General Test Pattern for ACT Test

ACT has four test sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science- total duration of 3 hours. The
writing section is optional and adds another 40 minutes to the total duration. It is an MCQ
(multiple choice questions) based test with 215 questions in total. The scores on every section
vary from a low of 1 to a high of 36. The total test score is an average of all section scores.

The average ACT score is 20.8, and a “good ACT score” is determined by your choice of the
target school.

Two breaks are scheduled during the test: the 1st is after the Math section, and the 2nd is just
before writing (provided you have opted for a writing test).

The writing score does not affect the final scaled composite score. An essay is assigned a score
of 2-12 along 4 domains: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and
Language Use and Conventions. Every essay is judged by two graders, each assigning a score
of 1-6 across every domain. The scores of the English section are combined with the writing
section, and the composite score is produced under the heading English Language Arts (ELA).
Similarly, a STEM score is also provided separately (Science and Mathematics).
ACT Syllabus

English
This section contains 5 passages for a total of 75 multiple-choice questions. The questions are
detail-based or overall idea/big-picture based, in relation to a particular paragraph or the whole
passage. 2 skills are tested primarily: Usage and Mechanics and Rhetorical Skills. Usage and
Mechanics test you on your understanding of grammar rules: usage, punctuation, and sentence
structure. Rhetorical Skills deal with your abstract understanding or comprehension of the
passage.

The type of questions asked can be covered under some broad headings. Punctuation tests
your understanding and use of semicolons, apostrophe, period, comma etc. Grammar Usage
tests your understanding of grammar rules such as subject/verb agreement,
pronoun/antecedent agreement, verb formation, pronoun case, and adverbs. Sentence
Structure tests you on knowledge related to clauses, modifiers, and shifts in construction.
Strategy questions test your ability to enhance and modify a given passage through the usage
of appropriate phrases. Organization questions test your organizational capabilities: your choice
of opening/closing and transitional sentences. Style questions test your ability to employ the
right words that maintain the flow and tone of the essay.

Mathematics
A permitted calculator is allowed for this section of the test.

Pre-Algebra: comprises of 20-25% of the total questions. It includes number problems,

multiples/factors/primes, divisibility, percentages, fractions, square roots, ratios,
mean/median/mode, probability, place values, absolute values, exponents, series, simple
descriptive statistics.

Elementary Algebra: comprises of 15-20% of the total questions. It includes substitution,

simplifying expressions, solving linear equations, inequalities, multiplying binomials, solving
quadratic equations.

Intermediate Algebra: comprises of 15-20% of the total questions. It includes solving systems of
equations, functions, matrices, logarithms, inequalities, sequences and patterns, complex
numbers.

Coordinate Geometry: comprises of 15-20% of the total questions. It includes number lines,
graphing inequalities, distance and mid-points, slope calculation, parallel/perpendicular lines,
line equation, conic sections.
Plane Geometry: comprises of 20-25% of the total questions. It includes lines and angles,
triangles, polygons, circles, 3-D geometry, volume, properties of circles, triangles, and
parallelograms.

Trigonometry: comprises of 5-10% of the total questions. It includes solving triangles,

trigonometric identities and graphs, graphing trigonometric functions, solving trigonometric
equations.

Reading
This section contains 4 passages for a total of 40 multiple-choice questions. The passages will
represent four broad areas: social science, humanities, natural science, and literary fiction.

Reading skills are varied and include the ability to understand central ideas, locate details within
a written text, decoding the flow of ideas, understanding cause/effect and comparisons,
contextual understanding of phrases, and analyzing the tone and purpose of the author.

Central Idea questions are related to the big idea or theme of the passage. Detail questions test
you on the meaning or understanding of a specific phrase/line within a passage. Vocabulary
questions test your contextual understanding of words and their usage. Function questions test
your understanding of the role of a particular word or phrase within the context of the entire
passage. Implied Ideas ask you the meaning of a word/phrase that is not written in explicit
terms.

Science
This section contains 7 passages for a total of 40 multiple-choice questions. The passages are
frequently accompanied by diagrams such as tables, charts, and graphs. The topics that are
tested revolve around Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth Sciences.

The skills required to ace this section have more to do with the kind of reasoning developed
while learning the scientific method rather than just the raw memorization of facts and figures.
Knowledge of the theory behind hypothesis testing and the ability to collect and analyze data
are important skills when it comes to the Science section.

Data Representation questions test you on your ability to decipher graphs/scatter-plots/tables,

along with your ability to use the presented information. Research Summaries test you on your
understanding of the design-of-experiments and associated results as described in the passage.
Conflicting Viewpoints gauges your ability to analyze divergent viewpoints. The questions
revolve around a central idea, and you need to critically examine the two viewpoints presented.

Writing (Optional)
The cogency of an essay is paramount for the ACT. The ability to assimilate different lines of
reasoning and stitch it into a coherent and compelling written piece will earn you a high score.
Given the time constraint, a well-polished first draft is expected and not a technically perfect
written specimen.

A short passage is given on a certain topic, which is accompanied by 3 different viewpoints on

the same. Your task is to analyze the viewpoints, elucidate their merits/demerits, identify flaws in
reasoning (if any), discuss caveats, contrast one argument against the others and discuss the
scope of improvements.

Knowing the syllabus goes a long way in understanding what is expected, and avoids nasty
surprises on the test day. Moreover, it will help you in preparing an optimal study plan based on
your strengths and weaknesses in different subject areas.