1. American College Testing
The ACT
American College Testing

2. What is it?
The ACT is an exam that tests your achievement in English, Reading, Mathematics, Science and Writing
Most colleges in the middle of the nation require the ACT for admission
East/West coast schools more often require the SAT
ALL juniors in MN will take the ACT on April 28th – free of charge!

3. Basics of the ACT
4 multiple choice sections followed by a written essay
The English section is 1st and there are 75 questions – it is 45 minutes long
The Math section is 2nd and there are 60 questions – it is 60 minutes long
The Reading section is 3rd and there are 40 questions – it is 35 minutes long
The Science section is 4th and there are 40 questions – it is 35 minutes long
The Writing section (essay) is last and is 30 minutes long
Including breaks, the test takes about 4 hours

4. English Test 75 questions 45 minutes
The questions cover grammar, parts of speech, punctuation and rules of usage and mechanics
There are 5 passages, each with 15 questions

5. Math Test 60 questions 60 minutes
The math test covers algebra, geometry and trigonometry

6. Reading Test 40 questions 35 minutes
There are four passages with 10 questions each
Prose Fiction
Social Science
Humanities
Natural Science
The questions cover main ideas, points of view, vocabulary, facts and inferences

7. Science Test 40 questions 35 minutes
The science test presents you with graphs, experiments, data and brief articles accompanied by questions
Any area of science could be included on the test but you are not expected to have specific knowledge of all types of science, just how to interpret data, understand experiments and come to conclusions based on scientific information

8. Writing Test (Essay) 1 essay 30 minutes
You are given a prompt and asked to respond to a specific question
Often the prompt will ask you to take a side on an issue and argue for that side

9. How to Prepare Practice Tests!
ACT.org has online practice questions in each of the sections.