of about 1370, while noting these are estimates rather than exact conversions.
Composite 30 to 36, the range ACT associates with top-tier schools
Merit scholarship and state aid eligibility
Many state and institutional awards key off a specific Composite or section threshold. Because 81 per cent of ACT-tested 2025 graduates tested at least once during a school day, a large share of scholarship-eligible scores come from tests the student did not pay for.
Varies by programme; ACT reports 23 states and hundreds of districts provided the ACT through school-day testing in 2025
Workforce entry via the National Career Readiness Certificate
ACT links its academic testing to the WorkKeys assessments used for job-readiness certification, and reports that this many graduates in the class of 2025 demonstrated the foundational skills associated with most United States jobs.
ACT estimates more than 847,000 ACT-tested 2025 graduates would likely have earned a Silver or higher NCRC
Prerequisites & Requirements
- None. The ACT has no formal academic prerequisite, no minimum grade point average and no course requirement, and ACT says it is open to any student who registers.
- A MyACT account, used to register, upload the required photograph, print the admission ticket and later view and send scores.
- A photograph that meets ACT's submission requirements: a clear, unblurred image of only you against a plain background, showing face and shoulders. It appears on your ticket and on the examinee roster staff use to admit you.
- An acceptable photo ID on the day, or a completed ACT Student Identification Form with a photo signed by a school official or notary public.
- Registration by the published deadline. For the 12 December 2026 test the regular deadline is 6 November, the late deadline is 29 November, and the photo upload and standby deadline is 7 December.
- For the fee waiver, current enrolment in grade 11 or 12, testing in the United States, its territories or Puerto Rico, and one or more indicators of economic need such as free or reduced-price lunch, a federally funded programme like GEAR UP or Upward Bound, foster or homeless status, low-income public assistance or federally subsidised housing, or family income at or below USDA free and reduced-price lunch levels.
- For online Bring Your Own Device testing, a fully charged laptop plus charger and completed device readiness ahead of the day.
- For accommodations or English learner supports, a request submitted through the Test Accessibility and Accommodations system by ACT's published accommodations deadline, including any appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the ACT cost?
The base fee is 70 dollars for the required English, math and reading sections. The science add-on is 5 dollars, taking it to 75 dollars, the writing add-on is 25 dollars, taking it to 95 dollars, and both together cost 100 dollars. Late registration adds 42 dollars, standby testing costs 75 dollars, a change of test form, day or centre costs 49 dollars, and score reports to the fifth and sixth college choices and any additional reports cost 20 dollars each.
How many times can I retake the ACT, and is there a waiting period?
There is no limit. ACT states on its own retesting page that there is no cap on how many times a student can take the test and that most students need two or three attempts to reach their goal. The practical waiting period is the gap between national test dates, which are seven per year in the United States: for the 2026-27 cycle they run 19 September, 17 October, 12 December, 27 February, 10 April, 12 June and 10 July.
What happens if I fail?
You cannot fail. The ACT has no pass mark; every section and the Composite are reported on a 1 to 36 scale and the score is one factor among GPA, coursework rigour, activities, essays and recommendations. If the score is lower than you wanted, retake it: ACT reported that 34 per cent of the class of 2025 tested twice or more and improved their Superscore by an average of 2.4 points.
How does the score scale work?
Each section's raw score is the number of correct answers, converted to a 1 to 36 scale score so results mean the same across every test form and date. The Composite is the average of your English, math and reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number, with fractions below one-half rounded down and one-half or more rounded up. Science is reported separately and averaged with math to give a STEM score; writing is scored 2 to 12 and averaged into an ELA score with English and reading.
How many questions actually count?
Fewer than you answer. ACT publishes 40 operational English questions plus 10 field test, 41 operational math questions plus 4 field test, 27 operational reading questions plus 9 field test, and 34 operational science questions plus 6 field test. Field test items are being trialled for future forms and do not affect your score, and there is no way to tell them apart during the test.
When do I get my scores?
ACT says over 97 per cent of scores are released within about two to four weeks of the test date, viewable by signing in to MyACT. There is no unofficial score at the test centre. ACT publishes an initial score release date for each administration: for the 12 December 2026 paper test that date is 22 December 2026, and for 27 February 2027 it is 16 March 2027. If you took writing, complete scores including writing may be released slightly later because all components are processed together.
Is there a fee waiver, and what does it cover?
Yes. ACT's fee waiver covers the registration fee for up to two ACT tests plus the add-on fees for optional science and writing, so you pay nothing to test. It also includes free access to the Official ACT Self-Paced Course powered by Kaplan for one year, free ACT My Answer Key, one free report to your high school and up to six free college choices, plus unlimited free additional score reports after scores are available. You must be in grade 11 or 12, testing in the United States, its territories or Puerto Rico, and meet one or more indicators of economic need. Ask your school counsellor for the waiver code.
Which calculators are allowed?
Calculators are permitted only on the mathematics section, and ACT states every problem can be solved without one. Four-function, scientific and graphing models are allowed unless specifically prohibited. Banned models include all TI-89 and TI-92 numbers, the TI-Nspire CAS, HP Prime, HP 48GII, all HP 40G, 49G and 50G models, the Casio fx-CP400, ClassPad 300 and m330, Algebra fx 2.0 and all CFX-9970G models. The non-CAS TI-Nspire is permitted. Calculators with programs need CAS programs removed, paper tape removed, sound turned off, infrared ports covered with opaque material, and power cords removed.
