ACT 101

The ACT is a standardized set of exams used and accepted by most colleges or universities to gauge a student’s academic ability and can be used to base a decision of acceptance. These exams also provide colleges with a common data point that they can use to compare all applicants. Your ACT score is considered alongside your GPA, the types and difficulty level in the classes you took, letters of recommendation, extra-curriculars, volunteering time, interviews, and personal essays. The importance of the score varies from school to school. Overall, the higher your ACT score, the more universities you could expect to accept your application and the more scholarship opportunities you will have.

Most students take the ACT during the spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year. You can retake the test as often as you would like, but make sure to pay attention to the submission deadlines of the colleges you are interested in.

The ACT is scored out of 36. You receive a score out of 36 on each of the sections you take, which is combined to equal your cumulative score. If you take the writing portion, this will be scored separately. 36 is the maximum score you can receive, and 21 is the average.

There are four sections of the exam, Math, English, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing portion. Be sure to research schools you are interested in beforehand and see if they require the writing portion of the exam or not.

Registration deadlines for each ACT fall about five weeks before each ACT exam date. If you need registration materials, you can expect your school counselors to have them, or you can register online on the ACT website.

While standardized examinations like this can be overwhelming and nerve-inducing, they are an important part of the future of your education. Prepare ahead of time, get a good night’s rest, and believe in yourself!