ACT Exam Pattern and Syllabus
The ACT consists of four multiple-choice tests - English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science and an optional writing test. Topics covered on these five tests correspond very closely to topics covered in typical high school classes.
Overview of ACT
| Test | Questions | Time (Minutes) |
| English | 75 | 45 |
| Mathematics | 60 | 60 |
| Reading | 40 | 35 |
| Science | 40 | 35 |
| Writing (Optional) | 1 prompt | 40 |
Questions on the tests are intended to help assess college and career readiness. Each multiple-choice section contains questions with either four or five answers from which you are to choose the correct or best answer.
1. English Test
75 questions, 45 minutes
The English test consists of five essays or passages, each followed by a set of multiple-choice questions. Different passage types are employed to provide a variety of rhetorical situations. Passages are chosen not only for their appropriateness in assessing writing skills but also to reflect students’ interests and experiences.
Passages and their accompanying questions test knowledge and skills related to production of writing; knowledge of language; and conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and punctuation.
2. Mathematics Test
60 questions, 60 minutes
The mathematics section is designed to assess the mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of grade 12. Most questions are self-contained. Some questions may belong to a set of several questions (e.g., each about the same graph or chart).
Conceptual knowledge and computational skills are assumed as background for the problems, but recall of complex formulas and extensive computation is not required.
Math questions test knowledge and skills in the areas of number and quantity, algebra and functions, geometry, statistics and probability.
3. Reading Test
40 questions, 35 minutes
The reading section measures your ability to read closely, reason logically about texts using evidence, and integrate information from multiple sources.
The questions focus on the mutually supportive skills that readers must bring to bear in studying written materials across a range of subject areas.
The test comprises four sections, each containing one long or two shorter prose passages that are representative of the level and kinds of text commonly encountered in first-year college curricula. Passages on topics in social studies, natural sciences, literary narrative (including prose fiction), and the humanities are included, and the passages vary in terms of how challenging and complex they are.
4. Science Test
40 questions, 35 minutes
The science test measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences. The section presents several authentic scientific scenarios, each followed by a number of multiple-choice questions.
The content includes biology, chemistry, Earth/space sciences (e.g., geology, astronomy, and meteorology), and physics. Advanced knowledge in these areas is not required, but background knowledge acquired in general, introductory science courses may be needed to correctly answer some of the questions.
5. Writing Test (Optional)
1 prompt, 40 minutes
If you register for the ACT with writing, you will take the writing section after the four multiple-choice sections. Your score in the writing section will not affect your scores on the multiple-choice or your Composite score.
The writing test is a 40-minute essay test that measures your writing skills - specifically those writing skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses.
The test asks you to produce an essay in response to a contemporary issue. You will be given a prompt that presents the issue and provides three different perspectives on it. Your task is to write an essay in which you develop a perspective on the issue and explore how it relates to at least one other perspective.