Our test prep track record is stellar: average improvement in ACT Composite Score is 8 points, with improvement in Science averaging 8 points and Math averaging 10 points.
In contrast to other ACT courses offered at other education centers, lessons at CANA are tailor-made to meet the specific needs of each individual student, reviewing all topics and placing emphasis on strengthening areas of weaknesses. We provide strategies for point improvement, a timeline for point increments, and regularly scheduled mocks to assess learning progress.
What is the ACT?
Since 2012, the ACT has surpassed the SAT in total test takers and is now the most popular standardized test for college entrance and merit-based scholarship in the United States. This test has been revamped as recently as spring of 2025 with major changes being the shortened total testing time that has been reduced to 2 hours and 5 minutes and making the Science section optional like the Writing (essay), which has always been optional. ACT also rolled out the online version so that students can now choose to either take the traditional paper-and-pencil route or use their computer depending on which format they are most comfortable with, although the ACT organization reported students’ positive feedback on seamless pacing, improved efficiency, and streamlined essay writing for the computer version.
To sum up, you may now take the ACT (3 core sections), ACT+Science, ACT+Writing, or ACT+Science+Writing. The test is composed of the following sections:
|
Format |
Score range |
Coverage |
| English |
50 MC Questions (35 minutes) |
1-36 |
· Production of Writing (29–32%)
· Knowledge of Language (15–17%)
· Conventions of Standard English (52–55%)
|
| Math |
45 MC Questions (50 minutes) |
- Preparing for Higher Math (57-60%) – Algebra, functions, geometry, statistics & probability, number & quantity
- Integrating Essential Skills (40–43%) – Multi-step problems using rates, proportions, averages, measurement in real-world contexts
- Modeling (throughout) – Creating, interpreting, refining mathematical models within problems
|
| Reading |
36 MC Questions (40 minutes) |
· Key Ideas and Details (52–60%)
· Craft and Structure (25–30%)
· Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (13–23%)
|
Science
(Optional) |
40 MC Questions (35 minutes) |
· Interpretation of Data (40–50%)
· Scientific Investigation (20–30%)
· Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results (25–35%)
|
Writing
(optional) |
1 essay prompt (40 minutes) |
2-12 |
Essays are graded according to the following criteria:
· Ideas and Analysis
· Development and Support
· Organization
· Language Use and Conventions
|
The required portion of the ACT includes English, Math, and Reading. Section test scores, including the optional Science section, range from 1-36. The ACT composite score (also 1-36) is calculated as the average score of the three required sections and is not affected by the optional Science and Writing scores. Another change is that experimental questions are sprinkled in alongside the real questions in each section so students won’t be able to tell which questions are scored and which are experimental.
SAT vs ACT
All US Universities accept both SAT and ACT and do not prefer one test to the other. Therefore, you should find out which test suits you better by taking diagnostic tests and select the one which gives you a scoring advantage. You can also check out the following table to find out whether SAT or ACT is likely to be a better match for you:
| You are likely to do well in SAT if … |
- You prefer to take your time in tests and are good at spotting traps in questions
- You are used to doing math without a calculator
- You are good at analyzing texts and writing commentaries
|
| You are likely to do well in ACT if … |
- You work fast and rarely run out of time in tests at school
- You are good at using a calculator
- You like science in the context of reading and interpreting tables and charts and deducing correlation between sets of data
- You are good at interpreting data from charts and tables
|
When should I take the ACT
Outside of the US, the ACT is offered every year in February, April, June, July, September, October, and December. Taking the ACT more than once (retesting) is recommended, since most students improve their composite score in their second testing.
Taking the ACT more than once (retesting) is also recommended, since most students improved their ACT score in their second testing.
Improve your ACT result at CANA
Our ACT instructors are graduates of the top elite U.S. universities and have attained top scores in standardized tests. They have all been carefully selected by virtue of their communication skills and coaching ability.
SAT and ACT are two common exams for admission to US universities. While the gap between the two tests has significantly narrowed owing to both SAT and ACT reforms, there are still key differentiations that you must consider before finding out which is more favourable to you. Here is a comparison at a glance.
Grammar Difficulty
- SAT questions increase in difficulty level.
- ACT places more emphasis on nuanced grammar usage such as punctuation and rhetoric skills.
Vocabulary Emphasis
- SAT no longer tests on pure vocabulary, so students don’t have to study specific lists of difficult words. However, there are still vocabulary-in-context questions.
