Introduction

You may have seen the acronym ACT and wondered its meaning. Different organizations use the initials, but there are common in the education sector in the United States. In full, ACT means American College Testing. It refers to the exams that students submit during their college admissions process. Students who have just completed high school and want to proceed with undergraduate studies take the test and must achieve the required act score. Educators require high school students to take the act exam to test their readiness for higher education learning. Typically, the act exam is designed to test the preparedness for college education for high school students in the areas of mathematics, verbal communication, ability to write clearly, and other scientific skills. Act exams are not to be confused with sat exams; they differ in some ways, which we shall analyze shortly.

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You will likely hear a lot of false information concerning the act exam, but this article will clarify everything. You will learn that neither the act exam nor sat exam is too complicated. You will know how the act exam ascertains your college readiness and motivates you to perform better in college. You see, undertaking the act exam shows everything that you have in your high school life. It ensures that your college admissions process is seamless because university leaders analyze your test scores to see how well you are prepared for the next level of your academic journey. Test takers of act test or sat exam will tell you that it is never complicated.

Understanding the Difference Between the ACT and the SAT

The confusion is understandable since the act test and sat test have several features in common. When writing the two, test takers are required to cover the mathematics part, writing section, and reading part with an additional essay. However, most colleges allow students to choose whether to undertake the essay part. The other source of confusion for test exams and sat exams is the time. Ordinarily, the two exams take between three and four hours. Students are expected to write in a clear and concise manner to convince the admissions team.

Let’s now identify some of the notable differences between act tests and sat tests. High school students often fail to differentiate between sat exams and act exams. First, let’s start with the reason most colleges require you to undertake the two exams. A college board will ask you to do the act exam and sat exam so they can ensure a merit-based college admission process. The difference occurs first in the test structure. A sat exam has three main parts, including the math, reading, and writing and language sections. On the other hand, the act exam involves a science section, a reading part, and a math section. Test takers also have an optional essay when it comes to act exams.

The length for each exam also differs, with the sat exam being completed in about three hours. In contrast, an act exam will take you 2 hours, 55 minutes if you choose to do it without an essay. However, the time will increase to 3 hours, 40 minutes if you write the essay. The math section for each exam may include all the areas a student completed in high school, including pre algebra, intermediate algebra, elementary trigonometry, elementary algebra, and coordinate geometry. As for the writing section, a college board wants to a student’s problem solving skills, rhetorical skills, and communication capabilities.

Both sat exam and act exam have a reading section as well, but they differ. The reading section for sat exam contains 5 passages, while the act section has 4. The reading sections are meant to test a student’s ability to read and write properly. Typically, many colleges set 45 minutes for the act test, and a test taker will be required to prove his or her ability in this area regarding rhetorical skills, word usage, and the word mechanics commonly used in English students. International students may find it somewhat challenging to undertake this part, especially if they have exposure to the English language. Nonetheless, many colleges offer simply multiple choice questions that students can answer without a problem. A student will learn of his or her score later and see areas to improve.

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The other difference between the act and sat relates to the science part. The sat exam has no science part, whereas the act test does have one. However, it is important to note that the purpose of this section is not to test you on your science knowledge. Rather, admissions teams are looking for act scores that confirm your critical thinking skills.

The other difference between sat exam and act exam relates to the math section. In the sat exam, students complete the following tests: pre algebra, intermediate algebra, elementary trigonometry, elementary algebra, and coordinate geometry. On the other hand, a sat exam will have probability and statistics test, trigonometry, algebra I and algebra II, and geometry.

Concerning the use of calculators, a test taker doing the sat exam will not be allowed to use the calculate in some questions. In contrast, test takers are not restricted from using calculators on all mathematics questions. The final element relates to the scoring criterion. Sat scores are based on a scale of between 400 and 1600. In contrast, act scores take a scale of between 1 and 36.

How To Use Official ACT Tests: 4 Tips

If you want to achieve high writing scores, whether it is sat scores or act scores, you need to learn how to use the official act tests effectively. It is imperative to undertake practice tests. When you get used to sat practice tests or act practice tests, you find it easy to complete the actual exam. In the following section, we will give you four tips. Any test taker can utilize the tips to improve the writing scores or the other sections.

Take the test in a single sitting.

