College Readiness

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ACT

Comprised of four scored sections (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science) and an ungraded, optional Writing section, the ACT includes multiple-choice questions plus an optional essay prompt. Scoring range is from 1 to 36.

The ACT was created by two faculty members at the University of Iowa in 1959 in response to changing patterns in college attendance and what they saw as the need for a test that more accurately evaluated potential student performance.  Earlier versions of the test required specific information about American history and science.  For many years, the ACT was a regionally popular exam in Midwestern states, while the SAT remained stronger in more highly populated states like New York and California. As more and more colleges began accepting the ACT, however, more students in states throughout the country began taking the exam.

The test consists of 215 questions plus the 1 writing prompt. Most of the questions will be multiple-choice questions.

• In 2010, for the first time, more students took the ACT than the SAT.
• Year created: 1959
• Number of test takers for class of 2010: 1,568,835
• In 2010 only 588 of the ACT’s 1.6 million takers scored a perfect 36.
• Length of test: 2 hours and 55 minutes excluding the optional Writing Test or 3 hours and 25 minutes including the Writing Test.
• Test format: paper-and-pencil
• Cost of test: $33 (without Writing section) or $48 (with Writing section)
• How often the test it administered: 6 times per year (September, October, December, February, April, June)
• For many years, not all colleges accepted the ACT for admissions.  The last holdout was Harvey Mudd College, which began accepting the ACT in 2007.
• The name ACT originally stood for American College Testing when the company was founded, but later changed its name to ACT and doesn’t technically stand for anything.