International Exams · Entrance Exams

ACT Syllabus

The ACT is built on school curricula, and ACT publishes the weight of each reporting category, which is the nearest thing it has to a syllabus.

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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

Syllabus

ACT — What the syllabus covers

Reporting categories and their share of operational questions, as ACT publishes them for the enhanced test.
Section	Operational questions	Reporting categories
English	40, plus 10 unscored field-test items	Production of Writing 38–43%; Knowledge of Language 18–23%; Conventions of Standard English 38–43%
Mathematics	41, plus 4 unscored	Preparing for Higher Math 80% — number and quantity 10–12%, algebra 17–20%, functions 17–20%, geometry 17–20%, statistics and probability 12–15%; Integrating Essential Skills 20%; modelling reported across both
Reading	27, plus 9 unscored	Key Ideas and Details 44–52%; Craft and Structure 26–33%; Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 19–26%
Science (optional)	34, plus 6 unscored	Interpretation of Data 38–50%; Scientific Investigation 18–32%; Evaluation of Models, Inferences and Experimental Results 24–38%

English: Passages with underlined portions and questions asking which revision is best, or whether a sentence should be added, moved or deleted. Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, tone and organisation, with an emphasis on concision and relevance rather than on naming rules.
Mathematics: Content through the beginning of grade 12: pre-algebra and elementary algebra, coordinate and plane geometry, intermediate algebra and functions, trigonometry, statistics and probability. Indian candidates usually find the content familiar and the phrasing of word problems the difficulty.
Reading: Passages in literary narrative, social science, humanities and natural science, including a paired-passage set, with questions on main idea, detail, inference, vocabulary in context, the author’s purpose and the relationship between two texts.
Science: Data representation in tables and graphs, research summaries describing experiments, and conflicting viewpoints; the questions are about reading and reasoning from what is shown rather than recalling science, though a little background helps.
Writing: One prompt presenting an issue and three perspectives; the essay takes and develops a position, engages with the perspectives, and is scored on ideas and analysis, development and support, organisation, and language use, each 2–12 from two readers.