Many students make the mistake of doing practice tests for longer hours and at different times. When the actual sat exam or act exam comes, they fail to achieve the test scores needed. Since you will be undertaking the actual exam in just two hours, limit your practice tests to the same time and do all the practice tests in one sitting. As you await your act test dates, you could be undertaking practice tests to increase your endurance when the time for the actual exam comes.

Use the actual act practice deadline.

Besides doing your sat exam in a single sitting, limit the time to the exact time in your act or sat practice tests. In other words, do not exceed 2 hours, 55 minutes for the sat exam, and 3 hours, 55 minutes for the act exam. You do not have to visit the actual test centers when doing these exams. Provided you are disciplined enough to concentrate with the test for four hours, your act practice or sat practice should not be hard. A test taker who commits to the exact time during an act practice or sat practice will not struggle to complete the exams when the time comes. You can start doing these practice tests a few weeks before the test date. If you do not know where to start, keep on reading these test prep tips.

Check your answers

Once you are done with the act practice test, review it to eliminate all mistakes. For example, confirm if your work adheres to the sentence structure requirements. Similarly, ensure your science portion addresses the posed question. If you choose to handle the optional writing section, make sure you address the essay prompt as required. As a test taker, you want to ensure a high act scoring, and, therefore, diligence is needed.

Supplement your tests

Another way to prepare yourself effectively for the exams is by comparing your answers with those of other test takers. The test takers can be professionals who help you or fellow students. Once you take the act and find that some improvements are needed, consider checking the Princeton Review to compare your performance with that of other test takers. Whether you are undertaking the writing portion, science portion, or any other part of the act test or sat test, ensure you see what others have done. Check if your key ideas correspond with those of other test takers. Compare your composite score with theirs. In particular, pay attention to the act composite score due to the high marks it carries.

2 Official ACT Practice Test Resources You Can Buy

The fact that you are reading this guide means that you want to improve your act scores. It is because you want your act composite score to be higher and so you can gain admission to your dream college. To succeed in this college application process, you can take a few steps, one of which is to buy ACT practice tests, which will inevitably increase your college readiness, and guarantee you achieve the assessment scores needed to gain admission. Before we advise you on the best ACT practice tests to buy, allow us to explain the advantages of purchasing the act practice tests, which some people prefer calling act prep or simply test prep. First, a high school student should buy the act practice test to increase his or her score during the college admission process. You see, these prep tests have been provided by test takers with immense experience. These act test takers are either professional tutors or professors who have already gone through the process and know what is required. The test prep tips provided in the practice tests are reliable and will definitely lead to a higher act score.

Second, the prep test contains all the sections needed for the act and sat exam. It has the writing test, seven passages, the science portion, the optional writing section (one essay), the compulsory writing portion, and the multiple choice questions. Regarding the math section, the test prep allows a test taker to improve coordinate geometry and all the other tasks related to arithmetic. The beauty of having all these sections is that a test taker gets the chance of a better act scoring but also to learn how to write in a clear and concise manner. Once you buy the act practice test, you will get test prep tips that will improve your sentence structure and other English mechanics. Whether you are a native English speaker or an international student, the test prep tips in the act practice test are designed to act score and to make you confident when you step into any test centers to handle the exams. You will notice that your composite score will improve if you buy the act practice test kits.

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So, which act practice should you buy? The first choice is the official ACT prep guide for the 2022-23 edition. If you want to have better ela score on the actual test day, you should then go for this guide. Many students, especially international students, are quick to jump on to the Princeton Review website to use the test on the site. While the test on Princeton Review may be helpful, they are not sufficient to prepare you enough for the test day. The tests are inferior compared to the ones produced by ACT Inc. Typically, ACT Inc. considers all the aspects of the act exams and sets the practice tests in a manner that enables both native and international students to write in a concise manner, perform better in their coordinate geometry task, answer all the four tests needed, address the science portion accordingly, ensure a clear explanation on the writing portion, and guarantee proper results for the entire act section. Therefore, do not be quick to buy the act practice tests from Princeton Review if you want to take the act and achieve the requisite assessment scores.

