ACT

This exam serves the same purpose as the SAT I: to test a student's basic scholastic skills. However, it is different from the SAT in that it is an achievement test, measuring what students have learned in high school and what they're ready to learn next. Some colleges require students to take the ACT instead of the SAT, and many colleges accept both the SAT and ACT. The three and one half hour ACT is comprised of four multiple-choice sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. There is also an an optional Writing test. Each section is scored on a 36 point scale. All of the sections are averaged out to a 1-36 point final score.

As with the SAT, preparation is necessary for the ACT. Though private ACT preparatory courses are not as readily available as SAT courses, ACT preparatory books are easily obtainable. Since the ACT is an achievement test, the best preparation is taking challenging courses in high school and becoming familiar with the test content.

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