The ACT Assessment Test

• The ACT provides an alternative to the SAT for college admissions. Most colleges will accept either the ACT or the SAT. 

Test Calendar

• The ACT is offered officially in September, October, December, February, April, and June, although the September and February administrations are available only in certain locations. 
• Most of our students take the ACT in the spring of their junior year and/or in the fall of their senior year. 

Test Format

Test Scoring

• Each subject area test is scored on a range from 1 to 36. The four required test scores are then averaged to provide a composite score out of 36. The optional Writing essay receives a score between 2 and 12.
• Unlike the SAT, the ACT permits "score choice," allowing students to select which of all their official test results will be sent to colleges.
• Another difference between the two tests is that the ACT has no score deduction for incorrect answers, while the SAT does. Thus, students should not leave any questions blank on the ACT.
• To see an ACT and SAT score correspondence table, please click here. Note: this link requires Adobe Acrobat Viewer - click here to download free viewer.
• Students who are considering the ACT in addition to or instead of the SAT may find it useful to read our FAQs about the SAT versus the ACT.

Our Approach

General Content of Program

After taking a diagnostic test, students begin work with a tutor or tutors to cover the substantial material tested on the ACT. In the earlier stages of the program, tutors lay out the relevant content and principles, helping students develop disciplined strategies for approaching each section. As they become more comfortable with the material, students increasingly apply it through specific test-taking strategies and exercises. To foster a thorough understanding of concepts and refine students' problem-solving techniques, the program includes a balance of weekly meetings, homework assignments, and timed practice tests.

English Test

The multiple-choice English questions test traditional grammatical and syntactical principles as well as idiomatic expression and rhetoric. We train students to develop a critical eye for editing what they read and what they write. Students are often gratified to recognize that the skills that help them improve their accuracy on the ACT can also help them identify and correct errors in their own writing, both on the ACT Writing section and in their schoolwork and written assignments.

Mathematics Test

We emphasize the facts, concepts, and principles underlying Math questions. Our Math materials identify the mathematical terms and the recurring math question types in Arithmetic, Algebra I and II, Geometry, and miscellaneous precalculus topics that have appeared on the official ACT. These terms and question types can be found, with levels of difficulty commensurate to those on the official test, in our math exercises, problem sets, and math summary reviews. Students may and should use calculators on the math portions of the test.

Reading Test

Our Reading materials help students grasp college-level material in a range of subject areas by reading, digesting, and extracting essential information from any given text. The ACT Reading Test presents four passages drawn from prose fiction, humanities, social studies, and natural sciences. We help students recognize recurrent question types and differentiate right from wrong answers. Our students become more attuned to the significance of word choice and more adept with methods for discerning an author's meaning—skills that are useful for any college career as well as for standardized tests.

Science Reasoning Test

For the Science Reasoning portion of the ACT, we emphasize the skills of interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating. The ACT Science Test typically includes charts, graphs, diagrams, and passages that represent data, summarize research, or describe conflicting perspectives. ACT questions typically draw from fields such as biology, chemistry, earth or space sciences, and physics. Our students learn to become familiar with these subject areas and—more important on the ACT—to process any given scientific information in the most efficient and accurate way. Our approach trains students to pinpoint significant details and to draw reasonable inferences. Calculators are not permitted on the Science Test, but this section requires at most only basic arithmetic.

Writing Test

In preparing students for the optional Essay component of the ACT, we emphasize the fundamental structure and fluidity of expression inherent in a strong written composition. Although students must address new and unpredictable subjects on their test, they can still practice and refine the process of evaluating a given topic and assembling a coherent and persuasive response in a limited period. Through essay practice—with pointed, individualized comments and suggestions from their tutors—students gain confidence in approaching this section. This process assures students that they can indeed develop a well-rounded, thoughtful essay despite having limited time to reflect upon the topic.

Length of Program

The precise length of our ACT program depends on several factors, including:

• the student’s tutoring needs, as demonstrated on the diagnostic test, on practice tests, and in related academic pursuits
• when the student begins working with us
• the student’s goals
• the number of meetings the student has with the tutor each week
• the date when the student plans to take the official test

In general, students begin preparing for the ACT Assessment an academic year or more before they intend to take their first official test.

Further Information

For additional information about preparing and registering for the ACT, please follow the link below to the official website:
http://www.actstudent.org

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