The Purpose Of The ACT
Who Can Take the ACT?
Anyone can take the ACT, regardless of age. Even students in middle school, like those in grades 6, 7, 8, and 9, are eligible to take the test, along with high school students.
Format of the ACT
The ACT is a test with multiple-choice questions in these areas:
English, Math, Reading, Science, and optional Writing.
It’s worth noting that there’s no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT.
English Section: In the first part (45 minutes), you will find 75 questions covering three areas of English. The test includes five passages, with sections underlined on one side of the page and choices to correct them on the other. Questions mainly focus on punctuation, transitions, organization, strategy, style, and constructing sentences grammatically and stylistically.
Math Section: The Math section, which comes second in the test, spans 60 minutes and includes 60 questions. Its difficulty increases as you move through it.
This section includes:
– 14 pre-algebra questions
– 10 elementary algebra questions
– 9 intermediate algebra questions
– 14 plane geometry questions
– 9 coordinate geometry questions
– 4 elementary trigonometry questions.
Each multiple-choice question offers five options. Calculators like the TI-83, TI-84 CX, and sound-disabling adding machines are allowed, but they have stricter guidelines than SAT ones.
Reading Section: The Reading section lasts for 35 minutes and consists of 40 questions across four sections. Three sections feature long prose passages, while the fourth section contains two shorter prose passages. Students typically interpret the text’s explicit and implicit meanings, covering subjects in Natural Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Literary areas.
Science Section: The Science section lasts 35 minutes and comprises 40 questions. It consists of seven passages, including three data representations with five questions each, three research summaries with six questions each, and one conflicting viewpoints passage with seven questions. Passages cover Earth Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, often including diagrams, tables, charts, and graphs. This section assesses understanding of hypothesis theory and data analysis.
Writing Section (optional): The Writing section is not mandatory and evaluates an individual’s ability to plan and write short essays. While some colleges may exempt students from this section, others mandate it. This section lasts for 40 minutes and is always administered at the end of the test. There are no prescribed essay formats; instead, students respond to social prompts by analysing them from three different viewpoints and explaining their own beliefs. Although this essay doesn’t impact the overall score, it receives a separate score. Two trained evaluators assess it, assigning scores ranging from 1 to 6 for various aspects such as Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, Language Use, and Conventions. Essays must be written in No. 2 pencil. Students should verify the writing requirements of their target colleges, as some institutions consider writing scores for admission decisions, while others do not.
Criteria Used for Scoring The ACT
Subject scores range from 1 to 36, while the composite score is rounded to the nearest whole number. English, Math, and Reading also have subscores from 1 to 18, but these don’t affect the subject scores. If the optional writing test is taken, scores range from 2 to 12, different from the usual 1 to 36 range, but it doesn’t impact the composite score. Each question is worth one point, and there’s no penalty for incorrect answers. Students can retake the test to improve their scores.
Proximate Amount for the ACT Registration Fee
The approximate registration fee for the ACT varies depending on whether you choose to include the optional writing section or not. If you opt for the writing section, the fee is calculated by adding $46 (the base registration fee) and $57.50 (the additional fee for the writing section), resulting in a total of $103.50. When converted to Indian Rupees (INR), this amounts to approximately 7,485 INR.
On the other hand, if you decide not to take the writing section, the fee is calculated by adding $62.50 (the base registration fee for the ACT without the writing section) and $57.50 (the additional fee for the writing section), totalling $120. When converted to Indian Rupees (INR), this amounts to approximately 8,680 INR.
These fees cover the cost of registering for the ACT exam and may vary slightly based on factors such as location and test centre amenities.
Test Availability
The test is offered:
– In the US and Canada, seven times annually.
– In other countries, five times annually.
– It has a duration of 3 hours and 35 minutes.
To register for the test, ensure to complete the registration process on the website http://www.act.org at least one month before the test date. For any further inquiries about the ACT or its components, please contact your dedicated counsellor at Ixora.