ACT is often taken as an alternative to the SAT test and is part of the admissions process for both international and U.S. students. The test is administered by the nonprofit organization ACT.

ACT first appeared in 1959 as a response to the SAT. Both tests are comparable in their role to a high school graduation exam: they can be taken after high school, but are not mandatory for all candidates. However, for admission to many universities, applying without one of these tests is significantly more difficult or impossible. Both ACT and SAT have proven to be reliable indicators of academic readiness and future student success, which is why most universities accept results from both tests.

There are two types of ACT tests.

ACT (No Science) consists of four sections: English, Mathematics, and Science.
ACT Plus Science (New format from 2025) Students can add an optional Science section and/or an optional Writing (essay) section.

The English section of the ACT test assesses your understanding of standard written English and rhetorical skills essential for academic writing. The test consists of 75 questions distributed across five passages. Certain parts of the text are underlined, and your task is to determine whether they should be kept or revised by selecting the most appropriate option.

Questions assess correct language usage, style, and organization of the text, including punctuation, sentence structure, logical flow within a paragraph, and relationships between different parts of the text. The emphasis is on clarity, precision, and understanding how a well-functioning written text works as a whole.

The Math section lasts 60 minutes and consists of 60 questions covering basic and advanced equations, geometry, and trigonometry. The difficulty of the questions gradually increases as you progress through the test, meaning that greater confidence and speed in solving more complex problems are expected toward the end.

Calculators are allowed only in this section. Each question offers five possible answers, and the goal is to assess your ability to apply mathematical knowledge under time constraints.

The Reading section lasts 35 minutes and consists of 40 questions distributed across four passages. Three passages contain one longer prose text each, while one passage includes two shorter related texts.

This section assesses a wide range of reading skills. You are required to understand and interpret text, identify main ideas, interpret the meaning of details, recognize the sequence of events, compare information, understand cause-and-effect relationships, and determine the meaning of words and expressions in context. Special attention is given to analyzing tone and the author’s or narrator’s approach.

The Science section lasts 35 minutes and contains 40 questions distributed across seven passages, each including five to seven questions. The passages come in three formats: data representation, research summaries, and conflicting scientific viewpoints.

Although this section includes topics from various fields of natural sciences, the focus is not on memorizing facts, but on scientific skills. It assesses your ability to interpret data, analyze information, reason logically, evaluate, and solve problems — skills essential for studying science and technical fields.

The Writing section of the ACT test is not mandatory and is always conducted at the end of the exam. It lasts 40 minutes. Although there is no strictly prescribed essay structure, the task is to clearly respond to a given question by analyzing three different perspectives and explaining your own position in relation to them.

The essay is scored separately and does not affect the overall test score or the English section score. Two certified raters assign scores from 1 to 6 in four categories: ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and use of language and style. The combined scores result in a score from 2 to 12 (or 0) in each category, which is then converted into the ACT writing scale from 1 to 36.

Although Writing is not mandatory, some universities require this score and include it in admission decisions.

The four main sections of the ACT test are scored individually on a scale from 1 to 36. A composite score is also calculated, representing the rounded average of the scores from all four sections. Each correct answer is worth one point, and there are no penalties for incorrect answers.

Each section also includes subscores ranging from 1 to 18, which provide a more detailed insight into your strengths and weaknesses. Candidates who take the Writing section receive a separate writing score from 2 to 12, which does not affect the overall score.

ACT is designed so that achieving the maximum score is extremely difficult. Average scores typically range between 17 and 23. Although ACT is often considered to contain slightly easier questions than the SAT, the shorter time per section makes the test demanding and dynamic.

You can register for the ACT test and check available dates via the official website www.act.org.

In Croatia, the ACT test is taken at an official administrative center several times a year, on Fridays from 8:00 to 13:00. Candidates can take the test up to 12 times, and each retake is registered in the same way as the first attempt.

The administrative center is located at:
American International School of Zagreb
Damira Tomljanovića-Gavrana 3, 10000 Zagreb
Tel.: +385 (0)99 4040 034
www.aisz.hr

ACT (No Writing) costs 39.50 USD. The price includes a score report for the candidate, their high school, and up to four selected universities, provided that the correct university codes are entered during registration.

ACT Plus Writing costs 56.50 USD. The price includes the Writing section. The Writing Test fee of 16 USD can be refunded upon written request if the candidate misses the test or changes the option to ACT (No Writing) before the exam begins.

For international testing outside the U.S. and Canada, an additional fee of 40 USD is charged. More information about ACT fees is available on the official website.

For ACT (No Writing), results are usually available online approximately two weeks after the test date. Official score reports typically arrive within three to eight weeks.

If you take the Writing Test, writing results are available approximately two weeks after the main results. Score reports for both parts of the test arrive within five to eight weeks.

Additional score reports can be requested online through the ACT account or in PDF format, by phone (with an additional fee of 14 USD per request), or by mail via written request. More information is available at:
http://www.actstudent.org/scores/send/

Related articles:

1. If you are not sure whether to take the SAT or ACT, find out more at https://www.studyusa.com/en/a/1305/act-vs-sat-ultimate-guide-to-choosing-the-right-test

2. Additional information can be found at: http://www.actstudent.org/faq/

3. More about the Science section of the ACT test can be found here: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/science-practice-test-questions.html?page=0&chapter=0

4. If you are taking the ACT test soon, here are more specific instructions for test day: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-day.html