Instead, go for the official act prep guide for 2022-23 because it has all the six act practice tests, including the essay prompts. In fact, the 2022-2023 official act prep guide has a new test. It also contains five more tests from the previous year. In essence, this kit has all the standardized tests for the previous years as well as new tests to improve your act scoring. The other advantage of buying this act practice kit is that it is set in consideration of the test taker. If you are an international student, you will not have a problem working with this act test since the creators use a simple language and write everything in a concise manner. Any test taker can use this act practice test guide to improve his or her act composite score. Finally, every test taker will afford this act practice test guide because it costs about $30. If you are a test taker who intends to pass this act (American College Test), you should not have a problem buying the guide. Act test takers will realize that the price is reasonable compared to alternative guides and the richness of the materials in the act practice guide.

The other act test guide you could choose is the official beginner’s guide for the period of 2020-2021. However, it is imperative to note that this guide targets pre-act students. Although the guide would still have a significant impact on the act composite score and prepare a test taker to handle the writing test, learn proper word usage, familiarize with the seven passages, see the optional writing section, and the science portion, the guide is somewhat limited in some ways. For example, it is shorter, meaning that it might not have some sections that are crucial for college readiness. The limitation may impact students who choose to use the guide a few days before the registration deadline. The limitations will also mean that a test taker might not calculate the actual ela score or learn all the test prep tips needed for act scoring. Therefore, anyone wishing to buy this guide should purchase even the latest one to expand knowledge and gain all the tips needed to pass the assessment scores when the test dates come.

About ACTs

If you already know your test dates and are now looking for the test prep tips, you should know everything about the act exam so you can improve your assessment score. In this section, we will tell you all about the act exam. Firstly, the act exam has four sections, comprising the science section, the reading section, mathematics, and the English part. Test takers have 215 multiple choice questions for each of the sections mentioned, and each must be answered within a particular time. For example, the science question should be answered in 35 minutes and has 40 questions in total. The reading section has about 40 questions, which must be answered in 35 minutes. As for the mathematics part, test takers have 60 minutes to answer 60 questions. The English section is perhaps the most challenging for an international student since it has 75 questions, which must be addressed in just 45 minutes.

In addition, test takers may also consider handling the optional writing section, which incudes a list of questions for all the subjects mentioned. Although it is optional for most colleges, test takers should ask whether the college they are applying to requires them to handle the section. Since you may be required to handle the part, it is important to know what is required. If you are going to complete the writing section, you should write in a clear and concise manner because the admissions team wants to test your proficiency in this area. Moreover, writing effectively improves your act composite score. If you are asked to write one essay, ensure you address the topic in question. Do not deviate and remain relevant to improve your essay score, which is crucial for the college application process as it determines whether you gain admission into your dream school.

How about the test dates? The act exam occurs at least six times every year, with most colleges requiring test takers to handle the tests on a Saturday. Once you meet the registration deadline, you will be asked to select your preferred location, depending on the available test centers. However, be flexible with your choices because some test centers may be full.

Now that you know all about act exam, you should spend enough time practicing. Take the test prep seriously and focus on the areas you feel improvement is needed. If you feel that you are not good at mathematics, concentrate on intermediate algebra. If the writing portion is problematic, spend time in act preps and handle as many writing tests as possible. Likewise, handle the science portion with diligence if you are not good at it. In short, spending ample time on all four tests will improve your act composite score and ensure you gain admission. Your composite score can only improve if you address the areas you are weak. You could choose to write one essay daily before the actual test dates come. Alternatively, you could take the essay prompt and brainstorm with friends. In essence, use the act practice test to ensure your college readiness even before you handle the actual tests. It is the only way to increase your act scores and join your favorite school.

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All Free Full-Length ACT Practice Tests

Luckily for any test taker out there, we have a full-length act test available online for free! If you intend to handle an act exam this year, you can gain higher act composite score by downloading the all-free full-length prep act test guide. It contains all the four sections (science portion, mathematics, English, and reading section) that are essential for your college readiness. Test takers have the option of downloading and printing one such a guide. Once downloaded, the guide can be handled using pencils. Remember, you will be using a pencil to answer the questions during the actual act exam. Therefore, download and print the act prep and answer the questions in the act section using a pencil. Alternatively, you can download the guide on your computer using MyAct account. We recommend you use the first option because the second one does not give you the timing conditions that match the ones available during the test.

