The ACT (pronounced AY-see-tee; originally an abbreviation of American College Testing) is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It is administered by ACT, Inc., a for-profit organization with the same name. The ACT test covers three academic skill areas: English, mathematics, and reading. It also offers optional tests in science reasoning and writing. Many four-year colleges and universities in the United States, as well as over 225 universities outside the U.S., accept the ACT.
The multiple-choice sections of the ACT (all except the optional writing test) are scored individually on a scale of 1 to 36. A composite score, which is the rounded average of the scores for English, reading, and math, is also provided.
The ACT was first introduced in November 1959 by University of Iowa professor Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the SAT. The test originally included four sections: English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Natural Sciences. In 1989, the Social Studies section was changed into a Reading section (which included a social sciences part), and the Natural Sciences section was renamed the Science Reasoning test, with more focus on problem-solving than memorizing facts. In February 2005, an optional Writing Test was added. By fall 2017, computer-based ACT tests were available in some U.S. school districts, with more availability expected in fall 2018. In July 2024, the ACT announced that the test would be shortened, the science section would become optional, and online testing would begin nationally in spring 2025 and for school-day testing in spring 2026.
Since its introduction, the number of ACT test takers has gradually increased. In 2012, the ACT surpassed the SAT in total test takers for the first time. That year, 1,666,017 students took the ACT, and 1,664,479 students took the SAT.
Function
The ACT assessment, developed by ACT, Inc., measures the general educational progress of high school students and their ability to complete college-level work. The test includes multiple-choice questions in four areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science (which is optional). The optional Writing Test evaluates a student's ability to plan and write a short essay. ACT, Inc. explains that test scores show how prepared students are for college, called "college readiness," and that scores in each subject area match skills needed for entry-level college courses in English, algebra, social science, humanities, and biology. A 2003 study by ACT, Inc. found a connection between a student's ACT composite score (total score) and the chance of earning a college degree.
To create the test, ACT, Inc. uses learning goals from middle and high schools across the United States, reviews approved textbooks for grades 7–12, and asks teachers about skills important for success in college or university. ACT publishes a technical manual that explains research on how well the test predicts college grades, compares high school grades, and measures educational progress.
Colleges and universities use the ACT and SAT because U.S. high schools differ in funding, courses, grading, and difficulty due to local control and the variety of school types, such as private or homeschooling. ACT scores help admission officers compare a student's high school record, including classes, grades, and rank, with national standards.
Most colleges do not prefer the SAT or ACT and accept both tests equally. Some colleges require SAT Subject Tests, but these are not tied to whether a student takes the SAT or ACT. A few colleges allow the ACT to replace SAT Subject Tests, and some accept the optional ACT Writing section in place of an SAT Subject Test.
Colleges typically use ACT scores as one part of the admissions process. For example, the 75th percentile composite score (the score that 75% of students scored below) was 24.1 at public four-year colleges and 25.3 at private four-year colleges.
In some states and school districts, all high school students take the ACT, even if they are not planning to go to college. Colorado and Illinois were the first states to make the ACT a required test in 2001. By the 2018–2019 school year, 13 states required all 11th graders in public schools to take the ACT, and six states funded the test as an option for districts.
Colleges decide how ACT scores are used for admissions, but some foreign countries use ACT (and SAT) scores as a legal requirement for admitting students with U.S. high school diplomas.
The ACT is more commonly used in the Midwestern, Rocky Mountain, and Southern United States, while the SAT is more popular on the East and West coasts. Recently, the ACT has become more widely used on the East Coast. Colleges have increased their use of the ACT partly because of concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of the SAT.
Format
The required part of the ACT includes three multiple-choice tests: English, mathematics, and reading. Scores for these tests, including the optional science section, range from 1 to 36. All scores are whole numbers. Each of the English, mathematics, and reading tests also has subscores from 1 to 18. These subscores are not added together to make the subject scores. Students who take the optional writing test receive a writing score from 2 to 12. This is different from the old scoring range of 1 to 36. The optional science and writing scores do not affect the overall score. Before September 2015, there was a Combined English/Writing score, which combined the English score (out of 36) and the writing score (out of 12). The ACT no longer uses this score. Instead, it now uses two new combined scores: ELA (an average of English, Reading, and Writing scores) and STEM (an average of Math and Science scores). These changes started in September 2015.
Each correct answer on the multiple-choice sections is worth one point. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. This means students can answer all questions without losing points for wrong answers. This is similar to some AP Tests that also removed penalties for incorrect answers. Retaking the ACT can help improve scores. About 55% of students who retake the test see an increase in their scores, 22% get the same score, and 23% score lower.
