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Alongside the SAT, the ACT is a major factor colleges use to determine whether or not you should be admitted. For colleges, these test scores are a way to compare you to all students who apply. While the scores aren’t everything, they are definitely important and it’s crucial that you do your best.

You do not want this to be you at the ACT :)

If you’ve never taken the ACT before, chances are you’re a bit nervous. You’ve probably heard of kids taking a Saturday morning. If this is your first time taking any standardized test needed for colleges, you’re probably even more nervous and unsure of what you’re in for.

Don’t worry, this post will give you the rundown on what to expect when you first take the ACT. While the test might be a bit intimidating, if you take it seriously, you can come out of it with flying colors.

What to expect at the ACT test

When you arrive at the test location, you’ll see a nice-sized line of people already waiting there. Your admission ticket will say to be there by 8, but chances are you won’t be let in until after 8. Nevertheless, be there on time, just to be safe. As students are let in, you’ll be assigned a classroom and a seat in the classroom. You’ll end up waiting around in there a while as students check in and the room fills.

As with any standardized test, you’ll have the lovely pleasure of spending the first 45 minutes filling out bubbles on your test form: name, address, test location, ethnicity, you name it. And, of course, the instructions the proctor reads are extremely long and dull because they’re idiot-proof. You’ll be bored.

You then take the test section by section. After the math section, you’ll have a short break to stand up, use the bathroom, etc. then you’ll come back and finish the final two sections. If you choose to take the Writing test, then you’ll have another break after the Science section before diving into that.

The test typically will get out between noon and one o’clock, depending on whether or not you take the writing section.

What to bring to the ACT

• Your admission ticket
• Some sort of identification: school ID card, drivers license, etc.
• Calculator. You don’t need it for a lot of problems, but it’s nice to have it to fall back on to be safe. Make sure your calculator isn’t prohibited before you arrive.
• Something to snack on if you get hungry.
• A pencil, if you’d like.

ACT Test Structure

The current form of the ACT is divided into 5 sections:

• English: 75 questions. You have 45 minutes to answer them.
• Math: 60 questions, with 60 minutes to answer.
• Reading: 40 questions in 35 minutes
• Science: 40 questions in 35 minutes
• Optional Writing Test: 30 minutes for one prompt

Section by Section

• English: I liked the English section because of how much time I had at the end. In fact, I had time to go back and check every single one of my answers. Now, I’m normally a fast-worker, so this might not apply to you. I recall a lot of the English section having to do with grammar technicalities (“which word would be best here” and “how would you fix this?). I thought the English section was the easiest part of the test. Your best bet here is to try to remember all of those subtle grammar rules. If it helps, mumble the answer and see if it sounds correct to you.
• Math: Of the 5 sections, I found math to be the hardest, and I’m generally a math guy. None of the math really went beyond geometry and algebra, but it was full of problems that we hadn’t done in my high school math classes. A lot of problems involved coordinate geometry (geometry done with equations of lines on a graph). You’ll have to use area equations, perimeter equations, and all of that fun stuff. If you encounter something you’re unfamiliar with in the math section, your best bet is to skip it and go on to something you know more about. When you’re finished with all of the other problems, then come back and try to work out the answer.
• Reading: Of all the sections, Reading is the one I remember the least. Now, as you can see, the reading section is only 35 minutes, but you have to answer 40 questions. When you realize that you have to read passages as well, you’ll understand why you might need to hurry. All of your best reading strategies should come into use here. I strongly recommend reading all of the questions first. As you read, you can then mark the stuff that’s important. If you think you can get away with not even reading the passage, you’re wrong, and you’ll end up wasting a lot of time.
• Science: I found the science section to be easy, but I was definitely rushed for time. If you just look at the questions and don’t take the time to read it, you’ll be confused initially. All of the answers are right there in front of you, you just need to read the information and data to understand it. It took me a while to realize this, but once I did, I realized how simple the section can be. While you do need to hurry, make sure that you understand what you’re reading fully. Otherwise, you’re going to have to go back to reread it.
  
• Writing Test: The essay I got was a very awkward prompt, and I had a hard time thinking of what to respond with. I ended up changing my mind about what I wanted to write about mid-essay, and my haste to fix things really hurt my score. 30 minutes isn’t enough time to plan and write a smashing essay, so don’t waste time. It is to your advantage to do a quick web or an outline so that you don’t constantly change your mind about what you want to write. The trick to writing a good essay here is definitely to be concise. If you start writing your life story, you will run out of time. Make sure to show good organization of your thoughts and clear supporting evidence.

How about some sample ACT questions?

I’ve got you covered. Here are a few sites with practice tests/questions:

• ACT’s own website
• 4Tests.com
• Peterson’s.com
• Sample writing test prompt

Do I need to take the writing test?

Whether or not you need to take the writing test depends on where you’re hoping to go to school. More selective colleges will want you to take the writing test. Check with the colleges you’re considering and see what they want. If you’re in doubt, it’s probably better to take it and just be safe.

Tips for ACT Success

• There are no penalties for incorrect answers on the ACT. If you can’t figure it out, do your best to eliminate at least one or two choices, then guess from there. It doesn’t hurt you at all to be wrong, so if you leave a question blank, you’re missing out on the lucky chance that you’ll get it right. Obviously, the more educated your guess can be, the better.
• Don’t get distracted. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s important to focus. Pray that you don’t end up in a test room with the kid who sniffles his nose every 5 seconds, but if you do, try your best to zone out of any other distractions. You want to give this test your all.
• Keep your eye on the time. Whoever proctors the test will give you the end time for each section, so watch the clock to make sure you’re not falling behind.
• The test is bright and early Saturday morning. Don’t be out late partying on Friday — you want to be as well-rested as you can be. When I took the ACT, one kid actually fell asleep mid-test. You don’t want that to be you, so try to get a quality night’s sleep beforehand.
• It’s not a short test. Combined, all sections add up to about 3 and a half hours. When you realize that you get to spend a lot of time filling out paperwork when you arrive, you know this is going to be a long day. Don’t think it will be over fast — be mentally prepared to be there until the early afternoon. I’m also confident that you can bring food there to snack on. Not much is worse than taking a test while your stomach is growling, so you might want to bring something in case.
• Most importantly, relax. Everybody is always so tense for these tests. Remember, this isn’t a one-time test: if you don’t like your score, you can always take the test again. Hopefully, you haven’t put the ACT off to the last minute, allowing you one or two more chances to retake it.

In the end, the ACT is definitely a long and stressful Saturday. If you’re really worried about how well you did, take comfort in that test scores are only one part of you that colleges look at. If you do worse than you would have liked, there are other aspects of you that will be taken into consideration. The SAT test will also hold a lot of weight too if you do better on that instead.

As with any test, the key to passing is simply to take it seriously. The ACT doesn’t have to be a big scary test if you come mentally prepared to pass it.