ZENITH ABROAD OFFICIAL BLOG

Applying for admission in USA for an undergraduate course, you might have to give American College Test ( called “ACT” in short). This in universally accepted by all universities and colleges in USA. The basic objective of this test is to measures a student’s general educational development and capability to complete college level work.

However, giving and getting good score in ACT is just one aspect of getting an admission in your desired university or college, there plenty of other stuffs you need to also consider like Statement of Purposes, Letter of Recommendations and deadlines.

The ACT is not an aptitude test but is related to what a student has learned in his/her high school courses in English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. A student should concentrate on practising his high school curriculum.

Basic Facts about Test

1. When are ACT Exam Held: ACT is held 5 times a year in month of February, April, June, September, October and December.
2. Eligibility Criteria for ACT:  A candidate must have completed 10+2 from a recognised board.
3. Apply for ACT:  Registration deadlines fall approximately five weeks before each ACT test date.
4. Official Website: http://www.act.org/content/act/en.html

Official Test Structure

The ACT has five sections:

1. English
2. Reading
3. Math
4. Science
5. Writing (Optional test for a 30 minute writing test which may be required by some colleges)

English

• Number of Questions: 75 multiple choice questions
• Time Given: 45 minutes
• Skills Tested: Tests grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and rhetorical skills

Math

• Number of Questions: 60 multiple choice questions
• Time Given: 60 minutes
• Skills Tested: Algebra I and II, Geometry and some Trigonometry

Reading

• Number of Questions: 40 multiple choice questions
• Time Given: 35 minutes
• Skills Tested: Four passages (prose fiction, social studies, humanities and natural sciences) with 10 questions per passage

Science

• Number of Questions: 40 multiple choice questions
• Time Given: 35 minutes
• Skills Tested: Questions on Science based passages presented with graphs, charts, tables and research summaries

Writing Test Optional

• Number of Questions:1 essay
• Time Given: 30 minutes

Scoring Pattern for ACT

Students will earn one ACT score (1 to 36) on each test (English, Math, Reading and Science) and a composite ACT score, which will be an average of these four tests. The composite score falls between 1 and 36.

If, for example, a student scored 31 on the English, 30 on the Math, 29 on the Reading and 30 on the Science, his/her composite ACT score would be 30.

The ACT includes an optional essay, known as the writing test. If one takes the writing test, he/she will receive a writing test sub-score and a combined English/writing score.