International Exams · Entrance Exams

ACT Previous Papers

ACT releases full official tests. Since 2026 they must be re-timed to the shorter sections, and the science section treated as optional.

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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.

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19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

ACT: the facts that matter now

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5 Sept; 23–24 Oct; 11–12 Dec 2026; 12–13 Feb; 2–3 Apr; 11–12 Jun; 9–10 Jul 2027
International dates 2026–27
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ACT, Inc.; online at international test centres, paper or online in the US
Administered by
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Undergraduate admission at all US four-year colleges and 200+ universities elsewhere
Used for
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English 50 questions / 35 min; Math 45 / 50; Reading 36 / 40; Science optional 40 / 40; Writing optional 40 min
Sections

Past papers

ACT — Reading previous papers properly

The official practice tests and the Official ACT Prep Guide contain real retired forms, and the ACT My Answer Key service returns your own questions and answers after some dates. A form written before the enhancement has 75 English, 60 math and 40 reading questions with less time per question than the current test; the content and question style are unchanged, so it is still the best material available, but the timing needs adjusting and the composite recomputed from the three core sections.

Using an older form honestly

Re-time each section Give yourself the current per-question pace — 42 seconds an English question, 67 a math question, 67 a reading question — rather than the old section clock.
Compute the composite from three sections Average English, math and reading only; science no longer counts unless a target university asks for it.
Classify errors by reporting category ACT’s category weights tell you where a mark is worth most; a weak Conventions of Standard English score is a grammar list, a weak Integration of Ideas score is a paired-passage habit.
Keep the science section if you will sit it Some engineering and science programmes still ask for it; check before dropping it from practice.