ACT or American College Testing is an undergraduate entrance exam taken by high school students in English-speaking nations. The ACT is majorly preferred by US universities. ACT registration can be done both online and offline mode. Non-US residents need to pay an ACT exam fee of $63(INR 4,835.25) (without writing), or $88(INR 6,754) (with writing). The ACT score is valid for 5 years. The average ACT score is 21. ACT exam pattern was previously paper-based. ACT is taken in a computer-based format outside the US. ACT syllabus consists of subjects like reading, Mathematics, English, Science, and an optional writing paper. ACT score range is measured on a 0-36 scale. The total duration of the ACT is 2 hours 55 minutes (without writing) and 40 minutes if the writing section is added. Candidates receive their ACT scores within 2-8 weeks of taking the test.  

ACT vs SAT

Candidates are required to know which one to take the ACT or SAT. Below is the difference between ACT vs SAT.

At what age should you take the ACT?

There is no age limit to appearing for the ACT. However, any candidate below the age of 13 will not be allowed to register for the test. In that case, the student needs to contact ACT Customer Support to seek assistance to create a MyACT account and complete the registration for the test.

Do Colleges prefer the ACT or SAT?

Colleges do not create a distinction between ACT and SAT. In fact, most US universities accept both. It entirely depends on the choice of the candidates whether they will take SAT or ACT. Both the tests have equal difficulty levels.

Is the SAT or ACT Harder?

SAT and ACT have equal difficulty levels. It is important for candidates to figure out which test is best suited for them. They can decide the same by taking a diagnostic test and evaluating their performance. 

Which one to take – SAT or ACT?

Students prefer taking both the SAT and ACT as both are used for college admissions decisions and awarding merit-based SAT Scholarships.
The apt way to decide if to take the SAT or ACT is to take a full-length practice test of each type. Since the syllabus and pattern of the SAT and ACT are very similar, factors like how you manage time and what kinds of questions you find most challenging can help you determine which test is a better fit.

What is the Passing Score for the ACT?

The ACT has no official passing scores. But the average ACT score is a 21 on a scale of 1- 36. If you get a score of 21, then you have scored higher than 50% of test-takers. Try to score high to get admission to prestigious colleges.

ACT Exam Pattern

The ACT exam pattern has MCQs based test with a total of 215 questions. The ACT exam evaluates a candidate in five main areas: Reading, Mathematics, English, Science, and an optional Writing section. The duration of the ACT test is 2 hours 55 minutes excluding ACT Writing which is 40 minutes long. Below is a detailed description of the ACT exam syllabus that you must go through prior to your preparation:

ACT English

ACT English is the first section of the ACT syllabus with a duration of 45 minutes with 75 questions. The English section of ACT contains passages or multiple essays followed by multiple-choice questions. ACT exam questions of English cover skills like usage/mechanics, sentence construction, and rhetorical abilities. There are underlined portions that need to be corrected on one side of the page, and the other side has answer options. syllabus of English section measures the candidate’s abilities on four main skills:

• Usage/mechanics: Commas, apostrophe, misplaced or dangling modifiers, colons, etc
• Rhetorical skills: Transitions, clarity, precision, brevity, structure
• Sentence Structure: Develop sentences in a grammatically correct, coherent, and stylistic manner

ACT Science Syllabus

ACT Science syllabus consists of 40 questions to be solved in 35 minutes. ACT exam pattern of science has three main passage types: Data Representation, Conflicting Viewpoints, and Research Summary which consists of topics related to Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth Sciences. There are a total of 7 passages and are usually followed by tables, charts, or graphs. ACT science tests the interpretive, analytical, problem-solving, and evaluation skills of test-takers.

ACT Reading Syllabus

ACT reading consists of 40 questions that need to be completed in 35 minutes. There are a total of four sections, three of which comprise lengthy prose, and the remaining one has two brief proses. ACT exam questions are generally similar to the first-year college syllabus. The questions of ACT reading are related to Social Studies, Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Literary Narrative or Prose Fiction. ACT reading evaluates skills based on major ideas and details, organization and development, and uniformity of knowledge and ideas.

ACT Maths Syllabus

ACT math comprises 60 questions with a duration of 60 minutes. ACT math topics cover the following given below:

• Pre-algebra: 14
• Elementary algebra: 10
• Intermediate algebra: 9
• Plane geometry: 14
• Coordinate geometry: 9
• Elementary trigonometry: 4

It also implicates data interpretation from tables/graphs and problem-solving. The calculator is allowed in ACT Maths but follows certain guidelines.

