The full ACT is now offered nationally in both paper and online formats. Students who have taken the full ACT at least once in 2016 or later will be able to retake individual sections during any of the National test dates through ACT Section Retesting. A section retest is an online only test option that offers a way to help you focus on individual ACT sections. Students can take up to 3 sections during one testing date and can choose in which order the sections are taken. See www.actstudent.org for more information about ACT Section Retesting.

Test Strategies for the ACT

Each multiple-choice section contains questions with either four or five answers from which you are to choose the correct, or best, answer.

The ACT measures the knowledge, understanding, and skills you have acquired throughout your years in school. Because of this, it is unlikely that a “cram” course can improve your scores. However, it is a good idea to do some test preparation to be familiar with the tests and what to expect on test day.

Here are three strategies to help you prepare for the ACT:

Get familiar with the content of the sections.

Update your knowledge and skills in the content areas

Study content areas you are not familiar with.

Test-Taking Strategies

Pace yourself.

It is important that you have enough time to read the passages/questions and figure out your responses. For each section, subtract the number of minutes you estimate you will spend skimming the passages or reading the information provided, then divide the total number of remaining minutes allowed by the number of questions to determine the estimated time you should spend on each question. If possible, spend less time on each question and use the remaining time allowed for a section to review your work and return to the questions in that section that were most difficult for you.

Read the directions carefully

Before you begin each section, read the directions carefully. Since the instructions don't change from test to test, you are better off reading the directions at home so you don't spend valuable time on test day reading instructions.

Read each question carefully.

You need to understand exactly what each question asks. Some questions will require you to go through several steps to find the correct or best answer, while others can be answered more quickly.

Answer the easy questions first.

A good strategy is to answer the easy questions and skip the questions you find difficult. After answering the easy questions, go back and answer the more difficult questions if you have time.

Use logic on more difficult questions.

When you return to the more difficult questions, try to use logic to eliminate incorrect answers. Compare the answer choices to each other and note how they differ. Such differences may provide clues as to what the question requires. Eliminate as many incorrect answers as you can, then make an educated guess from the remaining answers.

Answer every question.

Your scores in the sections will be based only on the number of questions that you answer correctly; there is no penalty for guessing. Try to answer every question within the time allowed for each section.

Review your work.

If there is time left after you have answered every question in a section, go back and check your work. You will not be allowed to go back to any other section or mark responses to a section after time has been called in that section.

Be precise in choosing your responses.

If you are taking the ACT on paper, be sure that you properly fill in the appropriate ovals on your answer document. Check that the number of the line of ovals on your answer document is the same as the number of the question you are answering and that you mark only one answer for each question. If you are taking the ACT online, be sure you select the intended response.

Erase completely.

If you want to change a multiple-choice answer on paper, be sure to use a soft eraser that will erase the unintended mark completely and not leave smudges. Do not cross out answers or use correction fluid or tape; you must erase. Smudges or unintended marks may cause errors in scoring.

On Test Day

Report on Time

For National test dates, you must report to your assigned test site by the time stated on your admission ticket (usually 8:00 a.m.). If you are late, you will not be admitted to test. If your ticket does not list a specific test room, the test staff or posted signs will direct you.

Bring With You

At check-in, you will be required to show an acceptable photo ID or you will not be admitted to test. See ACT requirements for ID on your ticket or at www.act.org/the-act/id

Your admission ticket is also required if you test on a National ACT test date. You will not be admitted to the test without it. It contains identifying information for both testing on paper and online formats. If you have lost your ticket, you can print another through your ACT web account.

If testing in the United States, bring sharpened No. 2 pencils and good erasers (no mechanical pencils or ink pens). If you are testing internationally, you will be provided writing implements. Do not bring any other writing instruments. You will not be allowed to use them.

A watch to pace yourself. Do not bring a watch with recording, internet, communication, or calculator capabilities (e.g., a smart watch or fitness band). You will be asked to remove your watch and place it face up on your desk during testing.

A permitted calculator may be used on the mathematics section only. It is your responsibility to know whether your calculator is permitted. For the most current information on the ACT calculator policy, visit www.act.org/calculator-policy.html

English Section

The English section consists of multiple essays, or passages, each followed by a set of multiple-choice questions. The English section puts you in the position of a writer who makes decisions to revise and edit a text. Short texts and essays in different genres provide a variety of rhetorical situations. Passages are chosen for their appropriateness in assessing writing and language skills and to reflect students’ interests and experiences. Four scores are reported for the English section: a score for the section overall and three reporting category scores based on specific knowledge and skills. The approximate percentage of the section devoted to each reporting category is:

Production of Writing (29–32%)

Knowledge of Language (13–19%)

Conventions of Standard English (51–56%)

Tips for Taking the English Section

Be aware of the writing style used in each passage.

