The ACT at a Glance
Like the SAT, the ACT is a nationally administered, standardized paper-and-pencil test that helps colleges evaluate candidates. Colleges now accept your ACT or SAT scores interchangeable. This means that you have the opportunity to decide on which test you'll perform better. And in many cases, students prepare for and take both exams. Is the ACT or SAT better for you?
Generally, you'll take the ACT for the first time in the spring of your junior year. This allows you to reserve the summer months for college applications or enough time to re-take the test during the fall of your senior year if you're not satisfied with your score.
The Anatomy of the ACT
The ACT lasts 2 hours and 55 minutes (excluding the optional Writing Test) or 3 hours and 25 minutes with the Writing Test. The order of test sections and the total number of questions covered in each test section never changes:
| Section | Length | Question Types |
| English | 45 Minutes | 40 Usage/Mechanics Questions 35 Rhetorical Skills Questions |
| Mathematics | 60 Minutes | 14 Arithmetic Questions 10 Elementary Algebra Questions 9 Intermediate Algebra Questions 9 Coordinate Geometry Questions 14 Plane Geometry Questions 4 Trigonometry Questions |
| Reading | 35 Minutes | 10 Social Studies Questions 10 Natural Sciences Questions 10 Prose Fiction Questions 10 Humanities Questions |
| Science | 35 Minutes | 15 Data Representation Questions 18 Research Summary Questions 7 Conflicting Viewpoint Questions |
| Writing Test | 30 Minutes | You write in response to a question about your position on an issue |