The ACT is one of the two major tests used by colleges and universities during their admissions processes. Though many high schools treat the ACT as if it is interchangeable with the SAT, the two tests are actually quite different, and most students are better served taking one over the other based on their individual strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve decided on the ACT as your test of choice, your next step is to figure out exactly how to prepare. What are the best tips and strategies to help you prepare for the ACT? In this post, we strive to answer some of the most common questions to help students devise the best study plan for them. Let’s jump in.
What is the format of the ACT?
One of the first things that you’ll need to be familiar with before you start thinking about how to prepare for the ACT is the test’s structure. You want to make sure you know exactly what you’ll be facing in order to figure out the best way to beat it.
On the broadest level, the ACT is comprised of four multiple-choice sections followed by one optional free-response essay. In order, the sections are as follows:
- English: 75 questions divided among five passages; 45 minutes
- Math: 60 questions; 60 minutes
- Reading: 40 questions divided among four passages; 35 minutes
- Science: 40 questions divided among six or seven passages; 35 minutes
- Writing/Essay: 40 minutes; OPTIONAL
Compared to the SAT, the defining feature of the ACT is its frenetic pace. This is most obvious in the Reading and Science sections, where students are expected to read multiple dense passages and answer comprehension questions about each while moving at a speed that gives them less than a minute to work on each question.
If this sounds challenging, that’s because it is! However you prepare, it’s vital that you focus just as heavily on mastering timing strategies and question-specific techniques as you do on learning content. Beating this test is about more than just knowing the material that shows up—it’s about recognizing the patterns of the test and understanding its rules so that you can answer each question as efficiently as possible and bank as many points as possible in the allotted time.
How is the ACT scored?
It’s also essential that you understand the scoring mechanics of the ACT before you start to prepare, as knowing how scores are calculated can offer insight into the best ways to maximize yours.
Let’s start from the ground up. First, you’ll receive a raw score for each of the four multiple-choice sections on the ACT; this raw score is simply equal to the number of questions you answered correctly in that section. Remember that there is no penalty for incorrect answers, so you should always answer every single question, even if it’s a total guess.
Then, using a process called ‘equating‘, the ACT will produce a scaled score from 1 to 36 for each section. This scaled score takes into account the difficulty level of the particular version of the section that you completed relative to the difficulty levels of all other iterations of that section over the past five years; this allows colleges to be sure that your English score of 31 means the same thing as your older brother’s 31.
Finally, your four scaled scores will be averaged to produce an overall composite score from 1 to 36; this score is the best single measure of your performance on the test, and it’s the score that colleges will primarily look at when reviewing your application.
If you took the essay portion of the test, you’ll also receive a separate Writing score that ranges from 2 to 12; however, this score does not affect your composite score in any way, and many schools no longer even require the submission of an ACT Writing score with your application. It’s a good idea to check each school’s admissions department website for their official policy; if none of the schools to which you’re applying care about a Writing score, you may be able to save yourself some time and energy both while you prepare for the ACT and on test day.
What does all of this mean for your prep? The fact that the ACT averages your four section scores to calculate the composite rather than summing them can make this test feel friendlier for students who have one section that lags behind the others. If you earn a 30 in each of English, Math, and Reading but a 26 in Science, your composite score will still be a 29; in fact, if you’re able to bump your score in two of the other sections up to a 31, your composite will average out to a 29.5, which then rounds up and shows up on your score report as a 30.
This by itself shouldn’t be the reason that you take the ACT rather than the SAT, but it is worth factoring in. It’s also an important reminder that your composite score doesn’t care where the points come from, only that you earn them. Don’t stop working on English just because you’re getting a 32 or 33 on your practice sections—often students who reach that level are very capable of getting a 34 or 35, and those additional points count exactly the same toward your composite as the ones that you gain in going from a 26 to a 29 in Science.
Does the ACT super-score?
Yes! At long last, finally, yes. As of early 2021, the ACT will now provide an automatically calculated super-score to all students who have taken the ACT more than once from September 2016 to the current day. When you select the test dates from which you want to submit results to colleges, the ACT automatically pulls your highest score for each section out of those dates and displays those four scores at the top of the score report, along with a composite super-score. Log in to MyACT to view your scores and send them to colleges.
It is important to note that while the ACT will automatically include a super-score on your score report, they cannot force schools to use that score when evaluating your application. Some schools prefer to use your highest single composite score instead, for instance. For the most accurate information about how an individual school handles super-scoring, be sure to contact that school’s admissions department directly.
Assuming that the schools you’re looking at do utilize the super-score that the ACT provides, this can have a significant impact on how to prepare for the ACT. As we discussed earlier, you certainly don’t want to give up on preparing for a given section just because you’ve been earning good scores on your practice sections. With that being said, if you go into your first official test date and blow a section out of the water, scoring noticeably higher than you have been on practice sections, it’s worth considering how likely it is that you’ll be able to improve on that score on your next test and how much work it would require to do so. It’s very possible that you’re better off shifting your energy to the other areas of the test and taking advantage of the fact that that high score is locked in via your super-score.
