What is the ACT Test?

The ACT test is a standardized examination widely used in the United States to determine college admission and placement. The weight given to ACT scores in relation to other criteria such as grades, recommendation letters, or the student's essay varies depending on the college, but the ACT test is generally viewed as a good indicator of whether or not the student is ready for college-level courses.

The ACT test is often, but not always, taken in the student's junior year at high school. Candidates can take the test up to 12 times, and at schools where the majority of students are seeking college entrance it is quite common for students to take the test more than once. ACT preparation courses are offered by high schools and private companies, but are not necessary for success in the test. As the ACT test is designed to cover the high school core curriculum, a student who has studied well at school can generally obtain a good score without specific preparation. Candidates are given the chance to send their ACT scores directly to up to four colleges of their choice.

The test consists of four sections (English, mathematics, reading and science) plus an optional writing test. The four mandatory sections are in multiple choice format with a total of 215 questions, while the writing test consists of an essay on a single topic. Each multiple choice section is divided into sub-sections: for example, the English benchmark is split into Usage/Mechanics and Rhetorical Skills.

When computing scores, the examiners count the number of correct answers for each sectional test. Students are not penalized for incorrect answers. The raw scores are converted to "scale scores" to allow for the fact that different test dates use different questions. Scores are given for each section (English, mathematics, reading and science) and also for each sub-section, but there is no mathematical relationship between the sub-scores and the section scores.

The scores for the major sections of the ACT test range from 1 to 36. They are averaged to produce an overall composite score, which also ranges from 1 to 36. In 2009, the average ACT composite score was 21.1, and fewer than one-tenth of 1 percent of test takers scored a perfect 36. The scores for the optional writing test range from 2 to 12, and if the student takes the writing test a combined English/writing score of 1 to 36 is also reported.

A student who has taken the ACT test receives a comprehensive report giving scores for all sections and sub-sections of the test, with rankings showing how well he or she performed by comparison to all other US students who took the ACT recently. Comments on the writing essay are also provided, if the student took the writing test. If the student opted to send his or her scores to one or more colleges, the student report also gives information as to how he or she compares in terms of class rank, ACT scores and grade point average to enrolled first year students at those colleges. A college and career planning guide is provided to show how test results relate to the student's possible choice of college major and career path.

Colleges use the ACT scores in a number of different ways. If the student has taken the ACT test more than once, some colleges take the highest score for each section and produce a new composite score for their own use. The way ACT test scores are used will also vary depending on the preferred major the student has indicated. It is rare, however, for schools to use the ACT results alone in assessing a student's eligibility for admission and placement where classes are offered at different levels. Many schools place great emphasis on a student's grades during the junior year, which is generally the latest year available at the time of application, and they will often look back to the freshman and sophomore years as well. College admissions departments will take into account the type of classes the student has taken, out-of-school accomplishments, athletic records and a number of other criteria to determine whether the student would be a good fit in their school.