American College Test, ACT

ACT, American College Test , was created in 1950s and it is administered by ACT, formerly known as American College Testing Program, Inc . (created in 1959). ACT measures students’ knowledge of high school materials and their ability and skills to complete college level courses. The need for a test like ACT came to light when:

There was only one college entrance exam at the time,
Increase in the number of students perusing higher education,
Students growing number of financial aid,
And colleges and universities interest to expand enrollments.

Even though like SAT , ACT is being used in admission process, there are major differences between them. ACT has become an important item in admission process and some colleges and universities accept it either as a substitue for SAT or as a complimentary item. The year 2005 is becoming an important year in the history and life of ACT because a new writing section has been added and ACT International, B.V. has started its work to widen ACT reach world wide.

ACT and SAT Differences

Make sure you are familiar with these two tests and know the difference between them. Some of the differences between ACT and SAT are as follows:

The number of times that they are administered annually
Areas and topics being covered
Wrong answers penalty
Score calculation and scale
Score distribution process to colleges and universities
Administrating organization
Registration process and deadlines

ACT Test Formats

The ACT test consists of four sections:

The ACT English Section
The ACT Math Section
The ACT Reading Section
The ACT Writing Section

The total time of this test is 2 hours and 55 minutes plus 30 minutes for the new writing section that was added in February 2005. The following table shows the time allocation for different sections of the test.

English Section

This section consists of 5 passages. After reading them, you have to decide whether the underline sentences are correct or no. If they are not correct, select the right answer from the multiple choice answers.

This section includes 75 multiple choice questions and lasts 45 minutes.

Math Section

In math section questions are derived from topics covered in high school. Geometry has a big percentage of the total score for this section.

This section includes 60 questions and lasts 45 minutes.

Reading Section

This section consists of 4 different areas. These areas are prose fiction, social studies, humanities, and natural science.

This section includes 40 questions and lasts 35 minutes. The reading section includes:

Prose Fiction: A short story will be selected from different books and or magazines.
Social Studies: It can come from a wide variety of sources such as anthropology, archaeology, political science, business, economics, sociology, psychology, education, and history.
Humanities: It can be from a wide variety of topics such as dance, art, personal essay, music, memoirs, Television, theater, radio, film, language, philosophy, and architecture.
Natural Science: In this topic you should expect any subject that is related to science such as zoology or astronomy.

Writing Section

This section is optional. Even though this section is optional most colleges require it or recommend it. Therefore, you will get a higher edge over other applicants (students) by simply completing this section.

This section is about one topic and lasts 30 minutes.

How ACT Is Scored

In ACT each test-taker will earn a total of 5 scores on the scale of 1 to 36. Each section of the ACT test will be scored separately (4 of the 5 mentioned scores). The average of the scores for the four sections will also be calculated (this is the 5th one.)

Your ACT score is treated differently (will have different weight) by different colleges and universities. The best and most accurate way to find out how your score will exactly be used is to contact the colleges and universities for which you are applying. Please note that besides your ACT score, your high school GPA, academic transcripts, letters of recommendations, interviews, and your personal essay also play important roles in the admission process.

ACT can be taken as many times as you want. This allows you to select your best ACT score to be sent to the schools from which you would like to obtain admissions.

Taking SAT or ACT

Even though most colleges and universities accept ACT some schools require SAT . These schools use ACT results as complements to other information they receive about your academic performance. Therefore, the best this is to do some research on the admission process of the specific schools you would like to attend.

You can also consider your test taking strength/weaknesses in deciding what tests to take. If you are a student with good problem-solving skills or if critical thinking is your strength, then you should probably take SAT. If you have a strong academic background you may prefer to take ACT.

You can take some practice tests to better learn about your test taking ability and your knowledge. These tests can be taken on the Internet.

Remember that you can take ACT as many times as you wish and pick your best score for being reported.

Taking both tests (ACT and SAT ) may also be a good idea for some students because they help the decision makers learn more about your academic knowledge, skills, and abilities from different perspectives. ACT can always be taken as a strong complementary piece of evidence about why you should be accepted.

Another reason for taking ACT is the SAT and ACT structural differences. Science is not present in SAT and if you are interested in science related majors, taking ACT will be a good way to convey that fact. When it comes to advertising your academic abilities, providing more information is better than less! Taking ACT could mean that you are a confident student who is ready to take challenges of the college level courses. For example, although the writing section of ACT is optional the 9 Big Top schools require it.

ACT Registration

ACT is offered 5 times a year in February, Apr., June, Oct., and Dec.. The registration deadline is about 5 weeks before each test date. The upcoming registration dates are:

2006–2007
Test Date	Registration Deadline	*(Late Fee Required)*
Feb. 10, 2009**	Jan. 7, 2009	Jan. 8–16, 2009
Apr. 4, 2009	Feb. 27, 2009	Feb. 28– Mar. 13, 2009
Jun. 13, 2009	May 8, 2009	May 9–22, 2009

** No test centers are scheduled in New York for the February test date.

To register for taking ACT go to http://ww.act.org or call 319-337-1270. The ACT registration forms are also available in some schools.

Test Preparation