The CollegeVine Guides to the ACT
What’s Covered:
- Understanding the ACT
- ACT section guides
- Preparing for the ACT
- Advice for ACT test day
- Understanding your ACT Score
Love them or hate them, standardized tests are an important part of the college planning and application process. The ACT is one of the major testing options available to college-bound high school students, so many applicants will choose to make it part of their college preparations.
The ACT test consists of four required sections—English, Math, Reading, and Science—as well as a Writing section that is optional overall but required for certain colleges. While this exam has a reputation for being more popular in the Midwestern states, it’s widely accepted by colleges and differs from the SAT in ways that make it a more appealing option for some students.
Here at the CollegeVine blog, we’ve frequently posted about the ACT, its structure, its content, and its scoring process. Below, you’ll find a list of all our posts about the ACT with links to each. Read on for everything you need to know about the ACT!
Understanding the ACT
Whether the ACT is entirely new to you or you’re hoping to improve your understanding of its details, these posts will help you get to know the exam better.
- ACT Statistics: Participation and Rankings By State
- Which Section of the SAT and ACT is Most Important?
- When Should I Take the SAT or ACT?
- A Guide to Disability Accommodations for Standardized Testing
ACT section guides
The ACT’s five sections—English, Math, Reading, Science, and the optional Writing section—require different knowledge and different strategies. Below, you’ll find our section-specific posts about the details of the exam.
English
- A Guide to the English Section of the ACT
- Four Common Mistakes to Avoid on Your English ACT
- Three Grammar Rules Every Student Messes Up on the ACT
- How to Get a 36 on the ACT English Test
- 15 Hardest ACT English Questions to Improve Your Score
- Guide to ACT Punctuation Rules + Practice Questions
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3 Grammar Rules Every Student Messes Up On the ACT
Math
- A Guide to the Math Section of the ACT
- Five ACT Math Mistakes to Avoid
- Guide to Functions on the ACT Math Test + Practice Questions
- Guide to Pre-Algebra on the ACT Math Test + Practice Questions
- Guide to ACT Math Geometry + Practice Questions
- 31 ACT Math Formulas You Need to Know
- Guide to ACT Math Number and Quantity + Practice Questions
- What’s the difference between SAT Math vs ACT Math
- 15 Hardest ACT Math Questions to Improve Your Score
Reading
- A Guide to the Reading Section of the ACT
- The Four Types of Passages You’ll See on ACT Reading
- 15 Hardest ACT Reading Questions to Improve Your Score
- 6 ACT Reading Strategies to Get Your Best Score
Science
- A Guide to the Science Section of the ACT
- How Many Passages are on the ACT Science Test? What Should I Expect?
- 5 ACT Science Formulas You Need to Know
- 15 Hard ACT Science Questions to Improve Your Score
- 10 Tips for Acing the ACT Science Section
-
Guide to the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage on the ACT Science Test
Writing (optional)
- A Guide to the Optional ACT Writing Section
- Five Tips to Score a 12 On Your ACT Essay
- The 50 Best Vocab Words for the ACT Essay
- Should You Take the ACT With Writing?
- 3 ACT Writing Prompts to Improve Your Score
-
Choosing Between SAT Essay & ACT Writing: How To Decide
Preparing for the ACT
Once you know how the ACT works, it’s time to get started with the process of studying for the test. Check out these posts for more advice on managing your test preparation.
- How Many SAT or ACT Practice Tests Should You Take?
- What Parents Need to Know about SAT and ACT Studying Prep
- 10 Tips to Improve Your SAT Score
- Your Guide to Online ACT Prep Classes
- Juniors: Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Start Studying for the SAT or ACT
Advice for ACT test day
Knowing what to expect when you arrive at the testing facility will make the test day experience less stressful and give you a better chance to succeed.
- 13 Tips for ACT Test Day
- What to Bring (And Not Bring) to the ACT
- The Week Before the ACT: What You Need to Do To Prepare
Understanding your ACT Score
Your ACT score report distills your performance on the exam into just a few numerical scores. Below, you’ll find our advice on figuring out what your scores mean for you.
- The Complete Guide to the ACT Score Report
- How the ACT is Graded: A Breakdown
- How Does the Scoring Curve Work for the ACT?
- Can a Good SAT or ACT Score Offset a Bad GPA?
- Your Official ACT to SAT Score Conversion Chart
- What is a Good PreACT Score? How to Understand Your Score
- When Do ACT Scores Come Out? Complete 2022 Dates
- Whats is a Good ACT Score in 2022?
Retaking the ACT
Many students choose to retake the ACT in hopes of receiving a better score. Here’s how to decide whether to retake the test and, if you do decide to do so, advice on doing better the second time around.
- Should You Retake Your Standardized Tests?
- 10 Tips to Improve Your ACT Score
- Do I Have to Self-Report My Test Scores?
We hope these posts will provide the information you need to understand the test, study effectively, and do your best on the ACT!
Want to know how your SAT score/ACT score impacts your chances of acceptance to your dream schools? Our free Chancing Engine will not only help you predict your odds, but also let you know how you stack up against other applicants, and which aspects of your profile to improve. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to gain access to our Chancing Engine and get a jumpstart on your college strategy!
