40 minutes

The 65-minute reading section is comprised of 52 multiple-choice questions; the writing and language section that lasts 35 minutes has 44 multiple-choice questions; and the 80-minute math test features 58 questions, 45 of which are multiple-choice and 13 that require a student-produced response.

36

There are rough guidelines if you want to improve a certain amount of points. With the ACT, improving by 1 point requires about 10 hours of studying. 2-3 points mean 20 hours, 2-4 means 40 hours, 4-6 requires 80, and anything above that means you’re looking at 150+ hours of studying to make information stick.

Two hours a week of studying for two months is a good general goal if you are closer to the test date. If you have four or more months before the test, you could try just an hour a week.

You can go back and prepare more before a second attempt. You can use this first test to determine your weaknesses and guide that further study. For a first attempt, two weeks (although I don’t really understand the time limit, since its 3 months away) is enough time to get basic familiarity with the test structure.

Overall ACT Hacks

1. #1: Skip Hard Questions at First.
2. #2: Fill in an Answer Bubble for Every Question.
3. #3: Know the Test Structure.
4. #4: Use Process of Elimination.
5. #5: Choose the Most Concise Answer.
6. #6: Tread Carefully With NO CHANGE Answers.
7. #7: Read Around the Question.
8. #8: Plug In Answers.

The basic signs of cheating – like looking at someone else’s test paper, talking, using inappropriate materials, or causing any disturbances – are all prohibited while taking the ACT. Since it is strictly timed, students cannot look back or ahead in the test booklet.

Is a 16 a good ACT score? A score of 16 is in the lower quarter. It places you in the bottom 25th percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam. The score indicates you’ve done a poor job answering the questions on the English, Math, Reading and Science sections of the test.

What Is a Good ACT Score for 2020 Overall?

The average ACT score is 20.6. If you’ve scored 21, then you’ve scored higher than 50% of test-takers. That’s pretty good, depending on your frame of reference. A 24 places you at the 74th percentile—better than ¾ of test-takers!

To be eligible, students must have ACT scores of at least 31 or SAT scores of at least 1430, be in the top 5% of their high school classes, and have a GPA of 3.8 or above.

The ACT is scored out of a total of 36 points — this is known as the composite, or total, score. The lowest possible composite score is 1.

Nationally, What’s a Bad ACT Score? If you look at the ACT percentiles, any composite score below 20 (the 50th percentile) is below average. (For more on how the ACT is scored and how the composite is calculated, see our guide.) In other words, to be above average nationally, you need at least a 21 ACT composite score.

We know that 36 is the best possible score on the ACT and that any score in the 30s is considered very good.

Definitely do not retake. Your app will get a look see anywhere and if you don’t get in it definitely won’t be due to test score. The things you could do with your time if you are not studying for the ACT will yield much greater returns on your chances of admission than an extra point on the ACT.