The ACT (No Writing) consists of four
multiple-choice tests: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. The ACT Plus
Writing includes the four multiple-choice tests and a Writing Test.
Test
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Content
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75 questions
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45 minutes
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Measures standard written English and
rhetorical skills.
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60 questions
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60 minutes
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Measures mathematical skills students
have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of
grade 12.
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40 questions
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35 minutes
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Measures reading comprehension.
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40 questions
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35 minutes
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Measures the interpretation, analysis,
evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural
sciences.
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1
prompt
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30 minutes
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Measures writing skills emphasized in
high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses.
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The ACT Plus
Writing
The ACT Writing Test is a 30-minute
essay test that measures your writing skills. Read a description of the Writing Test.
The ACT Plus Writing is available on all six national
test dates in the U.S., U.S. territories, Puerto Rico, and Canada, on four international
test dates in other locations, and for Special or Arranged Testing during six
designated two-week testing windows (four if testing outside the U.S., U.S.
territories, Puerto Rico, or Canada.).
Some colleges require the Writing Test; others do not.
You should decide whether or not to take the Writing Test based on the
requirements of the colleges you are applying to or considering.
The College Writing Test Requirements Search Tool can help you determine
which colleges require the Writing Test. You may also check directly with the
colleges you are considering to find out their requirements, or ask your high
school counselor which test option you should take.
Most colleges will accept scores from the Writing Test
even if they do not require it.
What does it cost?
The 2013–2014 fee for the ACT Plus Writing is
$52.50. This includes score reports for up to four college choices for which
you list a valid code when you register. The fee for the ACT (No Writing)
is $36.50 ($16.00 less).
The $16.00 Writing Test fee is refundable on request
if you are absent on test day or change test options to the ACT (No Writing)
before testing begins.
Writing Test
Description
The Writing Test is a 30-minute essay
test that measures your writing skills—specifically those writing skills
emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college
composition courses.
The test consists of one writing prompt that will
define an issue and describe two points of view on that issue. You are asked to
respond to a question about your position on the issue described in the writing
prompt. In doing so, you may adopt one or the other of the perspectives described
in the prompt, or you may present a different point of view on the issue. Your
score will not be affected by the point of view you take on the issue.
The English test is a 75-question, 45-minute test,
covering:
Usage/Mechanics
·
punctuation
·
grammar and usage
·
sentence structure
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Rhetorical Skills
·
strategy
·
organization
·
style
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Spelling, vocabulary, and rote recall of
rules of grammar aren't tested. See sample questions or read tips and strategies.
The test consists of five prose passages, each one
accompanied by multiple-choice test questions. Different passage types are
included to provide variety.
Some questions refer to underlined portions of the
passage and offer several alternatives to the underlined portion. You must
decide which choice is most appropriate in the context of the passage.
Some questions ask about an underlined portion, a section
of the passage, or the passage as a whole. You must decide which choice best
answers the question posed.
Many questions include "NO
CHANGE" to the underlined portion or the passage
as one of the choices.
The questions are numbered consecutively. Each
question number corresponds to an underlined portion in the passage or to a box
located in the passage.
Mathematics Test
Description
The ACT Mathematics Test is a 60-question, 60-minute
test designed to measure the mathematical skills students have typically
acquired in courses taken by the end of 11th grade.
The test presents multiple-choice questions that
require you to use reasoning skills to solve practical problems in mathematics.
You need knowledge of basic formulas and computational
skills to answer the problems, but you aren't required to know complex formulas
and perform extensive computation.
You may use a calculator on the
Mathematics Test. See ACT's calculator policy for details about
permitted and prohibited calculators. If you use a prohibited calculator, you
will be dismissed and your answer document will not be scored. You are not
required to use a calculator. All the problems can be solved without a
calculator.
Reading Test
Description
The Reading Test is a 40-question, 35-minute test that
measures your reading comprehension. You're asked to read several passages and
answer questions that show your understanding of:
·
what is directly stated
·
statements with implied meanings
Specifically, you will use referring and reasoning
skills to:
·
determine main ideas
·
locate and interpret significant details
·
understand sequences of events
·
make comparisons
·
comprehend cause-effect relationships
·
determine the meaning of
context-dependent words, phrases, and statements
·
draw generalizations
·
analyze the author's or narrator's voice
and method
The test comprises four sections, each containing one
long or two shorter prose passages that are representative of the level and
type of reading required in first-year college courses. Passages on topics in
social studies, natural sciences, prose fiction, and the humanities are
included.
Each passage is accompanied by a set of
multiple-choice test questions. In sections that contain two short passages,
some of the questions involve both of the passages in the section. These
questions do not test the rote recall of facts from outside the passage,
isolated vocabulary items, or rules of formal logic. Instead, the test focuses
on the complementary and supportive skills that readers must use in studying
written materials across a range of subject areas.
Science Test
Description
The Science Test is a 40-question, 35-minute test that
measures the skills required in the natural sciences: interpretation, analysis,
evaluation, reasoning, and problem solving.
You are
not permitted to use a calculator on the Science Test.
The test assumes that students are in
the process of taking the core science course of study (three years or more)
that will prepare them for college-level work and have completed a course in
Earth science and/or physical science and a course in biology.
The test presents several sets of scientific
information, each followed by a number of multiple-choice test questions. The
scientific information is presented in one of three different formats:
·
data representation (graphs, tables, and
other schematic forms)
·
research summaries (descriptions of one
or more related experiments)
·
conflicting viewpoints (expressions of
several related hypotheses or views that are inconsistent with one another)
The questions require you to:
·
recognize and understand the basic
features of, and concepts related to, the provided information
·
examine critically the relationship
between the information provided and the conclusions drawn or hypotheses
developed
·
generalize from given information and
draw conclusions, gain new information, or make predictions
