ACT (test)
The ACT (/eɪ siː tiː/; originally an abbreviation of American College Testing) is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It is currently administered by ACT, a nonprofit organization of the same name. The ACT test covers four academic skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning. It also offers an optional direct writing test. It is accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the United States as well as more than 225 universities outside of the U.S.
| Type | Paper-based and computer-based standardized test |
|---|---|
| Developer / administrator | ACT, Inc. |
| Knowledge / skills tested | English, math, reading, science, writing (optional). |
| Purpose | Undergraduate admissions (mostly in the US and Canadian universities or colleges). |
| Year started | 1959 |
| Duration | English: 45 minutes, Math: 60 minutes, Reading: 35 minutes, Science: 35 minutes, Non-Graded Test: 20 minutes, Optional writing test: 40 minutes. Total: 3 hours and 55 minutes (excluding breaks). |
| Score / grade range | Composite score: 1 to 36, Subscore (for each of the four subject areas): 1 to 36. (All in 1-point increments.) Optional Writing Score: 2 to 12. (Sum of two graders’ scoring from 1-6) |
| Offered | US and Canada: 7 times a year. Other countries: 5 times a year. |
| Countries / regions | Worldwide |
| Languages | English |
| Annual number of test takers | Over 1.38 million high school graduates in the class of 2023 |
| Prerequisites / eligibility criteria | No official prerequisite. Intended for high school students. Fluency in English assumed. |
| Fee | Without writing: US$63.00 as of 2022. With writing: US$88.00 as of 2022. Outside US: $108.50 surcharge as of 2021 in addition to the above amounts. (Fee waivers are available for 11th or 12th grade students who are US citizens or testing in the US or US territories, and have demonstrated financial need.) |
| Scores / grades used by | Colleges or universities offering undergraduate programs (mostly in the US and Canada). |
| Website | www.act.org |
The main four ACT test sections are individually scored on a scale of 1–36, and a composite score (the rounded whole number average of the four sections) is provided.
The ACT was first introduced in November of 1959 by University of Iowa professor Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The ACT originally consisted of four tests: English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Natural Sciences. In 1989, however, the Social Studies test was changed into a Reading section (which included a social sciences subsection), and the Natural Sciences test was renamed the Science Reasoning test, with more emphasis on problem-solving skills as opposed to memorizing scientific facts. In February 2005, an optional Writing Test was added to the ACT. By the fall of 2017, computer-based ACT tests were available for school-day testing in limited school districts of the US, with greater availability expected in fall of 2018.
The ACT has seen a gradual increase in the number of test takers since its inception, and in 2012 the ACT surpassed the SAT for the first time in total test takers; that year, 1,666,017 students took the ACT and 1,664,479 students took the SAT.