Taking the ACT



The ACT is a standardized college entrance examination that measures knowledge and skills through multiple-choice questions covering the following:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Reading
  • Science reasoning
  • Writing (optional)

You receive 12 separate scores:

  • One composite
  • Four subject scores
  • Seven sub-scores

The composite, or scaled, score is the most important. Nearly half of test takers receive scores between 17 and 23. (The full range is 1–36.)

The ACT reports three additional scores to students who take the ACT Writing Test:

  • The Writing Test score (2–12)
  • English/Writing score (1–36)
  • Comments about your writing

Registering for exams


Preparing for exams

Act.org offers test preparation. Visit the test prep pages to see your options.

Reviewing scores

View your scores at http://actstudent.org/scores/early/index.html. There is no option to speed the scoring of your tests.