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International Exams · Entrance Exams
The ACT is one of the two admissions tests used by universities in the United States for undergraduate entry, accepted by every four-year US college and by more than 200 universities outside the US. It tests English, mathematics and reading, with science and a written essay as optional add-ons, and reports a composite score from 1 to 36. Outside the US it is taken online at test centres over two-day windows seven times a year.
The test was reshaped in 2025 and 2026. Since September 2025 the composite has been the average of English, math and reading alone, science having become optional; and from February 2026 the enhanced format shortened the sections — English to 50 questions in 35 minutes, math to 45 in 50, reading to 36 in 40 — so that the core test runs a little over two hours. That change matters for anyone preparing from older material.
ACT · checked 19 September 2026
The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.
Checked 19 September 2026
5 Sept; 23–24 Oct; 11–12 Dec 2026; 12–13 Feb; 2–3 Apr; 11–12 Jun; 9–10 Jul 2027
ACT, Inc.; online at international test centres, paper or online in the US
Undergraduate admission at all US four-year colleges and 200+ universities elsewhere
English 50 questions / 35 min; Math 45 / 50; Reading 36 / 40; Science optional 40 / 40; Writing optional 40 min
Overview
The English section asks you to revise and edit short texts across genres; math covers content taught up to the start of grade 12, with a permitted calculator; reading tests close reading and integration of information across sources. Science, now optional, tests interpretation of data and experimental reasoning in biology, chemistry, earth and space science and physics rather than recall. The optional writing test is a single 40-minute argumentative essay scored 2 to 12 by two readers.
ACT scores each section on the number of correct answers converted to a 1–36 scale, then averages English, math and reading to the nearest whole number for the composite. Candidates who take science also receive a STEM score averaging math and science, and those who take writing an ELA score averaging English, reading and writing. There is no deduction for wrong answers. The reported 2024 average composite was 19.4; ACT’s own guidance treats 24 to 28 as strong for selective universities and 30 and above as the range for the most selective.
Any ACT paper written before 2025 has 75 English questions in 45 minutes, 60 math in 60, 40 reading in 35 and a compulsory science section. The enhanced test is shorter in every section and gives more time per question. Use such papers for content, but time yourself to the current numbers and treat the composite you compute from them with caution.
Selection process
Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.
| Stage | Format | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Register and choose the options | MyACT account; international fee from US$188.50 | Registration is online with a photo upload and a high-school code. Science and writing are added or removed up to the late deadline. International registration closes about four weeks before each window, with a late fee of $42 for two further weeks and a $49 charge for date or centre changes. |
| The core test | English, math, reading — about 2 hours 5 minutes | English: 50 questions in 35 minutes on revising and editing texts. Math: 45 questions in 50 minutes across number and quantity, algebra, functions, geometry, statistics and probability, with a permitted calculator. Reading: 36 questions in 40 minutes on key ideas, craft and structure, and integration of ideas across passages. |
| Optional sections | Science 40 questions / 40 minutes; Writing one essay / 40 minutes | Science covers interpretation of data, scientific investigation and evaluation of models and results, drawn from biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences and physics. Writing is an argumentative essay on a given issue, scored 2–12 by two readers and reported separately; neither optional section changes the composite. |
| Scores and reports | Online from about four business days; up to 8 weeks | International scores begin to appear in the MyACT account as soon as four business days after the test and occasionally take up to eight weeks; writing scores are released once all scores for the date are ready. The fee includes reports to up to four colleges; further reports are $20 each. Only one test per administration is permitted, and a second sitting in the same window is cancelled without refund. |
Exam resources
Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.
Questions
Three scored sections — English with 50 questions in 35 minutes, mathematics with 45 in 50 and reading with 36 in 40 — plus an optional science section of 40 questions in 40 minutes and an optional 40-minute writing essay. Each section is scored 1–36, the composite is the average of English, math and reading, and there is no penalty for wrong answers. The enhanced, shorter format applies to international dates from February 2026.
No. Since September 2025 science is an optional add-on that does not affect the composite, which is now the average of English, math and reading. Candidates who take it receive a science score and a STEM score averaging math and science. Some programmes still ask for it, so check each university before dropping it.
Seven windows: 5 September 2026; 23–24 October; 11–12 December; 12–13 February 2027; 2–3 April; 11–12 June; and 9–10 July. Registration closes about four weeks before each, with a late deadline two weeks later, and initial scores are released roughly a week after the window.
The international fee is US$188.50 for English, math and reading, $198.50 with science, $213.50 with writing and $223.50 with both, including score reports to four colleges. Late registration adds $42, a date or centre change $49, and each additional score report $20.
ACT reports the 2024 average composite as 19.4 and describes 24 to 28 as strong for selective universities and 30 to 36 as the range for the most selective. A good score is one at or above the middle range of admitted students at the universities you are applying to, which each publishes. By the official concordance, ACT 30 corresponds roughly to SAT 1370.
Either; every US college accepts both and compares them by concordance. The ACT is longer in question count, faster in pace and closer to the school curriculum, with an optional science section; the SAT is shorter, adaptive and more reasoning-based. Take a timed practice test of each and choose the one on which you rank higher.
Read the syllabus, attempt a free mock, then fix the section that costs you the most marks.
Already practising? Create Free Account to track your preparation.
