The ACT course consists of 4 components: core lessons, topic lessons, practice tests, and online material. There are 16 core lessons, each 2.5 hours, that cover high yield test information. The 16 topic lessons, each 1.5 hours, focus on specific concepts and teach math concepts that you may need for the test but haven't learned yet in school. The 8 practice tests, each 3.5 hours, provide an objective way to assess study habits and progression through the course.
The online material consists of learning modules, the question bank, and thousands of explanations. The entire course is 86 hours and spans 2.5 months in the summer and 4 months in the fall.
Your cumulative ACT score is out of a total of 36 points. Each section (English, Math, Reading, and Science) is also scored out of 36. The average of your section scores gives you the composite value and is considered your overall ACT score.
An average of 30.5 is rounded up to 31. Otherwise, scores round to the closest value.
The essay is scored out of 6 by two separate graders. These scores are added up to give you your final essay score which is out of 12 points
A majority of schools only look at the cumulative score and do not look at your essay score at all. Schools that look at the essay will evaluate your cumulative score and essay score separately when considering you for admission.
The ACT will provide a second grammar score that incorporates your essay score, but this combined score is generally overlooked.
Each college has different score requirements for the ACT. You can find these score requirements by visiting school websites and looking at admission profiles from the previous years.
However, you shouldn't look at the average or median score for a school and make that your "goal" score. If your score is the median value among applicants, this means that 50% of the applicants scored higher than you did. This should demonstrate how the median or average is not a very "safe" as a score to have in applications.
99% of schools will accept your score from either the SAT or ACT test, as long as you have followed the score policies in place at that university.
The ACT is not required nor preferred over the SAT at any 4 year university in the US.
There are many differences between the two tests, so it comes down to your specific strengths and weaknesses as a student. The "easier" test will come down to student preference.
There are two score reporting methods: Score Choice and Report All Scores.
Most universities follow the Score Choice method. For these schools, you can choose to send only your best scores and not the rest. Some of these schools include Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and Michigan State University.
Schools that follow the Report all Scores method require you to send in all official test scores. For these schools, we recommend that you have no more than three official exam scores on file. If you are signed up for the exam and would rather take the test later on, the best decision is to take the exam and immediately cancel your score (instead of canceling the test date altogether). This provides a valuable testing experience that can help you do better on future test dates. Examples of universities that require all scores include Georgetown and Yale.
Keep in mind that most schools, including those mentioned above, have implemented temporary score policies to accommodate those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, it is very important for you to research the schools you are interested in by reading official admissions policy found only on the school website.
You can check your ACT results online at http://www.actstudent.org/scores/. You can also find out additional information about ACT score reporting online.
