The Procrastinator's Guide to the Act, 2004

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If you do, you'll find yourself in full command of your ACT test taking experience.

What Is the ACT?

Okay, let's start with the basics. The ACT is a three-hour exam (two hours and 55 minutes, to be precise) taken by high school juniors and seniors for admission to college. Contrary to the myths you may have heard, the ACT is not an IQ test. It's a test of problem-solving skills -- which means that you can improve your performance by preparing for it.

The ACT consists of four subject tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. All four subject tests are designed primarily to test skills rather than knowledge, though some knowledge is required -- particularly in English, for which grammar and writing mechanics is important, and in Math, for which you need to know the basic math concepts taught in a regular high school curriculum.

The ACT:

English (45 minutes, 75 questions)

Math (60 minutes, 60 questions)

Reading (35 minutes, 40 questions)

Science Reasoning (35 minutes, 40 questions)

How Is the ACT Scored?

No, your ACT score is not merely the sum total of questions you get right. That would be too simple. Instead, what the test makers do is add up all of your correct answers to get what they call a "raw score." Then they put that raw score into a very large computer, which proceeds to shake, rattle, smoke, and wheeze before spitting out an official score at the other end. That score -- which has been put through what they call a scoring formula -- is your "scaled score."

ACT scaled scores range from 1 to 36. Nearly half of all test takers score within a much narrower range: 17 to 23. Tests at different dates vary slightly, but the following data are typical.

Percentile Rank
99%
90%
76%
54%
28%

Scaled (or Composite) Score
31
26
23
20
17

Approximate Percentage Correct
90%
75%
63%
53%
43%

To earn a score of 20 (the national average), you need to answer only about 53 percent of the questions correct. On most tests, getting only a bit more than half the questions right would be terrible. Not so on the ACT. That fact alone should ease some of your anxiety about how hard this test is. You can miss loads of ACT questions and still get a good score. Nobody expects you to get all of the questions right.

YOU CAN GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS WRONG AND STILL GET A GREAT SCORE.

How Many ACT Scores Will You Get?

The "ACT scaled score" we've talked about so far is technically called the "composite score." It's the really important one. But when you take the ACT, you actually receive 12 (count 'em, 12) different scores: the composite score, four subject scores, and seven subscores.

Below is a breakdown of the subject scores and subscores. Though the four subject scores can play a role in decisions at some schools, the seven subscores usually aren't important for most people:

1. English Score (1-36)

2. Math Score (1-36)

3. Reading Score (1-36)

4. Science Reasoning Score (1-36)
(There are no subscores in Science Reasoning.)

How Do Colleges Use Your ACT Score?

You may have heard that the ACT is really the only thing colleges look at when deciding whether to admit you. Untrue. Most admissions officers say the ACT is only one of several factors they take into consideration. But let's be realistic. Here's this neat and easy way of comparing all students numerically, no matter what their academic backgrounds and no matter how much grade inflation exists at their high schools. You know the admissions people are going to take a serious look at your scores.

The most important score, naturally, is the composite score (which is an average of the four subject scores). This is the score used by most colleges and universities in the admissions process, and the one that you'll want to mention casually at parties during your freshman year of college. The four subject scores and seven subscores may be used for advanced placement or occasionally for scholarships, but are primarily used by college advisors to help students select majors and first-year courses.

Although many schools deny that they use benchmark scores as cutoffs, we're not sure we really believe them. Big Ten universities and colleges with similarly competitive admissions generally decline to accept students with Composite Scores below 22 or 23. For less competitive schools, the benchmark score may be lower than that; for some very strong schools, the cutoff may be higher.

To be fair, no school uses the ACT score as an absolute bar to admission, no matter how low it is. But for most applicants, a low ACT score is decisive. As a rule, only students whose backgrounds are extremely unusual or who have overcome enormous disadvantages are accepted if their ACT scores are below the benchmark.

Should You Guess on the ACT?

The short answer? Yes! The long answer? Yes, of course!

As we said, ACT scores are based on the number of correct answers only. This means that questions left blank and questions answered incorrectly simply don't count. Unlike some other standardized tests, the ACT has no wrong-answer penalty. That's why you should always guess on every ACT question you can't answer, even if you don't have time to read it. Though the questions vary enormously in difficulty, harder questions are worth exactly the same as easier ones, so it pays to guess on the really hard questions and spend your time breezing through the really easy ones. We'll show you just how to do this in the step called "The Top 10 Strategies."

NEVER LEAVE A QUESTION BLANK. IF YOU CAN'T ANSWER A QUESTION -- OR DON'T HAVE TIME TO GET TO IT -- GUESS.

Can You Retake the Test?

You can take the ACT as many times as you like. You can then select whichever test score you prefer to be sent to colleges when you apply.

When you sign up for the ACT, you have the option of designating colleges to receive your score. Think twice before you do it! Wait until you receive your score, then send it along if you're happy. This may cost you a few extra dollars (since you won't get to take advantage of the three free reports you get if you designate schools on the registration form before the test), but we think it's worth the extra expense. If you hate your score, you can take the test again and send only the new, improved score. (Seniors, beware! Make sure there is enough time to get your scores in by the application deadline.)

DON'T AUTOMATICALLY DESIGNATE COLEGES TO RECEIVE SCORE REPORTS AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION. IF YOU HAVE TIME, WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE SURE YOU'VE GOTTEN A SCORE YOU'RE PROUD OF.

What this means, of course, is that even if you blow the ACT once, you can give yourself another shot without the schools of your choice knowing about it. The ACT is one of the few areas of your academic life in which you get a second chance.

Copyright © 2003 by Kaplan Inc.