What Is the ACT? American College Testing Explained (2026 Guide)

What Is the ACT and When Was It Established?

The ACT — American College Testing — is a standardized college admissions examination that was developed by University of Iowa professor Everett Franklin Lindquist and first administered in November 1959. Lindquist created the ACT as an alternative to the SAT, which at the time was the dominant college admissions test in the United States. Lindquist believed the SAT's emphasis on aptitude and abstract reasoning placed too little weight on what students had actually learned in high school, and he designed the ACT to test mastery of high school curriculum content directly.

ACT, Inc. was established in 1959 as the organization responsible for developing and administering the test. The test gained popularity rapidly in the Midwest and South, where many universities embraced it as a more curriculum-aligned alternative to the SAT. By the early 2000s, the ACT had grown to rival the SAT in total test-taker volume, and as of the mid-2010s, more students were taking the ACT each year than the SAT — though recent trends have fluctuated due to digital SAT adoption and test-optional admissions policies.

Today, ACT, Inc. is headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, and administers the ACT in the United States seven times per year. The ACT is accepted for undergraduate admissions by virtually all four-year colleges and universities in the United States, making it fully interchangeable with the SAT for the purpose of college applications.

ACT Sections: What the Test Covers

The ACT currently consists of four mandatory multiple-choice sections plus an optional Writing section. Total testing time (excluding the optional Writing) is 2 hours and 55 minutes. With the optional Writing section (35 minutes), the total is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes with breaks.

English (45 minutes, 75 questions)

The English section tests usage and mechanics (punctuation, grammar and usage, sentence structure) and rhetorical skills (strategy, organization, style). You are given five passages, each containing numbered underlines, and you must select the best correction or improvement for each underlined portion. The English section rewards knowledge of standard written English conventions — comma rules, subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, and effective sentence construction — and the ability to evaluate whether a sentence or passage is effectively organized and worded.

Mathematics (60 minutes, 60 questions)

The ACT Math section covers topics through pre-calculus, including arithmetic, algebra, coordinate geometry, plane geometry, and trigonometry. Unlike the digital SAT, ACT Math has a dedicated calculator section — you may use a calculator on all 60 questions, though some questions are designed to be solved most efficiently without a calculator. Question topics are distributed approximately as: Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra (20-25%), Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry (25-30%), Plane Geometry (25-30%), and Trigonometry (5-10%).

Reading (35 minutes, 40 questions)

The Reading section consists of four passages (or paired passage sets) — typically Literary Narrative/Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, and Natural Science. Each passage is followed by 10 questions testing your ability to identify the main idea, locate specific details, make inferences, understand vocabulary in context, and analyze an author's purpose or rhetorical method. The Reading section strongly rewards reading speed — 35 minutes for 40 questions across four passages means approximately 9 minutes per passage including questions.

Science (35 minutes, 40 questions)

The ACT Science section is uniquely distinct from the SAT — the SAT has no equivalent. It presents data in the form of graphs, tables, experiments, and conflicting scientific viewpoints, and asks you to interpret and analyze that data. Contrary to what the name implies, the Science section does not require advanced science knowledge — it primarily tests data interpretation and scientific reasoning skills. Success depends on your ability to read graphs and charts quickly and accurately, understand experimental design, and reconcile conflicting scientific hypotheses.

Writing (Optional, 40 minutes)

The optional ACT Writing section requires you to write an essay analyzing three different perspectives on a complex contemporary issue. You must develop your own perspective and explain how it relates to at least one of the provided perspectives. Essays are scored from 2 to 12 by two human raters. Not all colleges require or consider the ACT Writing score — check each program's specific requirements before deciding whether to take it.

ACT Scoring Explained

Each of the four ACT sections is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. The Composite score — the score most commonly referenced in college admissions — is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. There is no penalty for incorrect answers: your raw score is the number of questions answered correctly, which is then converted to the 1 to 36 scale through a statistical equating process that accounts for slight difficulty variations between test versions.

ACT Score Percentiles

The national average ACT Composite score is approximately 19 to 21 depending on the testing year. A score of 24 places a student in approximately the 74th percentile (scoring above 74% of all test-takers). A score of 28 is approximately the 88th percentile. A score of 33 or above places a student in approximately the 99th percentile, and a perfect 36 is achieved by fewer than 0.5% of test-takers.

College-Specific Score Requirements

Required ACT scores vary by college and program. Highly selective schools including Yale, Princeton, MIT, and Stanford typically have median enrolled student ACT Composite scores of 34 to 36. Schools in the 25 to 50 ranking range often have medians of 28 to 33. State flagship universities may have median scores of 24 to 29. Community colleges and open-enrollment institutions accept students with any score. Research the 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores for each school on your list — published in each school's Common Data Set — to understand your competitiveness.

Superscoring

Many colleges practice superscoring for the ACT — combining the highest individual section scores from multiple test attempts into a single superscore. If a college superscores, retaking the ACT to improve one or two sections can significantly boost your application score without requiring a perfect performance on a single test date. Always check each college's policy on superscore acceptance.

ACT vs. SAT: Key Differences

Both the ACT and SAT are accepted by all major U.S. colleges. Here are the key differences to help you choose:

• Science section: ACT has a dedicated 40-question Science section; SAT does not
• Math: ACT Math covers through pre-calculus including trigonometry; SAT Math focuses more heavily on algebra and data analysis. ACT allows calculator on all questions; SAT allows calculator on all questions (digital format)
• Duration: ACT is 2 hours 55 minutes (no essay); digital SAT is 2 hours 14 minutes
• Reading passages: ACT has four longer passages (35 min); digital SAT has many short passages (64 min for two modules)
• Adaptivity: Digital SAT is adaptive at the module level; ACT is not adaptive
• Optional essay: ACT offers optional 40-minute essay; SAT discontinued its essay

The best way to decide which test suits you is to take a full official practice test for each and compare your section-level performance. Your strongest section scores relative to the national average will indicate which test format plays to your strengths. Many students who prepare seriously for both tests eventually report a preference for one over the other based on timing comfort and question format familiarity.

How to Prepare for the ACT

Effective ACT preparation combines content review, targeted practice by section, and full-length timed practice tests. Here is a practical preparation approach:

Take a Diagnostic Test First

Download ACT official practice materials and take a full-length timed practice test before starting content review. This diagnostic tells you your baseline section scores and identifies your weakest areas. Focus your initial study time on the sections where you have the most room to improve.

Practice Each Section Type Daily

ACT English rewards knowledge of grammar rules — study comma usage, modifier placement, subject-verb agreement, and redundancy. ACT Math rewards algebra and geometry fundamentals — review the formulas and concepts you haven't used since sophomore year. ACT Reading rewards reading speed and active comprehension — practice reading and summarizing complex texts in under 10 minutes. ACT Science rewards data interpretation — practice reading graphs, tables, and experimental results quickly and accurately.

Complete Full-Length Tests Under Real Conditions

In the four to six weeks before your test date, complete full-length timed practice tests weekly under exam conditions — same time of day as your test, no interruptions, using the real answer sheet format. After each practice test, review every incorrect answer to understand the reasoning. This process of targeted review converts errors into insights that prevent the same mistakes on test day.