ACT (American College Testing)
The ACT (American College Testing) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. It assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The ACT consists of four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, with an optional Writing (essay) section.
Exam Pattern and Syllabus
1. English:⚫ Time: 45 minutes
⚫ Questions: 75 multiple-choice questions
⚫ Content:
➡ Usage/Mechanics: Punctuation, grammar, and usage.
➡ Rhetorical Skills: Strategy, organization, and style.
2. Math:
⚫ Time: 60 minutes
⚫ Questions: 60 multiple-choice questions
⚫ Content:
➡ Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra: Basic operations, ratios, proportions, percents, exponents, radicals, and basic algebraic concepts.
➡ Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry: Quadratic equations, functions, equations of lines, systems of equations, and coordinate geometry.
➡ Plane Geometry/Trigonometry: Properties and relations of plane figures, theorems about circles, geometric measurement and dimension, and trigonometry.
3. Reading:
⚫ Time: 35 minutes
⚫ Questions: 40 multiple-choice questions
⚫ Content:
➡ Prose Fiction
➡ Social Science
➡ Humanities
➡ Natural Science
4. Science:
⚫ Time: 35 minutes
⚫ Questions: 40 multiple-choice questions
⚫ Content:
➡ Representation: Interpretation of scientific information presented in graphs, tables, and other formats.
➡ Research Summaries: Understanding experimental design, results, and implications.
➡ Conflicting Viewpoints: Analyzing and evaluating different hypotheses or viewpoints.
5. Writing (Optional Essay):
⚫ Time: 40 minutes
⚫ Task: Write an essay on a given prompt.
⚫ Content:
➡ Evaluates your ability to develop and support an argument on a given topic.
It's important to note that the ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36 for each of the four required multiple-choice sections. The Writing section is scored separately on a scale of 2 to 12, and the scores from all sections are averaged to get the composite score, which also falls between 1 and 36. Many colleges use the composite score for admissions decisions. Additionally, some colleges may consider the optional Writing section separately.