Parents’ Cheat Sheet to the ACT Test

If your child is thinking about taking the ACT, there are a few basics you should both know before they sit down on test day with their number two pencils.

The ACT is a standardized test used as a college entrance exam to measure student achievement (i.e., what they have learned in school). It includes 215 multiple-choice questions and is divided into five sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing test.

The test takes approximately three and a half hours to complete and students are given a short break sometime in between. If your child takes the ACT Plus Writing, they will be testing for just over four hours. Students are only required to take the Writing Test if and only if the colleges they are applying to require it.

There is no penalty for guessing on the ACT. Students are scored on a 1 – 36 point scale, 1 being the lowest and 36 being the highest. Their overall score is the average of each individual score (English, Mathematics, Reading, Science), rounding to the nearest whole number. Fractions less than one-half are rounded down; fractions one-half or higher are rounded up. So, if your child receives a 32 in English, a 23 in Math, a 25 in Reading, and a 21 in Science, their overall score would be a 25. Considering the national average is approximately 20, this would be a good score.

When your child takes both the English Test and the Writing Test, they’ll receive a Writing subscore and a Combined English/Writing score. The Combined English/Writing score is created by using a formula that weights the English Test score two-thirds and the Writing Test score one-third. The Combined English/Writing score is then reported on a 1–36 scale. Two trained readers will score your child’s essay, each giving it a rating from 1 (low) to 6 (high). The sum of those ratings is their Writing subscore, which is reported on a scale of 2 to 12.

Scores are available for online viewing within 2 ½ weeks after the test is administered. Official score reports are normally released within 3 to 8 weeks after each test date. Score reports that include the Writing Test are released only after all the scores are available, including Writing, within 5 to 8 weeks following the test date.

The ACT is accepted by all 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. Following completion of the test, you can send your child’s results to other colleges and scholarship agencies along with the ones they selected when they first signed up or tested. Colleges use ACT score reports for admissions decisions, course placement, academic advising, and scholarships and loans.

The next test date for the ACT is April 12th, and then June 14th. Registration deadline for the June 14th test is May 9th (late fee required if you register between May 10th and 23rd). The ACT is offered again in the fall on September 13th. You must register by August 8th (late fee required if you register between August 9th and 22nd).

If your child has a documented disability, you may submit documentation to support an application request for accommodations. Some options are standard time with accommodations, 50 percent extended time, and special testing at school with extended time and available alternate formats. Contact the ACT as soon as possible to apply for approval for accommodations.

You can register for a test date and find other information on their official website: http://www.actstudent.org/.