What identification do I need on test day?
An original, valid photo ID issued by a city, state, federal agency or your school, on a hard plastic card, with the name matching your registration and a photo that clearly identifies you. Paper and electronic IDs are refused. If you have none, present a fully completed ACT Student Identification Form with a photo, signed by a school official or notary public, never by a relative. ACT publishes an explicit list of refused documents including birth certificates, Social Security cards, transcripts with photos, employer IDs and credit cards with photos.
Can I take the ACT online, and how is it different?
Yes. ACT has offered a choice of paper or online testing at test centres since February 2024, including a Bring Your Own Device option where you supply a fully charged laptop and charger. Online testers use the ACT Gateway application, see English targets highlighted rather than underlined, and get the Desmos graphing calculator built into the platform for math, though they may still bring their own permitted handheld. ACT publishes earlier ending times for the online test: 11:05 a.m. for the core versus 11:25 a.m. on paper.
Are accommodations available?
Yes. Requests for accommodations and English learner supports, including appeals, must be submitted through ACT's Test Accessibility and Accommodations system by the published accommodations deadline, and you work with a school official to make the request. Accommodations may also be available for standby testing, though seats are not guaranteed. If accommodations require approval, you cannot print your admission ticket until they are approved.
What is superscoring and do colleges use it?
Your ACT Superscore is the average of your highest section scores across all your test dates. ACT creates one automatically for anyone who has tested more than once since September 2016, using the highest English, math and reading section scores from 2025 onwards, and you can choose to send either the Superscore or a specific test date's scores. Many colleges accept Superscores, which means each retest can raise an individual section without risking your best marks, but each institution sets its own policy.
Can I get my answers back or challenge a score?
Yes, through two separate services. ACT My Answer Key, formerly Test Information Release, costs 36 dollars ordered before the test or 44 dollars after, is offered on four test dates a year, and shows your actual questions alongside which you got right, wrong or skipped. Score Verification is a different service costing 67 dollars per category, multiple-choice or writing, or 134 dollars for both. Sending additional score reports costs 20 dollars per test date, with a 30 dollar archive fee for scores older than three years.
What if I am sick or miss my test date?
Do not report to the test centre. ACT says registration fees are generally nonrefundable and that if you miss the test for any reason, including illness, injury, late arrival or being denied admission for lack of ID, you cannot get a full refund. You can instead request a test date change through MyACT or by calling ACT Registration at 319.337.1270 by the regular deadline for the new date, paying the full fee for the new date plus the change fee, after which your original basic fee is refunded. Once you break the seal on the booklet, the change option is gone.
Can I reschedule to a different test centre?
Yes, for a fee. ACT lists a change fee of 49 dollars covering a change of test form, test day or test centre, and you make the request through MyACT under Make Changes to Your Registration. If you miss the late deadline entirely, standby testing costs 75 dollars and does not guarantee a seat: ACT admits standby candidates only if there is an available seat, test materials and staff.
Does the ACT expire, and do I have to recertify?
There is no expiry date and no continuing education requirement, because the ACT is an admission test rather than a professional certification. Scores remain in ACT's reporting system and can be sent to colleges going back to 2011, or 2018 for high schools, though ACT charges a 30 dollar archive fee for scores older than three years and individual colleges may decline to consider results from many years earlier.
Should I take the ACT or the SAT?
Both are accepted equally by colleges, and ACT publishes an official concordance developed jointly with the College Board so admissions offices can compare them. The scales differ: the ACT runs 1 to 36 and the SAT 400 to 1600, with an ACT 30 roughly equivalent to an SAT of about 1370 as an estimate rather than an exact conversion. The structural differences that matter now are that the ACT offers an optional science section and an optional essay while the digital SAT has neither, and that ACT math gives four answer choices per question. Sit a full official practice test of each and compare percentiles rather than raw feelings.
How does school-day testing differ from a Saturday national test?
The test itself is the same, but the access and cost usually are not. ACT reports that 1.1 million of the 1.4 million ACT-tested 2025 graduates, 81 per cent, took the test at least once through school-day testing, and that 23 states and hundreds of districts provided it that way, with 15 states testing 90 per cent or more of their graduates. Beginning in spring 2026 the enhanced format rolls out to state and district administrations, with science optionality set at the contract level rather than by the individual student and with breaks allowed between the core sections and science or writing.
What is a College Readiness Benchmark?
It is a subject-area score indicating readiness for the matching first-year college course. ACT defines a Benchmark as the score giving a student a 50 per cent chance of earning a B or higher, or about a 75 per cent chance of a C or higher, in courses such as English composition, college algebra, introductory social science and biology. The Benchmarks come from research across 214 institutions and more than 230,000 students. ACT reported that 30 per cent of the 2025 ACT-tested graduating class met at least three of them, and that those students were twice as likely to enter college directly and twice as likely to earn a degree on time.
Success Stories
“I took the ACT three times - 29, 32, then 35. Each time I focused on my weak areas. The Science section became easier once I realized it's about reading data, not knowing science.”
Emily Carter
Duke University '28
“My ACT score got me a full-tuition scholarship. The free resources - Khan Academy and CrackACT - were all I needed. Just be consistent with practice.”
Marcus Lee
Scholarship Recipient, Ohio State
“I preferred ACT over SAT because of the straightforward questions and Science section. Timing was my biggest challenge - practice under real conditions made all the difference.”
Sophie Anderson
UCLA '27
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