ACT Exam Test Preparation, Sample Questions, Practice Test


The American College Testing Program. now known as ACT, administered its first exam in the fall of 1959. The exam program was established to compete with Scholastic Aptitude Test (presently SAT) set up by the College Board of education. Students who performed poorly in the SAT test could take the test as an alternative. In 1996 the American College Testing Program. changed its name to ACT.   The letters that make up ACT don’t stand for anything.

Format and Content


The test is administered using multiple choice questions covering the four test areas. The optional writing part is to assess ability in planning and composing a short essay. The ACT test helps admission officers to properly assess course work, high school grades and class rank by supplementing this information and rating the student based on a national perspective.


The ACT test comprises four major test areas. The first section is English, which consists of some passages with some underlined sections. The student is expected to correct the underlined sections choosing from options provided. There are also questions on sentence order and structure as well as author’s tone. The English section has a total of 75 questions for 45 minutes.

The second section is Math which 60 minutes are allotted, and has a total of 60 questions. 10 questions are on basic algebra, 14 on pre-algebra, 9 on intermediate algebra, 4 on trigonometry, 14 on plane geometry and 9 on coordinate geometry. The math section is the only one with 5 options and certain calculator types are allowed.

The reading section is allowed 30 minutes. There are 40 questions in this section designed to measure the student’s ability to read and comprehend four passages taken from books and magazines. Each passage is from a different field, one is on prose fiction, another on a social science field, another based on humanities and the last on the natural sciences.

The Science reasoning section has 40 questions and an allotted time of 35 minutes. In this section there are seven passages with five to seven questions each. The last section is the writing section and it is optional. This section comes at the end of the ACT test and lasts for 30 minutes. Students are expected to write essays in response to a given prompt. The prompts are based on social issues that affect high school students. The writing section s meant to be optional but several schools require that prospective students take the test and the scores are used in admission decisions.



check ACT Test Prep and Study Help


Terrified of Tests? Test Anxiety is one of the main reasons for poor test performance. Tips for handling test anxiety.

The ACT is a General Aptitude test which doesn't test what you know, but your ability to learn. This is a key piece of information for formulating your test strategy.


How to Answer Multiple Choice Questions

One can hardly escape multiple choice exams. A person who wants to make it big in life takes placement exams composed of about 85% multiple choice questions, to be admitted in prestigious schools. Board or Bar exams have multiple choice questions aimed at testing an examinee’s quick-thinking ability. Even those applying for a driver’s license would eventually have to take a multiple choice exam on traffic rules and traffic signs. Comprehensive tips and strategies for multiple Choice exams with practice questions. How To Answer Multiple Choice

How to Prepare for a Test - Everything you need to know to increase your score on any test! Test Preparation Secrets

Studying for a general aptitude test means breaking complex questions down into smaller bits, and solving the bits individually. Here are some tips for studying for an aptitude test >>>

How to Answer Essay Questions


“I hate essays!” This battle cry is famous to most students. That’s because essay questions are either easy or difficult. Either way, there’s no certain formula. Even if you think you know the answer - don’t be overconfident - the critical part is how you make your essay worth reading. So how do you do it? Here are some tips >>>


How to handle Time Limits

The ACT has time limits on all sections. Here are tips on how to use time limits to your advantage >>>

The ACT is a computer based exam. Tips and advice for taking computer based exams >>>




checkComplete ACT Study Guide

Complete ACT study guide prepared by a dedicated team of expert researchers.

Effective, affordable help from the most comprehensive test preparation company in the world!

Includes practice tests, study plan, sample questions, test tips and complete review.

ACT Study Guide & Practice Test





check ACT Flash Cards


Flash cards are one of the most effective study tools.

Our test researchers have carefully examined all possible material and from this have formulated 359 concepts that you absolutely must know to pass this tough entrance test.

Our flash card study program is effective, simple and easy!

ACT flash cards


How to Prepare for a Test

- The Complete Test Prep Guide

Test strategy for every type of test, how to handle test anxiety, the Ultimate Guide to Multiple Choice and more ....

How to take a test


Multiple Choice Secrets

Learn and practice multiple choice strategies for increasing your score on any multiple choice exam.

Multiple Choice Secrets