ACT exam

The ACT

ACT – American College Testing is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It’s designed to assess a high school student’s readiness for college and provides colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. Here’s an overview of its structure:

1. English Section:

• Number of Questions: 75
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Content: This section tests standard English rules, usage, and mechanics, as well as rhetorical skills. It includes passages with underlined portions to be evaluated for grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style.

1. Math Section:

• Number of Questions: 60
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Content: Covers mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of grade 12. The test focuses on algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and some elementary statistics. Calculators are allowed, but some restrictions apply.

1. Reading Section:

• Number of Questions: 40
• Duration: 35 minutes
• Content: This section includes passages from four areas: fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science. Questions test the student’s ability to determine main ideas, locate and interpret significant details, understand sequences of events, make comparisons, and comprehend cause-effect relationships.

1. Science Section:

• Number of Questions: 40
• Duration: 35 minutes
• Content: Measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences. The content includes biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth/space sciences (e.g., geology, astronomy, and meteorology).

1. Writing Section (Optional):

• Duration: 40 minutes
• Content: This is an essay section that measures writing skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses. Students are given a prompt and must write an essay that evaluates and analyzes the given perspectives.

Scoring:

• Each of the first four sections (English, Math, Reading, Science) is scored on a scale of 1-36.
• The Composite Score is the average of these four test scores, rounded to the nearest whole number.
• The Writing Section is scored separately on a scale of 2-12.

The ACT is widely accepted by colleges and universities in the United States and is administered multiple times a year. Preparation for the ACT is critical, as the scores are an important part of the college admissions process.