About the ACT

Contributor

By Christie Leman
eHow Contributing Writer

The ACT is taken by high school juniors and seniors each year in the hopes of achieving a good score and gaining admittance into the college of their choice. Comprised of four multiple choice subject sections and an optional writing test, the ACT measures students' educational development and their readiness for college coursework. Many students take the ACT because they feel they will be able to score better on it than on the SAT or because their prospective colleges admittance departments have communicate that they would prefer an ACT score.

History

The ACT was developed in the 1950s by the American College Testing program to measure student knowledge and communicate to the students' prospective colleges information on how best to teach each individual students. In time the ACT became the more popular of the standardized college entrance exams in the Midwest and South, while the SAT maintained its dominance on the East and West Coasts. Today millions of high school students take the ACT and SAT each year; both tests are accepted by almost all universities throughout the country.

Time Frame

Typically the ACT exam is given six times throughout the year, in September, October, December, February, April and June. For high school seniors wanting to use their scores in college applications, it is generally advised that they take the ACT during testing dates in the spring semester of their junior year or during the September and October testing dates of their senior year.
The ACT is administered at locations throughout the country, usually at high schools, community colleges, and colleges. The fee to take the ACT without the optional writing section is $31, while the fee for the ACT with the writing section is $46. Additional fees are applied when students select more than four colleges to have their scores sent to, register late, or change the test date or location.

Features

The ACT is comprised of 4 multiple choice sections plus the optional writing portion. English, mathematics, reading and science are the 4 knowledge areas tested by the ACT. The English portion of the ACT includes 75 questions that test comprehension of written English and rhetoric, and students are given 45 minutes to complete the section. In the 60 question mathematics section of the ACT, students are given 60 minutes to answer questions that cover all math skill acquired up through the grade 12. Reading comprehension is measured by the 40 question, 35 minutes reading section, while science skills are measured by the 40 question, 35 minutes science portion of the ACT.
The optional writing section of the ACT includes 1 prompt and students are given 30 minutes to write a cohesive essay ideally displaying entry-level college writing skills.

Considerations

Students receive their ACT scores 2 to 3 weeks after the test date. ACT scores include individual test scores for each of the subject area portions of the exam and a composite score, which is simply the average of the 4 individual test scores. Individual test scores and the composite score for the ACT can range from a low of 1 to a high of 36. The average national composite score for the ACT is usually between a 20 and 21.

Effects

Colleges use ACT scores for a variety of purposes, the most obvious and immediate of which is in admissions decisions. While standardized test scores from either the ACT or SAT can play a large role in admissions decisions, university admissions departments also look at the student's high school GPA, coursework, extra-curricular activities and the overall well-roundedness of the individual.
Additionally colleges may use ACT scores in selecting potential scholarship or loan recipients, for academic advising, and course placement.