Examine the underlined portions of the passage.

Be aware of questions with no underlined portions.

Note the differences in the answer choices.

Determine the best answer.

Reread the sentence, using your selected answer.

Math Section

The mathematics section is designed to assess the mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of grade 12.

Most questions are self-contained. Some questions may belong to a set of several questions (e.g., each about the same graph or chart).

The material covered emphasizes the major content areas that are prerequisites to successful performance in entry-level courses in college mathematics. Knowledge of basic formulas and computational skills are assumed as background for the problems, but recall of complex formulas and extensive computation are not required.

Nine scores are reported for the mathematics section: a score for the section overall and eight reporting category scores based on specific mathematical knowledge and skills. The approximate percentage of the section devoted to each reporting category is:

Preparing for Higher Mathematics (57–60%)

Integrating Essential Skills (40–43%)

Modeling

Tips for Taking the Mathematics Section

If you use a calculator, use it wisely.

Solve the problem.

Find your solution among the answer choices.

Make sure you answer the question.

Make sure your answer is reasonable.

Check your answer.

Reading Section

The reading section that measures your ability to read closely, reason logically about texts using evidence, and integrate information from multiple sources.

The section questions focus on the mutually supportive skills that readers must bring to bear in studying written materials across a range of subject areas. Specifically, questions will ask you to determine main ideas; locate and interpret significant details; understand sequences of events; make comparisons; comprehend cause-effect relationships; determine the meaning of context-dependent words, phrases, and statements; draw generalizations; analyze the author’s or narrator’s voice and method; analyze claims and evidence in arguments; and integrate information from multiple texts.

The reading section is composed of multiple parts. Some parts consist of one long prose passage and others consist of shorter prose passages. The passages represent the levels and kinds of text commonly encountered in first-year college curricula.

Each passage is preceded by a heading that identifies the author and source, and may include important background information to help you understand the passage. Each portion contains a set of multiple-choice questions. These questions do not test the rote recall of facts from outside the passage or rules of formal logic, nor do they contain isolated vocabulary questions. In sections that contain two shorter passages, some of the questions involve both of those passages.

Five scores are reported for the reading section: a score for the section overall and three reporting category scores based on specific knowledge and skills; and an Understanding Complex Texts indicator. The approximate percentage of the section devoted to each reporting category is:

Key Ideas and Details (55–60%)

Craft and Structure (25–30%)

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (13–18%)

Tips for Taking the Reading Section

Read each passage carefully.

Refer to the passages when answering the questions.

Science Section

The science section measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences. The section presents several authentic scientific scenarios, each followed by a number of multiple-choice questions.

The content includes biology, chemistry, Earth/space sciences (e.g., geology, astronomy, and meteorology), and physics. Advanced knowledge in these areas is not required, but background knowledge acquired in general, introductory science courses may be needed to correctly answer some of the questions.

The science section focuses on multidimensional assessment, with questions that assess science content in concert with science skills and practices.

The questions require you to recognize and understand the basic features of, and concepts related to, the provided information; to examine critically the relationship between the information provided and the conclusions drawn or hypotheses developed; and to generalize from given information to gain new information, draw conclusions, or make predictions.

The scientific information appears in one of three formats:

Data Representation (30–40%)

Research Summaries (45–55%)

Conflicting Viewpoints (15–20%)

Four scores are reported for the science section: a score for the section overall and three reporting category scores based on scientific knowledge, skills, and practices. The approximate percentage of the section devoted to each reporting category is:

Interpretation of Data (40–50%)

Scientific Investigation (20–30%)

Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results (25–35%)

Tips for Taking the Science Section

Read the passage carefully.

Note the different viewpoints in passages.

Taking the Practice Tests

It is a good idea to take the practice tests under conditions as similar as possible to those you will experience on test day. The following tips will help you:

If taking the full ACT, the four multiple-choice tests require 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete. Take them in order, in one sitting, with a 10- to 15-minute break between Tests 2 and 3.

You will need only sharpened, soft lead No. 2 pencils and good erasers. Remove all other items from your desk. You will not be allowed to use unapproved scratch paper.

If you plan to use a permitted calculator on the mathematics test, use the same one you will use on test day.

Use a digital timer or clock to time yourself on each practice test. Set your timer for five minutes less than the time allowed for each test so you can get used to the verbal announcement of five minutes remaining.

Give yourself only the time allowed for each test.

Read the test directions on the first page of each multiple-choice test. These are the same directions that will appear in your test booklet on test day.

Start your timer and begin with Test 1. Continue through Test 4, taking a 10- to 15-minute break between Tests 2 and 3.