- ACT focuses more on writing and word usage skills than pure vocabulary knowledge.
Reading Questions
- SAT presents short reading passages (or passage pairs) from 25-150 words followed by a single multiple-choice question. Questions on the Reading and Writing section represent 1 of 4 content domains—Craft & Structure, Information and Ideas, Standard English Conventions, and Expression of Ideas. Passages also represent the subject areas of literature, history/social studies, the humanities, and science.
- Reading passages on the ACT are approximately 650-750 words with 9 corresponding questions. These passages are slightly shorter than on the old ACT to encourage more thoughtful responses. Passages appear in 1 of 3 formats – single passages, paired passages, and VQI (visual or quantitative information) passages. The last type of passage incorporates a chart or table, alongside the text, where students must interpret the visual data in the context of the written passages. ACT Reading includes a mix of literary and informational passages that include 1 literary narrative passage typically drawn from fiction or memoir; 2 informational passages drawn from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The experimental passage may fall into either category.
Daily Application and Question Types in Math Section
- SAT incorporates some of the advanced concepts formerly only in ACT, stressing more on real-world applications and problem solving than on logical reasoning.
- ACT presents slightly more rigorous problems, demanding competency in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. It has more straight-forward textbook-type questions that can be drilled for speed and accuracy. All questions are in multiple-choice format.
ACT Science Section
The ACT Science section has little to do with scientific knowledge. It assesses the student’s reasoning and critical thinking skills based on data analysis, interpretation, and deductive reasoning. The student is required to observe relationships between experimental data, extract and extrapolate information, and derive logical conclusions from tables, graphs, and schematics. There are 7 passages covering biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences. Each passage could contain graphs, charts, experiment summaries, or conflicting viewpoints from scientists. Every passage is followed by 4-7 questions about it.
So, should you take the ACT with Science? If you have any college on your list that either requires it or isn’t clear about whether they require it, we strongly recommend you to take ACT Science. Same if taking ACT Science can strengthen your college or scholarships applications for 1 of 2 reasons – you’re aiming for a science-heavy program like engineering or pre-med, or if a strong Science score can help offset a weaker score in one or more of the 3 core ACT sections. Nevertheless, you will have to face a longer test and may have to study more to prepare for the Science section as well.
Time Management
- SAT contains far fewer problems per allocated time: 70-71 seconds per Reading & Writing question, and an average of 95 seconds per Math problem.
- ACT is notorious for time crunch; with the new ACT, however, there are now fewer questions on almost all the sections of the test and time is less spare: Students now have 42 seconds per English question, 67 seconds per Math problem, 67 seconds per Reading question, and 60 seconds per optional Science problem. Time management is still a crucial asset.
Concordance of ACT and SAT scores
The following table shows, for each ACT composite score in the data set, the corresponding range of SAT total scores for students with the same percentile rank on each test. The most appropriate corresponding SAT score point for the given ACT score is also shown in the table.
| ACT Composite Score |
SAT Total Score Range |
SAT Total Score |
| 36 |
1570–1600 |
1590 |
| 35 |
1530–1560 |
1540 |
| 34 |
1490–1520 |
1500 |
| 33 |
1450–1480 |
1460 |
| 32 |
1420–1440 |
1430 |
| 31 |
1390–1410 |
1400 |
| 30 |
1360–1380 |
1370 |
| 29 |
1330–1350 |
1340 |
| 28 |
1300–1320 |
1310 |
| 27 |
1260–1290 |
1280 |
| 26 |
1230–1250 |
1240 |
| 25 |
1200–1220 |
1210 |
| 24 |
1160–1190 |
1180 |
| 23 |
1130–1150 |
1140 |
| 22 |
1100–1120 |
1110 |
| 21 |
1060–1090 |
1080 |
| 20 |
1030–1050 |
1040 |
| 19 |
990–1020 |
1010 |
| 18 |
960–980 |
970 |
| 17 |
920–950 |
930 |
| 16 |
880–910 |
890 |
| 15 |
830–870 |
850 |
| 14 |
780–820 |
800 |
| 13 |
730–770 |
760 |
| 12 |
690–720 |
710 |
| 11 |
650–680 |
670 |
| 10 |
620–640 |
630 |
| 9 |
590–610 |
590 |
For a complimentary assessment of the test that favours you, contact us for a consultation meeting, at no charge, with one of our expert consultant-coaches.