ACT vs. SAT In A Glance

• Test structure

SAT:  Test takers handle reading, language, mathematics, writing, and an optional essay.

ACT: Test takers handle English, science, mathematics, and reading sections, and an optional essay.

• Duration

SAT: test takers have 2 hours, 55 minutes without an essay, or 3 hours, 40 minutes with an essay.

ACT: Test takers have just 3 hours to complete the test.

• Cost

ACT: Native students pay $63 without an essay or $88 with essay. International students pay 171.50 and 196.50 with an essay and without an essay, respectively.

SAT: A test taker pays $55, exclusive of regional charges.

• Essay section

ACT: No essay for 2021-2022 except in some states

SAT: a test taker who chooses to handle the optional essay has 40 minutes.

Tell Me The Difference Between ACT And SAT Math Sections?

The math sections of ACT and SAT are meant to assess a test taker in terms of concepts and formulas. Test takers must attain act scores that demonstrate their understanding of these two areas. An act prep will go a long way to help you in that area. Like in the other sections, this math section differs. In the ACT test, test takers have 60 minutes to answer 60 questions, meaning a test taker has just 60 seconds for each question. In contrast, the SAT test contains 58 questions and 80 minutes. Both parts may have mathematic tests on intermediate algebra, pre algebra, coordinate geometry, and other math-related tasks. Remember, each section has some parts that allow the usage of a calculator and others that do not let you use it.

Tell Me The Difference Between ACT And SAT Reading Sections?

First, it is important to note that the SAT and ACT tests in the reading section are meant to test your knowledge of written English. As a test taker, you need to get that in mind. The passage you will read in this section will be written in a concise manner, but you must pay attention. However, the two parts differ in some ways. For example, the ACT has 40 questions, all of which are based strictly on four reading sections. The four sections comprise three passages that are quite long plus one short passage, all of which you need 35 minutes to answer. In contrast, the SAT has five reading sections that combine to give you 52 questions whose answers are needed in 65 minutes. Other prep tips include the fact that ACT tests will have questions that do not flow, unlike the SAT. Also, both SAT and ACT have four answers for each question. Finally, SAT will have visual elements, such as graphs and charts, but ACT will be textual.

Tell Me The Difference Between ACT English And SAT Writing And Language Sections?

As for the writing section, the test takers are tested on their ability to comprehend written sentences. The ACT contains 75 questions and require a test taker to answer in 45 minutes, meaning you need to be really quick. In contrast, SAT tests have 44 questions, which a test taker must address in just 35 minutes. They have four answers to choose from, and prior knowledge of the topic on which tests are based is not needed. Examiners want to test takers to prove their ability to put words in context, language comprehension, and word usage. In particular, an ACT test taker is expected to demonstrate proper knowledge of sentence structure, word usage, and punctuation. ACT exams also focus on a test taker’s ability to sustain an argument.

ACT FAQs

1. What is the required ACT Score?

The ACT scoring scale is between 1 and 36. So, achieving something between 18 and 36 is considered a good ACT score.

2. Is ACT very hard?

No, it is not. A test taker will find it easy to answer the questions if he or she pays attention.

3. What should I expect in the ACT test?

A test taker should prepare for five areas, including science, reading, English, mathematics, and writing sections.

4. How should I score for ACT to enter Yale?

A test taker must score 31 to gain admission at Yale University.

5. Which one between SAT and ACT is more difficult?

Neither. Test takers score according to their preparedness. That is why it is important to take test practice often.

6. How many questions does the ACT contain?

It has a total of 215 questions and one essay.

7. How many marks should a 10th grader score in the ACT?

Well, a 10th grader should score at least 18 marks.

8. Tell me about the Maths in the ACT

Typically, the ACT has six mathematic tasks related to coordinate geometry, pre algebra, trigonometry, elementary algebra, plane geometry, and intermediate algebra.

9. Can I submit my ACT scores to Ivy Leagues?

Yes. Test takers who undertake the ACT can submit their scores at any Ivy League school since they are recognized.

10. Does the ACT contain calculus?

Luckily, test takers do not have to complete any test on calculus.

11. What ACT score do I need to get to Harvard?

Since Harvard is a prestigious institution, applicants must score at least 32.

12. Can I use a calculator in the ACT?

Some sections allow you to use a calculator, but others restrict it.