How many times should I study to take the ACT?
As a general rule, I recommend that every student plan to test at least twice, for various reasons. The biggest reason is simply that, statistically speaking, you are likely to score better on your second test. According to the ACT’s official guide on testing multiple times, over half of students taking the ACT twice will receive a higher score on the second administration. Another massive point in favor of taking the test multiple times is the increased prevalence of super-scoring, as covered above.
While testing multiple times is almost always to your benefit, we also absolutely need to acknowledge that there is a point of diminishing returns after three or so tests. For one thing, higher-scoring students have smaller margins of error for improvement, so students scoring in the upper ranges often do not benefit from testing more than two or three times. More broadly, there is also the simple fact that test preparation is work, and at some point, students are better off focusing on other parts of their applications if they are hitting a plateau after multiple rounds of testing.
So to summarize: when creating an ACT prep timeline and figuring out when you should start studying and preparing for the ACT, make sure you’re building in enough time to take the test 2-3 times; you’re better off allowing more time than you end up needing than you are hitting college application deadlines with a score that doesn’t meet your goals.
How far in advance should I start to prepare for the ACT?
As a general rule for how far in advance students should begin their preparation for the ACT, I recommend that you start with the assumption that you’ll want 6-8 weeks of consistent prep before you take the ACT for the first time. This will allow you to spend a few weeks simply getting the basics down: the timing of each section, the content you should expect to see, the most common question-types and the core strategies to address them, etc.
Once you have a strong foundation of knowledge about the test, you can start to home in on your particular areas of weakness. Are you having trouble with the speed of the ACT Reading section? Do you need to review circles and special right triangles in order to be prepared for ACT Math’s weird love affair with them? These things can absolutely be addressed through prep, but you want to make sure you allow yourself enough time to do that.
After you’ve spent some time focusing on your particular areas for improvement, the last couple of weeks before the test should be spent putting it all together. Shift your focus to completing timed practice sections; this will give you additional practice on any content you’ve been struggling with in a real-test context while also providing more reps to ensure you’re acclimated to the speed of each section.
Following this 6-8 week plan will put the average student in a strong position going into their first test date. There are certain factors that may prompt you to allow yourself more time before your first test date, however. If your score goal is very high, for instance, recognize that the amount of work you’ll need to do to achieve that goal is likely to be commensurately high, and you should consider extending your timeline accordingly, Similarly, if you’re somebody who doesn’t have much standardized test experience or knows they’re not a strong test-taker, you may also want to give yourself more of a cushion in order to reduce anxiety. And finally, if you’re beginning your prep during a period when your schedule is busy enough that you may not have the time for consistent practice, allowing yourself a few more weeks before that first test can give you the opportunity to still get in the reps necessary to make a go of it.
What is the best way to study for the ACT?
As I mentioned above, there are a few core components of any prep program:
- Familiarity with the format of each section and its core strategies: The best way to start studying for the ACT is by familiarizing yourself with both the macro structure of each section (number of questions, number of passages, allotted time, etc.) and the micro structure (recurring question-types). Look for patterns in how the section asks its questions and work on nailing down the fundamental techniques to address each type of question.
- Content review (where relevant): When preparing for the first two sections of the ACT—English and Math—you’ll need to do some content review. Whether that’s reviewing comma rules or relearning SOHCAHTOA, you should expect to spend a portion of your time digging into some of the specific concepts that are tested. Start by focusing on the topics that show up the most, and don’t sweat the small stuff (matrices, conic sections, etc.) until and unless you’re getting everything else right consistently.
- Routinization of pacing: Finally, you’ll need to put everything together in timed practice sections. The best way to study for the ACT involves a whole bunch of timed reps. These timed sections allow you to practice everything you’ve worked on—technique, macro-level strategy, content review—in the context of how it will look on test day. If possible, make sure you’ve taken an entire test’s worth of sections in one sitting at least once before your test date; you don’t want to be caught off-guard by how mentally fatiguing the ACT is as a whole!
How often is the ACT administered and how do I register for the ACT?
The ACT is administered roughly once every two months year-round, and there is no limit to the number of times a student can take the test. Because of that, it’s generally to your advantage to test more than once, as I explored above. Part of beating any test is giving yourself as many opportunities as necessary to succeed, and taking the test multiple times can be a great way to maximize your improvement.
To register for the ACT, go to the ACT website and follow the corresponding instructions. Testing is administered at official test centers, which are typically high schools approved by the ACT. You can search for the test center closest to you using the ACT’s test center locator, found here. If you currently receive accommodations in school due to a professionally diagnosed and documented disability, be sure to review the ACT’s policies on testing accommodations in detail before registering for your test dates.
How do I get better at the ACT?
We want you to hit your highest possible score whether you’re prepping with us or not; that’s why I just spent so much time writing out this treasure trove of priceless test knowledge and making it freely available. If you are interested in courses designed by experienced, expert ACT tutors that include both self-paced work and 1:1 instruction, though, check out GoTutor’s ACT prep headquarters. Our squad of ACT gurus would love nothing more than to help you master the test. Happy prepping!