ACT Writing Syllabus

ACT Writing is an optional section that is mostly opted by Indian students. ACT exam pattern of writing consists of an essay prompt to be completed in 40 minutes. The essay task states three viewpoints on a debatable issue. Candidates must explain and defend their position on that issue. It is scored on a range of 1- 6 by two separate examiners. This section is scored on four categories: Ideas and reasoning skills, organization and development, language use, and structure. Scores in this section mirror the potential to produce useful thoughts and evaluate different points of view on the given issue.

ACT Registration

Students often enquire about “How to Apply for the ACT?” – ACT registration can be carried out in both online and offline processes, though the first one is more preferred. ACT registration deadlines generally fall five weeks before the test date. Below are ACT registration details of online and offline methods:

For ACT Registration Online:

• Arrange all the important documents like academic documents, digital headshots, contact details, and more.
• Access ACT official website from your computer/laptop. Phones and tablets are not suitable.
• Create an account on ACT official website
• Register by clicking on the symbol
• Complete the profile selection by providing details like contact, and academic details
• Select your ACT test date from ACT exam dates and the option (with or without writing)
• Select up to 4 colleges to deliver your ACT scores
• Select an ACT test center
• Confirm the ACT exam fees 
• Lastly, upload your photograph

For ACT Registration Offline:

• Request for a mail packet at your school or from the website
• Fill in the details like contact, academic information, and also choose ACT test center and date
• Mail ACT registration form. The delivery will take 7 - 10 days.

ACT Test Cancellation

If there is a need to change your ACT exam schedules or cancel the exam, candidates will not receive a refund. Therefore, rescheduling is a better option than cancellation. If the cancellation is done by the official body then the update will be delivered to the candidates. For cancellation, students need to contact ACT Student Services for deciding the next slot. 

ACT Exam Fee

ACT exam fees in India are $63(INR 4,835.25) (without writing), or $88(INR 6,754) (with writing) for taking the exam with writing. ACT exam fees for late registration, test center/date change are $25(INR 1,918.75).

Here are the ACT fees details and additional information:

ACT Fee Payment Method

ACT exam fees can be paid via debit or credit cards or online fund transfer. In case of late registration, candidates need to incur an additional fee of $35. 

ACT Eligibility

Candidates often wonder ‘At what age should you take the ACT ?’ Well, there is no strict ACT eligibility to be abided by candidates. Generally, candidates studying in grades 11 or 12 take the ACT exam for pursuing their undergrads. Though students of grades 6 to 9 can also take the ACT exam. ACT eligibility states that the candidate needs to be 13 years of age to take the exam. There is no upper age limit. Though candidates below 13 can also take the exam with the assistance of ACT customer support. 

ACT Photo Requirements

• Photo of only you
• No blurry or hazy or grainy images
• Photo of head and shoulders, squarely facing at the camera
• The picture should be in portrait mode and not landscape mode
• No dark glasses
• There should be no filter or emojis, or lenses in the picture
• The face should be aimed at the camera
• Only JPEG, JPG, PNG, or BMP format allowed
• The maximum file size is 5 MB
• The photo needs to be 640 x 480 pixels

ACT Exam Dates 2022

Here in the table below is ACT exam date details of 2022:

*The test is not available in New York for the July test date.

ACT Test Centers

ACT college entrance exam test is offered at numerous places across India and multiple times. It is held in most of the cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and more. Across the world, over 2 million candidates take the exam in over 130 countries. Test-takers need to select  ACT test centers in India during the time of registration. The following are the ACT test centers in India:

ACT Score

ACT score range is calculated out of 1 to 36. The composite ACT score is the average of the four sections of the ACT syllabus. ACT score report features the scores of four sections - reading, maths, English, and science. Candidates curious about ‘what is the passing score for the ACT?’ need to know that there is nothing as such. Candidates need to achieve the ACT cutoff of the colleges they have selected. ACT score validity is 5 years. Candidates have the option of ACT score cancellation that can be done when they’re leaving ACT test centers. They need to inform the proctor about that.

What is a Good Score in the ACT?

The below table shows the performance level according to the ACT score range.

How to Send ACT Scores?

If you’re looking for “When and where are the scores of ACT reported?” then here is the answer. ACT delivers your scorecard automatically after the scores are released. But if you want to send your scores to more colleges that is possible too. The below steps need to be followed for that:

1. You can order it online from the official account
2. Pay through your credit card the following amount:

• If tested before 9/1/2017: $39
• If tested after 9/1/2017: $13

ACT Cut Off 

The below table of ACT cutoff will help candidates with ACT score requirements in Top Universities:

ACT Preparation Tips