The first section is a 45-minute English test. It covers usage and mechanics, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills. The test has 75 questions divided into five passages. Each passage has underlined sections with answer choices to correct them. Questions focus on grammar rules, such as commas, apostrophes, misplaced modifiers, and sentence structure. They also test rhetorical skills, like clarity, transitions, and organization.
The second section is a 60-minute math test with 60 questions. The questions cover topics like pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. The number of questions in each topic may vary slightly between tests. The difficulty of questions usually increases as the test progresses. Calculators are allowed, but certain types, like the TI-89, are not permitted. Standard calculators, such as the TI-83 and TI-84, are allowed. Starting in April 2025 for online tests and September 2025 for paper tests, each math question will have four answer choices instead of five.
The reading section is a 35-minute test with 40 questions. It includes four sections: three with long prose passages and one with two shorter passages. The passages are similar to those found in first-year college courses. The test checks skills in key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge. Questions ask students to find explicit information, infer meaning, identify main ideas, and understand cause-effect relationships.
The optional science section is a 35-minute test with 40 questions. It has seven passages, each followed by five to seven questions. The passages are in three formats: Data Representation, Research Summary, and Conflicting Viewpoints. The number of each passage type has changed slightly, but there is still always one Conflicting Viewpoints passage. The science test became optional in 2024.
The optional writing section is given at the end of the test and lasts 40 minutes. Students must write an essay in response to a prompt about a social issue. The essay is scored separately and included in the ELA score. Two readers score the essay in four categories: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use. If the readers’ scores differ by more than one point, a third reader decides the final score. The writing score does not affect the overall score or the English score.
Although the writing test is optional, some colleges require it. The ACT introduced an "enhanced" version in 1989, where the average score for each test and the overall score was set to 18. These averages change yearly based on current test-takers. Charts and tables on the ACT website show average scores for each section and the number of students who scored 36 between 1990 and 2025. The ACT Student Report at ACT.org provides average composite scores for college admissions, but it notes that these are general guidelines since admission policies vary by college.
Test availability
The ACT is given seven times each year in the United States, its territories, Puerto Rico, and Canada: in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. In New York State, the test is not offered in July. In other areas, the ACT is given five times each year: in September, October, December, April, and June. The ACT is usually given only on Saturdays, except for students with religious reasons who may take it on another day.
The ACT is created, given, and scored so that taking the test on any date does not give a student an advantage.
For students in the United States, the ACT costs $65.00. Two optional sections are available: the science section for $4.00 and the writing section for $25.00.
For students outside the United States, the test costs $186.50. The science section costs $10.00, and the writing section still costs $25.00.
For the 2025 test dates, the science section is only optional for the digital version of the test.
Students with documented disabilities, such as physical or learning disabilities, may take the test with special help. The usual time increase for students who need more time because of disabilities is 50%. At first, the score sheet mentioned that extra time was given because of a learning disability. This was later removed because it was considered unfair and illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Test scores are sent to the student, their high school, and up to four colleges the student chooses (this is optional).
Test section durations
Time is an important factor to consider when taking tests.
The ACT usually has questions that are a bit easier than the SAT, but the shorter time given to finish each section makes the test harder. The ACT allows:
In comparison, the SAT is designed to give test takers at least one minute for each question on sections with 25 or fewer questions. Time limits can be adjusted for students with disabilities or other needs.
National ranks (score cumulative percentages)
Score reports given to students who take the ACT test show the ranks (or cumulative percentages) for each score and subscore the student receives. Each rank shows the percentage of students in the U.S. who took the test recently and scored at or below the student's score. The table below displays the ACT national ranks for the 2020-21 school year.
Concordance of ACT and SAT scores
The College Board (the creator of the SAT) and ACT, Inc. looked at scores from around 600,000 students who graduated in 2017 and took both the SAT (2016 version) and the ACT in 2016 and 2017. The table shows, for each ACT score, the range of SAT scores that students with the same rank on both tests received. The table also shows the best matching SAT score for each ACT score.
Score cumulative percentages and comparison with pre-2016 SAT
The information in this section relates to the SAT before the 2016 changes. Comparing SAT scores after the 2017 graduating class is not accurate.
In 2017, 60%—about 2.03 million students—of the high school graduating class took the ACT. The average score for these students was 21.0. Of those who took the test, 46% were male, 52% were female, and 2% did not report their gender. Two thousand seven hundred sixty students in the 2017 graduating class earned the highest ACT score of 36.
The following chart shows, for each ACT score from 11 to 36, the ACT percentile and the equivalent SAT score or score range. (Information about ACT scores below 11 is not available for the current SAT version.) Note that ACT percentiles show the percentage of test takers who scored at or below a given score.
at or below this score
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