What to know before taking the ACT exam
In addition to taking ACT prep courses and practice exams, ACT test prep includes understanding what the exam consists of, how it is scored and what to expect. The test--used by colleges nationwide in their admissions process--consists of four subject sections with an optional fifth section on Writing. It is a curriculum-based examination which means the sections are modeled off subjects covered in school. ACT online prep from MyMaxScore will give you a strong understanding of these sections and help you properly prepare for the exam.
Frequently Asked Questions about the ACT
How should I manage my time during the ACT test?
How does the ACT test factor the optional essay?
Can I skip between sections of the test?
How do they score the ACT test?
How do other exams compare to the ACT?
How should I manage my time during the ACT test?
Your ACT online prep will help you properly budget your time for the real test. For the English section, spending about 1 ½ minutes on each passage allows for about 35 seconds to answer each of the 75 questions. For the Math test you have 60 minutes to answer 60 questions. In the Reading section, spending 2-3 minutes reading each passage allows for about 35 seconds to answer each question. Likewise with Science, spending about 2 minutes reading each passage or set of data should leave you with 30 seconds to answer each question.
The total time of the 4 multiple-choice tests will be 2 hours and 55 minutes. There will be a 10-minute break between tests 2 and 3. If you are taking the Writing test, you will have a 5-minute break after test 4.
How does the ACT test factor the optional essay?
You have 30 minutes to complete the Essay section. This part comes at the end of the ACT Test, but will not affect your other scores or your composite score. Rather, you will receive two additional scores: a combined English/Writing score on a scale of 1 through 36 and a Writing sub-score on a scale of 2 through 12. The image of your essay will be given to your high school and the colleges to which the ACT Test scores are reported.
Can I skip between sections of the test?
No, you can only work on a section in its specific time. If you are caught skipping between sections you could be asked to leave the test.
How do they score the ACT test?
The total number of questions answered correctly in each section of the ACT Test are converted to a scaled score from 1-36. A composite score will be the average of the scaled scores from all 4 tests. There will also be sub-scores for the English, Math, and Reading sections. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so you should always guess if you can’t answer the question.
ACT Score Calculation Table
| Scaled Score | Raw Scores | |||
| English | Mathematics | Reading | Science | |
| 36 | 75 | 60 | 38–40 | 40 |
| 35 | 73–74 | 58–59 | 37 | — |
| 34 | 71–72 | 56–57 | 36 | 39 |
| 33 | 70 | 55 | 35 | — |
| 32 | 69 | 54 | 34 | 38 |
| 31 | 68 | 52–53 | — | — |
| 30 | 67 | 50–51 | 33 | 37 |
| 29 | 65–66 | 48–49 | 32 | 36 |
| 28 | 64 | 46–47 | 30–31 | 35 |
| 27 | 62–63 | 43–45 | 29 | 34 |
| 26 | 60–61 | 41–42 | 28 | 32–33 |
| 25 | 57–59 | 39–40 | 27 | 30–31 |
| 24 | 55–56 | 37–38 | 26 | 29 |
| 23 | 53–54 | 35–36 | 25 | 27–28 |
| 22 | 50–52 | 33–34 | 24 | 25–26 |
| 21 | 47–49 | 31–32 | 23 | 23–24 |
| 20 | 44–46 | 30 | 22 | 21–22 |
| 19 | 42–43 | 27–29 | 21 | 18–20 |
| 18 | 39–41 | 25–26 | 20 | 16–17 |
| 17 | 37–38 | 22–24 | 19 | 14–15 |
| 16 | 34–36 | 18–21 | 17–18 | 13 |
| 15 | 30–33 | 15–17 | 16 | 12 |
| 14 | 28–29 | 12–14 | 14–15 | 10–11 |
| 13 | 26–27 | 09–11 | 12–13 | 9 |
| 12 | 24–25 | 8 | 10–11 | 8 |
| 11 | 22–23 | 06–07 | 08–09 | 7 |
| 10 | 20–21 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| 9 | 18–19 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| 8 | 15–17 | — | 5 | 4 |
| 7 | 13–14 | 3 | — | 3 |
| 6 | 10–12 | 2 | 4 | — |
| 5 | 08–09 | — | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 06–07 | — | 2 | — |
| 3 | 04–05 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2 | 02–03 | — | 1 | — |
| 1 | 00–01 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sub-score Categories: |
English |
|
Three scores are reported: a total test score of 75 questions, a sub-score in Usage/Mechanics based on 40 questions, and a sub-score in Rhetorical Skills based on 35 questions. |
Math |
|
Four scores are reported: a total test score based on 60 questions, a sub-score in Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra based on 24 questions, a sub-score in Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry based on 18 questions, and a sub-score in Plane Geometry/Trigonometry based on 18 questions. |
Reading |
|
Three Scores are reported: a total test score based on 40 questions, a sub-score based on 20 questions in the Social Studies/Natural Science passages, and a sub-score based on 20 questions in the prose Fiction/Humanities passages. |
How do other exams compare to the ACT?
Many other exams are like the ACT Test, so the strategies used in MyMaxScore are definitely useful when taking them. The SAT Test is more strategy oriented and less memory oriented than the ACT, but the strategies that you learn with MyMaxScore will certainly be useful.
SAT/ACT Score Comparison Grid
| SAT (With Writing Test Addition) | ACT Composite Score | SAT (With Writing Test Addition) | ACT Composite Score | |
| 2400 | 36 | 1620–1670 | 23 | |
| 2340–2390 | 35 | 1560–1610 | 22 | |
| 2280–2330 | 34 | 1500–1550 | 21 | |
| 2220–2270 | 33 | 1440–1490 | 20 | |
| 2160–2210 | 32 | 1380–1430 | 19 | |
| 2100–2150 | 31 | 1320–1370 | 18 | |
| 2040–2090 | 30 | 1260–1310 | 17 | |
| 1980–2030 | 29 | 1200–1250 | 16 | |
| 1920–1970 | 28 | 1140–1190 | 15 | |
| 1860–1910 | 27 | 1080–1130 | 14 | |
| 1800–1850 | 26 | 1020–1070 | 13 | |
| 1740–1790 | 25 | 960–1010 | 12 | |
| 1680–1730 | 24 | 900–950 | 11 |
