United States Test Preparation
ACT
The ACT test was developed in the United States in 1959 by an American non-profit organization by the same name. In September 2015, ACT revised its multiple-choice question (MCQ) format to become more student-friendly. MCQs are now much more predictable. Though ACT makes the challenging ACT Writing Test optional, many undergraduate schools still require the ACT Writing Test for admissions. High school students are encouraged to complete our free ACT Diagnostic Test (DT) to get started!
Format
The ACT contains four (4) multiple-choice question (MCQ) tests and one (1) optional essay test:
English Test (45 Minutes; 75 Questions; Scale Score Range 1-36)
Mathematics Test (60 Minutes; 60 Questions; Scale Score Range 1-36)
Reading Test (35 Minutes; 40 Questions; Scale Score Range 1-36)
Science Test (35 Minutes; 40 Questions; Scale Score Range 1-36)
ACT Multiple-Choice Scale Score Range 1-36
Writing Test (40 Minutes; Four [4] Writing Test Scoring Rubric Categories: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use; Score Range 2-12)
Dates and Deadlines
Please review the latest ACT schedule updates for United States students.
Please review the latest ACT schedule updates for international students.
Tips for Students
The ACT was revised in September 2015:
English Test contains five (5) passages with four (4) answer choices
Mathematics Test contains five (5) answer choices and allows calculators
Reading Test contains four (4) passages (Literary Narrative, Social Science, Humanities, Natural Science), including one paired passage and four (4) answer choices
Science Test contains supplementary material and four (4) answer choices
No penalty for incorrect MCQ answers
Writing Test contains three perspectives to be argued
ACT National Average Scores
| Year | English Test | Math Test | Reading Test | Science Test | Composite Score | Number of Students | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 18.0 | 19.0 | 20.1 | 19.6 | 19.5 | 1,386,335 | ||||||||
| 2022 | 19.0 | 19.3 | 20.4 | 19.9 | 19.8 | 1,349,644 | ||||||||
| 2021 | 19.6 | 19.9 | 20.9 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 1,295,349 | ||||||||
| 2020 | 19.9 | 20.2 | 21.2 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 1,670,497 | ||||||||
| 2019 | 20.1 | 20.4 | 21.2 | 20.6 | 20.7 | 1,782,820 | ||||||||
| 2018 | 20.2 | 20.5 | 21.3 | 20.7 | 20.8 | 1,914,817 | ||||||||
| 2017 | 20.3 | 20.7 | 21.4 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 2,030,038 | ||||||||
| 2016 | 20.1 | 20.6 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 20.8 | 2,090,342 | ||||||||
| 2015 | 20.4 | 20.8 | 21.4 | 20.9 | 21.0 | 1,924,436 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 21.0 | 1,845,787 | ||||||||
| 2013 | 20.2 | 20.9 | 21.1 | 20.7 | 20.9 | 1,799,243 | ||||||||
| 2012 | 20.5 | 21.1 | 21.3 | 20.9 | 21.1 | 1,666,017 | ||||||||
| Source: ACT 2012-2023 | ||||||||||||||
ACT National Distributions of Cumulative Percents for ACT Scores (2023-2024)
| Score | English Test | Math Test | Reading Test | Science Test | Composite Score | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | |||||||||
| 35 | 99% | 99% | 98% | 99% | 99% | |||||||||
| 34 | 97% | 99% | 96% | 99% | 99% | |||||||||
| 33 | 95% | 98% | 94% | 97% | 98% | |||||||||
| 32 | 94% | 97% | 92% | 96% | 97% | |||||||||
| 31 | 92% | 96% | 90% | 95% | 95% | |||||||||
| 30 | 91% | 95% | 88% | 94% | 94% | |||||||||
| 29 | 90% | 94% | 86% | 93% | 92% | |||||||||
| 28 | 88% | 92% | 84% | 91% | 90% | |||||||||
| 27 | 87% | 90% | 81% | 89% | 8% | |||||||||
| 26 | 85% | 87% | 79% | 87% | 85% | |||||||||
| 25 | 82% | 83% | 76% | 84% | 81% | |||||||||
| 24 | 79% | 79% | 74% | 80% | 78% | |||||||||
| 23 | 75% | 75% | 6% | 74% | 74% | |||||||||
| 22 | 71% | 71% | 6% | 67% | 69% | |||||||||
| 21 | 66% | 68% | 59% | 62% | 64% | |||||||||
| 20 | 60% | 65% | 53% | 56% | 59% | |||||||||
| 19 | 55% | 61% | 48% | 50% | 53% | |||||||||
| 18 | 51% | 56% | 43% | 44% | 47% | |||||||||
| 17 | 47% | 50% | 39% | 37% | 41% | |||||||||
| 16 | 43% | 41% | 34% | 30% | 35% | |||||||||
| 15 | 38% | 29% | 30% | 24% | 28% | |||||||||
| 14 | 31% | 17% | 25% | 18% | 22% | |||||||||
| 13 | 25% | 8% | 19% | 13% | 14% | |||||||||
| 12 | 20% | 3% | 14% | 9% | 8% | |||||||||
| 11 | 16% | 2% | 8% | 6% | 3% | |||||||||
| 10 | 10% | 1% | 4% | 3% | 1% | |||||||||
| 9 | 5% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 8 | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 7 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 6 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 5 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 4 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 3 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 2 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 1 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| Source: ACT 2023 | ||||||||||||||