The ACT is an important part of the college admissions process across the country. Today, more American high school students take the ACT than the SAT, and their scores can have a direct impact on which colleges they get accepted to. That pressure can make students pretty nervous about taking the ACT. A lot of students stress out because they don’t know what to study for the ACT and become overwhelmed trying to learn everything before the test.
But you don’t have to stress about the ACT. We have all the practice tests, strategies, and tips to help you get your best ACT score, without having to review everything on the test. Dr. Gary Gruber and your other College Countdown ACT test-prep mentors are ready to help you beat the ACT.
Learn some specific ACT strategies
Learning ACT strategies will let you think mechanically without racking your brain. When answering questions, don’t panic about finding the right answer. My ACT strategies help you extract something in the question that will lead you to the next step in solving the problem.
Instead of learning how to solve one problem at a time or trying to use memorization, if you learn ACT strategies, you will be able to solve hundreds of problems.
Here’s a quick overview of the structure of the ACT and the basic content covered. For more details on the ACT, check out these Frequently Asked Questions about the ACT.
Section |
Time |
Type of Questions |
Math |
60 questions |
Elementary/Pre-Algebra—24 questions |
Reading |
40 questions (4 passages) |
Prose fiction passage—10 questions |
English |
75 questions (5 passages) |
Usage/Mechanics—40 questions |
Science |
40 questions (7 data sets) |
Interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required for natural sciences |
Writing (optional) |
1 prompt |
Presentation of a point of view in a student-produced essay |
Total time:
ACT only: 2 hours 55 minutes, plus one 10-minute break
ACT plus writing: 3 hours 25 minutes, plus one 10- and one 5-minute break
Ready to get started? Check out my top 5 act strategies to start improving your ACT score.