ACT (test)
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| Type | Paper-based standardized test |
|---|---|
| Developer / administrator | ACT (nonprofit) |
| Knowledge / skills tested | English, mathematics, reading, science, writing (optional). |
| Purpose | Undergraduate admissions (mostly in the US and Canadian universities or colleges). |
| Year started | 1959 |
| Duration | English: 45 minutes, Mathematics: 60 minutes, Reading: 35 minutes, Science: 35 minutes, Optional writing test: 40 minutes. Total: 3 hours and 35 minutes (excluding breaks). |
| Score / grade range | Composite score: 1 to 36, Subscore (for each of the four subject areas): 1 to 36. (All in 1-point increments.) |
| Offered | US and Canada: 6 times a year. Other countries: 5 times a year. |
| Countries / regions | Worldwide |
| Languages | English |
| Annual no. of test takers |
 Over 1.84 million high school graduates in the class of 2014 |
| Prerequisites / eligibility criteria | No official prerequisite. Intended for high school students. Fluency in English assumed. |
| Fee | Without writing: US$ 42.50, With writing: US$ 58.50. Outside the US or Canada: US$ 37 in addition to above. (Fee waivers available for 11th or 12th grade students who are US citizens / permanent residents, and have demonstrated financial need.) |
| Scores / grades used by | Colleges or universities offering undergraduate programs (mostly in the US and Canada). |
| Website | www |
The ACT (/eɪ siː tiː/; originally an abbreviation of American College Testing) college readiness assessment is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, a nonprofit of the same name. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT. The ACT originally consisted of four tests: English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Natural Sciences. In 1989, the Social Studies test was changed into a Reading section (which included a Social Studies subsection) and the Natural Sciences test was renamed the Science Reasoning test, with more emphasis on problem solving skills. In February 2005, an optional Writing test was added to the ACT, mirroring changes to the SAT that took place later in March of the same year. In the spring of 2015, the ACT will start to be offered as a computer-based test that will incorporate some optional Constructed Response Questions; the test content, composite score, and multiple choice format will not be affected by these changes. The test will continue to be offered in the paper format for schools that are not ready to transition to computer testing.
The ACT has seen a gradual increase in the number of test takers since its inception, and in 2011 the ACT surpassed the SAT for the first time in total test takers; that year, 1,666,017 students took the ACT and 1,664,479 students took the SAT. All four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. accept the ACT, but different institutions place different emphases on standardized tests such as the ACT, compared to other factors of evaluation such as class rank, GPA, and extracurricular activities. The main four tests are scored individually on a scale of 1–36, and a Composite score is provided which is the whole number average of the four scores.
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