What is the ACT test and what are the available dates and cost?

Many colleges require the ACT test as part of the admissions process. Your test score is a key component in applying to international universities and colleges. The test motivates students to perform to the best of their abilities. Test scores reflect what students have learned throughout high school and provide colleges and universities with excellent information to obtain... Approval and university admission.

If you are planning to enter the undergraduate level in the most important universities in the world (eg American universities), you must know the details of the ACT exam, as this test is one of the most important university admission tests.

What is the ACT test?

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ACT is an abbreviation American College Testing: The standardized test used for admission to universities in the United States, and the test is responsible for centers affiliated with the universities, which is a non-profit organization bearing the same name as the test.

The ACT covers four academic skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning. It also offers an optional direct writing test.

The purpose of the ACT is to measure a high school student's readiness for college and admission, and to provide colleges with one common data point that they can use to compare all applicants. 

Admissions officers at the university you are applying to will review standardized test scores along with your high school GPA, classes you took in high school, letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors, extracurricular activities, admissions interviews, and personal essays. 

How important the ACT exam is in the college application process varies from school to school. In general, the higher your ACT score is, the more options you will have for attending college and gaining admission.

ACT test standards

Standards are empirically derived descriptions of the basic skills and knowledge students need to be college-ready, giving clear meaning to test scores and serving as a link between what students have learned during high school as well as post-college.

When students take the ACT test, high school teachers and counselors receive valuable information for guidance and curriculum development. K-12 professionals use ACT reports to:

• Guiding students towards university and career readiness.
• Assist students with college and career planning.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of instructions.
• Planning changes and improvements to the curriculum.

Is the ACT exam mandatory?

Most high school students take the ACT after finishing high school, before applying to college, but it is important to leave time to retake the test if you need to raise your score before applying to college.

Take the ACT test

There are four ACT sections: 

• English language
• reading
• Mathematics
• Natural Sciences
• Writing

English

The first section is the English language test For 45 minutes It covers usage/mechanics, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills. The component test consists of 75 questions It consists of five sections with different underlined sections on one side of the page and options to correct underlined sections on the other side of the page.

Specifically, questions focus on usage and mechanics – issues such as commas, apostrophes, modifiers (misplaced/dangling), colons, fragments and additions – as well as on rhetorical skills – style (clarity and brevity), strategy, transitions, and organization – and sentence structure. - Construct sentences in a correct manner, stylistically and grammatically.

Mathematics

The second section is a mathematics test Its duration is 60 minutes , composed of 60 questions With the usual distribution of questions which is approximately 14 questions covering pre-algebra, 10 elementary algebra, 9 intermediate algebra, 14 plane geometry, 9 coordinate geometry, and 4 elementary trigonometry questions.

However, the distribution of question topics varies from one test to another. The difficulty of questions usually increases as you access more questions. Calculators are allowed in this section only. Calculator requirements more stringent than the SAT test requirements in computer algebra systems (such as the TI-89) are not permitted; However, the Labor Code allows calculators that have paper tapes, that make noise (but must be disabled), or that have power cords with certain “modifications” (i.e. disabling said features), which the SAT does not allow.

Standard graphing calculators, such as the TI-83 and TI-84, are permitted. Within the TI-Nspire family, the Standard and CX versions are allowed while the CX CAS is not. This is the only section that has five answer options for each question instead of four.

reading

The Reading section is a 35-minute, 40-question test consisting of four sections, three of which contain a long prose passage and the second of which contains two shorter prose passages. The passages represent levels and types of text commonly encountered in first-year undergraduate curricula. This reading test assesses skills in three general categories: main ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and ideas.

Test questions usually ask students to extract meaning from texts that refer to what is explicitly stated or through reasoning to determine implicit meanings. Specifically, the questions will ask you to use referral and reasoning skills to identify main ideas; Identify and interpret important details; Understand the sequence of events. compare; Understand cause and effect relationships; Determine the context-dependent meaning of words, phrases and statements; Drawing generalizations and analyzing the voice and style of the author or narrator.

Sciences

The science test is a 35-minute test with 40 questions. There are seven passages each followed by five to seven questions. Sections have three different formats: Data Representation, Research Summary, and Conflicting Perspectives.

While the format was very predictable (e.g. there were always three paragraphs to represent the data with 5 questions after each, 3 passages of research summary with six questions each, and one opposing viewpoints passage with 7 questions) When the number of passages was reduced from 7 to 6, more variation began to appear in the number of each type of passage.

But even now, there is always only one passage of opposing viewpoints. These changes are very recent, and the only reference to them so far is the recently released practice test on the ACT website.

Writing

The optional writing section, which is always administered at the end of the test, is 40 minutes (increase from the original 30-minute time limit in the September 2015 test). While no specific essay structure is required, essays must be in response to a specific prompt; The prompts are about broad social issues (a change from the old prompts that applied directly to teens), and students must analyze three different perspectives and show how their opinion relates to these perspectives.

The essay does not affect the composite score or English department grade; It is awarded only as a separate writing grade and is included in the ELA grade. Two trained readers assign each essay subscores between 1 and 6 in four different categories: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Use of Language and Conventions.

Scores of 0 are reserved for blank, off-topic, non-English, unscripted essays. 2 - A pencil, or it is considered illegible after several attempts to read.

Subscale scores from the two different readers are summed to produce final domain scores from 2 to 12 (or 0) in each of the four categories. If the two readers' subscores differ by more than one point, a third senior reader makes the final decision on the score. The four domain scores are summed through a process not described to create a writing section score between 1 and 36. Note that the domain scores are not added to create the writing section score.

Although the writing section is optional, many colleges require an essay score and will consider it in their admissions decision (but less than half of colleges have this requirement).

