Overview
The ACT is a college entrance exam that many colleges and universities in the United States use as part of the college admissions process. The ACT is a standardized test that assesses students’ skills in five core areas: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing (optional). Students of all four years from 9th-12th grade take the ACT so that they can submit their scores to colleges as part of the college application process. Usually, 11th and 12th-grade students take the ACT. ACT scores are valid for five years, from the date that they are taken.
ACT Exam Format:
The following table gives you a good idea about the flow of the examination on the test day:
| ACT Section | # of Questions | Duration | Syllabus | Question Type |
| English | 75 | 45 minutes | Grammar & usage,/mechanics, and rhetorical skills | Multiple choice |
| Math | 60 | 60 minutes | Algebra, geometry, elementary trigonometry, reasoning, and problem-solving | Multiple choice |
| Reading | 40 | 35 minutes | Reading Comprehension | Multiple choice |
| Science | 40 | 35 minutes | Interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving | Multiple choice |
| Optional Writing Test | 1 essay prompt | 30 minutes | Writing Skills | Written |
Smart Strategy for ACT preparation:
- Decide the target score goal.
- Take the practice test.
- Find the difference between the Test score and the Targeted score.
- Analyze the practice test.
- Identify the strengths and areas of improvement subject-wise and topic-wise.
- Prepare first high-priority subjects and topics.
- Take practice individual subject tests to check the improvement.
- Take the full-length test before the actual test.
Strategy to answer the questions:
- Review all the questions first in each section.
- Mark the easy, difficult and unknown questions.
- In ACTs usually, easy questions are preceded by hard questions, answer all the easy questions first.
- Make sure you understand the hard questions at least two or three times.
- Manage your time while test-taking, spend a few moments on easy questions, spend the rest time on hard questions.
- Eliminate the incorrect answers so you can narrow down the correct answer selection.
- All the questions will have only one right answer.
- There is no penalty for wrong answers, so Do NOT SKIP the questions guess the correct answers.
- Finally, the bonus tip is usually your first response is correct.
Moreover, Understanding the syllabus can help you prepare for tests and avoid nasty surprises on test days. Moreover, it will help you in preparing an optimal study plan based on your strengths and weaknesses in different subject areas.
Smart Strategy for ACT preparation test in a month download the ACT free e-Book. Grade your ACT practice test bubble-sheet online to get a detailed Socrato diagnostic report.
