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Over the past 10 years, we have helped thousands of students earn remarkable ACT scores. We know what it takes to help your student achieve their Test Day goals.
Our ACT students are successful because they show up to the test better prepared than anyone else in the room. They have simple and effective strategies that complement their learning styles, they have completed extensive practice with material specific to their challenges and goals, and they have developed the confidence that comes with smart, pragmatic support from an expert guide.
While the content that is tested on the ACT is the same for each student, no two students have precisely the same needs. Your student will start by learning the structure and nature of the test and developing essential high-level understandings and strategies. From there, your student will receive individualized guidance in response to their specific needs. From mastering the rules of grammar to navigating the timing in the Reading section, your student will gain habits and skills that will have a meaningful impact on their Test Day performance.
When your student sits for their official ACT, they will be armed with the confidence, skills and strategies to exceed their goals and expand their opportunities.
Is Your Student Ready to Ignite Their Test Taking Confidence?
Students who are applying to colleges that accept SAT and ACT scores should plan to take the ACT. Your student should start by taking a diagnostic SAT and ACT to decide which test is the right fit for them.
The ACT has four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science.
The English section of the ACT tests grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and relevance. Students need a strong understanding of the rules of grammar and punctuation, an ability to recognize clauses, an eye for efficiency, and a commitment to reading thoroughly. The English section is very predictable, and the most common challenge students encounter is that they miss an important detail because they did not read the text, the questions, or the answer choices carefully enough. This section includes 75 questions in 45 minutes.
The Math section of the ACT is fully multiple choice and gradually increases in difficulty. The content tested ranges from Pre-Algebra up through Pre-Calculus and is relatively evenly distributed across content areas. The questions in this section are generally straightforward, but the ACT requires that students are prepared to employ the full scope of their math knowledge, including certain formulas that they must have memorized. This section includes 60 questions in 60 minutes.
The Reading section of the ACT is really a test of students’ ability to quickly locate information in a dense text. Students are presented with 4 reading passages and asked 10 questions about each passage. The questions usually require students to return to the text to find the relevant information and then select the answer that best paraphrases the text. The biggest challenge for most students is the timing of this section, which demands a predictable and efficient approach. This section includes 40 questions in 35 minutes.
The Science section of the ACT primarily tests students’ ability to interpret charts and graphs based on scientific studies and experiments. While daunting at first, the Science section is more about data literacy than actual content knowledge, and most questions do not require any background knowledge of the concepts relevant to the study or experiment. Timing is often a factor for students, as is fatigue, since the Science section is the final section of the ACT. This section includes 40 questions in 35 minutes.
The ACT is offered seven times each year, with tests in February, April, June, July, September, October, and December.
Most students take the ACT two or three times in order to achieve their score goals. When you are building your testing calendar, plan for three tests and anticipate taking one test in the late summer or fall of Senior year, as this is when many students ultimately earn their best results.
It is best to begin preparing at least two-and-a-half months before your first ACT. Students who meet with their tutor 8-10 times before their first test and then 4-6 times before each subsequent test typically see the greatest score improvements.
The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 – 36 points. Each section is scored on this same scale, then the four sections are averaged together to arrive at a student’s ‘composite’ score. The national average ACT score is ~20, and a score of 29 places a student in the 90th+ percentile.
Students can superscore their ACTs by combining the best sectional scores from each of their tests to create a ‘superscore’, or best possible score. Superscoring is one of the best reasons for students to take the ACT multiple times, and the ACT will automatically generate a superscore report for students who have taken more than one ACT.
In order to be ready for your test, make sure to prepare your materials in advance. You will need:
SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, ACT is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., PSAT/NMSQT is a trademark jointly owned by the College Board. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with Open Door Education or this website.