ACT test score chart

ACT test duration

The ACT exam takes 55 hours and XNUMX minutes, and if you choose to take the ACT with the essay section, the test as a whole will take you three hours. 3 watches And 35 minutes.

How are ACT scores calculated?

How ACT scores on each section are calculated on a scale of 1 to 36 points. Your ACT score is the average of your four scores on the sections, also on a scale of 1 to 36. If you take the ACT test with the writing test, you will receive a score of Separate in the writing test.

Preparing for the ACT test

This section outlines the 10 key things you'll need to do to prepare for the test – from registering to test day! targeting This description is in The first place is those who study by themselves.

1. Register for the ACT
2. Be familiar with the structure and format of the ACT
3. Be familiar with the ACT content and question patterns
4. Identify your weaknesses
5. Determine the target outcome
6. Create a study schedule
7. Learn basic test content
8. Practice testing strategies
9. Use practice questions and tests
10. Get ready for ACT Day!

Register for the ACT test

If you have not registered for the test yet, you can consider registering for the test on the ACT website. Registering for the test will include creating an account on the ACT website if you have not already done so.

Be familiar with the structure and format of the ACT test

The next step after registering is to familiarize yourself with the overall structure and format of the ACT exam. It consists of four multiple-choice sections – English, Math, Reading, and Science, each scored 36 points. The approximate average of these four section scores becomes your composite score. There is also an optional essay test for writing, scored out of 12 points. Writing is not taken into account in your composite score.

Be familiar with the ACT test content and question patterns

Different sections of the ACT exam test different areas of knowledge and skills. Hence, how you prepare for the ACT English will be different from how you prepare for math, etc. Additionally, the ACT has its own question styles and formats that you'll want to familiarize yourself with before test day. Otherwise, you could be asked some questions even if you know the content!

Identify your weaknesses

After you have a general idea of ​​what and how you test on the ACT, you'll want to create a baseline of your own skills. The most important element of this is identifying your weak points, so you can target them in your setup.

Determine the target outcome

After you get an initial baseline of your skills, set a target score for how much you want to improve. The target outcome should be something you can realistically achieve in the time frame you have. An improvement of one or two points from your baseline in a month is perfectly reasonable. 6 points improvement in that time frame? Not much. Keep in mind that you will have to devote more time to improving your score.

Create a study schedule

The next step is to create a consistent study schedule. It's best to spend a fixed number of hours per week preparing for the test to avoid having to cram close to the test date.

So to determine how many hours you should do each week, divide the total number of hours of preparation you think you need by the number of weeks until the exam. Thus, if you need to study for 80 hours and there are 12 weeks until the test, you should try to study about 6 hours and 40 minutes each week.

Learn basic test content

Once you have a goal and a schedule, it's time to learn the content! “Content” refers to the knowledge you need to answer ACT questions.

This will include learning the grammar and mechanics of English, refining math functions, reviewing how to write a hypothesis for science, etc. You will need to know any material tested that you do not know yet.

But you should also review what you already know. It is a good idea to devote the bulk of your time to preparing for math if this is your weakest area. But you should still spend time preparing for the ACT English section even if it's your best subject to prevent falling behind.

Practice testing strategies

Knowledge is not enough to succeed on the ACT – you also need to learn the most effective strategies for approaching the test. “Strategy” refers to things like learning how to eliminate wrong answers, guessing when needed, managing your time, and additional section-specific tips.

With expert guidance on the best strategies, you'll be able to come up with your personal best approach to all parts of the test.

Use practice questions and tests

If I could write just one step in “How to Prepare for the ACT,” it would be “Practice!” Of course, you want to exercise smart. There are two main parts to practicing the ACT: Practice questions and practice tests. You can use practice questions to target skills you need to hone for the test.

You should practice the types of questions, topics and/or entire sections that you need more work on. Make sure you solve the questions you get wrong so you can correct them in the future.

Get ready for ACT test day!

To give yourself the best chance of success on test day, be sure to participate in test-taking best practices! So get plenty of sleep the night before, eat a balanced, protein-packed breakfast, and pack your bag with pencils and a certified calculator!

How to register for the ACT test

You can register online for the ACT, a process that takes about 40 minutes. First, find a test date that works for you, and be sure to register early, before the deadline. To do that

ACT test dates

Of course, here's the table:

You will need the following:

• Computer connected to the Internet
• Student transcript from high school
• A recent photo of you
• A credit card or other payment method to pay the registration fee unless you qualify for a fee waiver
• Be sure to print your ticket to the testing center after registering, as you will need it to take the ACT.

ACT test price

The cost of the ACT test without a writing question is $52, while the cost of the ACT test is $68, with an additional $16 if you choose to switch between the test with or without a writing question on the day of the test.

Please see the following table for ACT test options and prices:

Please note that these prices are subject to change and may vary depending on new policies and guidelines for the ACT test.

Test validity

The validity period of the ACT test is 5 years, but the provider says that the certificate does not have a specific date, but recommends retaking the test if more than 5 full years have passed.

ACT test forms

The ACT website provides you with a book in PDF format to learn about all sections of the exam, as well as sample questions

book's content:

• Complete ACT practice exam,
• Including an optional writing test
• Information about the multiple choice and writing sections
• Test taking strategies
• What to expect on test day

Helpful hints and test-taking strategies are also included as complete ACT exam practice, with “retired” questions from previous tests given on previous test dates on the ACT test sites.
There is also a writing practice test, sample answer, document, answer keys, and self-registration instructions.

This booklet is an important first step when you prepare to take the test. The information here is intended to help you do your best to pass the ACT to gain admission to colleges and universities.

Download the book for free from here

Convert ACT to SAT

The ACT and College Board periodically produce ACT®/SAT® concordance tables to show the score range