The ACT is administered by the ACT, Incorporated. The ACT is an entrance test used by most colleges and universities to make admission decisions. The ACT has a format of Multiple-Choice-Question (MCQ) and pencil-and-paper test. It is administered by ACT, Inc. USA. The ACT test has been developed to evaluate candidates' written, mathematical, verbal, and scientific skills.
In 2015, the ACT will begin to be offered as a computer-based test instead of a traditional paper-based test. Exam Syllabus, Total Marks, and Multiple Choice Format will not be affected by this change as only the exam-taking format changes.
Test Centres: The ACT exam is conducted at test centers in the following cities. Please note that there are multiple exam centers in these cities: Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Dehradun, Fatehpur, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kodiakanal, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Mussoorie, New Delhi, Noida, Pune, and Vadodara.
ACT Eligibility: Since the ACT is primarily for high school students, there are no specific eligibility criteria to appear in the ACT. Candidates/People of all ages and grade levels are eligible to take the ACT.
The ACT is a standardized test that is required to be taken by students seeking admission to graduate schools located in the US and Canada. The purpose of the ACT test is to measure a high school student's readiness for college and to provide colleges with a common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. College admissions officers will review your high school GPA, the classes you took in high school, letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors, extra-curricular activities, admissions interviews, and standardized test scores with personal essays.
Fee Type | Description | Cost |
Registration Fee | The basic fee for the ACT test | $150 (without writing) |
Registration Fee with Writing | The writing fee is $16.50 | $166.50 (with writing) |
International Fees | Chargeable for Indian Students as you will be taking the test outside of US | $51 |
Late Fee | Charged if you register after the deadline but before the final late registration | $35 |
Waitlist Fee | Charged if you register after the late registration deadline | $51 |
Change Fee | Charged if you change the test date, test center, or test type | $35 |
Question and Answers Test Information Release (TIR) fee | Sends you the test questions and correct answers after the exam is complete so you can see what mistakes you made (optional) | $20 |
The ACT exam pattern is as follows- four sections, namely English, Maths, Reading and Science. There is an optional section called the Writing Section, which consists of a 30-40 minute writing prompt that will define an issue, as well as two perspectives on that issue. Students are not scored on this section.
Here is the ACT paper pattern -
Subject | Duration | Subsections | Questions |
English | 45 minutes | Usage/Mechanics
Rhetorical Skills
| 75 Questions |
Math | 60 minutes |
| 60 multiple-choice questions |
Reading | 35 minutes | Four passages are given, each passage from different sections like social studies, natural science, fiction, and humanities | 40 questions |
Science | 35 minutes |
| 40 questions |
Optional writing test | 40 minutes | One writing prompt | |
Total | 3 hours and 35 minutes (excluding breaks) | 4 sections (one optional) | 215 question |
Each section of the ACT (English, Maths, Reading, and Science) is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. The overall score is the average of all four tests. Students taking the optional writing test will receive a writing score of 1 to 36 for that section. The score of writing does not affect the overall one.
Here are the average ACT scores by sections -
English | 20.3 |
Math | 20.9 |
Reading | 21.3 |
Science | 20.8 |
Composite | 21.0 |
ACT Score Validity – The ACT total scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which you tested.
ACT test results are typically released within eight weeks of test administration and can be viewed online. If you took the ACT in writing, your writing scores will be posted online as soon as they are ready, which is usually two weeks after your normal scores are finished.
AHA Overseas is an organisation devoted to the field of Overseas Education and Career Consultancy. It is empowered by a state-of-the-art ed-tech platform - the COMPASS Course Finder - that helps you apply to universities around the world and study abroad. As one of the genuine overseas education consultants, we support you every step of the way, saving both time and money.
80,000+ Courses | 700+ Universities | Great Tie-ups Abroad | COMPASS Course Finder
There are many benefits to joining the AHA Overseas family
Top study abroad countries: Study in the UK | Study in the USA | Study in Canada | Study in Australia | Study in New Zealand | Study in Hungary
Top study abroad universities: Durham College | Lancaster University | University of Bristol | University of Leeds | University of Manchester | University of Birmingham | LaSalle College | New York Institute of Technology | Arizona State University | American University Washington D.C. | California State University (Los Angeles) | Vancouver Film School.
Top courses abroad: Architecture | Business & Management | Chemistry | Computer Science | Design | Economics | Engineering | Journalism | Law | Mathematics | Medicine | Physics | Psychology | Public Administration | Statistics
We do help students apply to all the major countries and courses mentioned above, and more.
Exams to study abroad: IELTS | TOEFL | PTE | DET | ACT | GRE | GMAT | SAT
Learn: How to apply | Letter of Recommendation (LOR) | Essay and Statement of Purpose (SOP) |
How to pay for your own education | Scholarships | Student Loans | Part-Time Jobs | Graduate Assistantship
Depends on your study abroad destination: Student Visa for the UK | Student Visa for Canada | Student Visa for the USA | Student Visa for Australia | Student Visa for New Zealand | Student Visa for Hungary