The ACT at a Glance

While college admissions standardized testing was once dominated by the SAT, today nearly as many students now opt to take the ACT. The ACT comprises four sections: Reading, English, Math, and Science. There is also an optional Writing section that Ivy Prep recommends each student take.

The English section is 75 questions and students have 45 minutes to complete them. This section tests students on their knowledge of written English, including topics such as grammar, usage, and punctuation. The Reading section is 40 questions long and students have 35 minutes to finish. Students are tested on their reading comprehension skills such as finding the central meaning of a passage. The Math section is 60 questions and 60 minutes long. Students are tested on a wide variety of topics, such as Algebra, Geometry, and Functions. Finally, there is the Science section, which contains 40 questions and takes 35 minutes. Many students choose not to take the ACT because they are nervous about the Science section. Don’t let this happen to your student! The Science section is actually much more like a reading comprehension section. It tests a student’s ability to interpret scientific passages and tables, but requires very little actual scientific knowledge. The “optional” Writing section is an essay that takes 40 minutes to complete. At Ivy Prep, we always advise students to take this section since many schools require it.