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Time is your enemy on the ACT, and you have to use it wisely. After all, how often do you take a test in school with a minute or less per question? Don’t panic! Get  the ACT timing tips you need to manage your pace throughout each section of the test.

How long does the ACT take?

The ACT is 3 hours long (technically 2 hours and 55 minutes). Including breaks, the exam takes 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete. If you sign up for the optional essay (the ACT Plus Writing ), the test clocks in at 3 hours and 40 minutes or just over 4 hours with breaks.

Here’s how your time is broken up by section:

How many questions are on the ACT?

The ACT has a total of 215 questions with 1 optional essay. The English section has 75 questions, the math section has 60 questions and the reading and science sections both have 40 questions.

What Time Does the ACT Start?

ACT test-takers are required to report to their test center by 8:00 am. The test begins after students are checked in and seated, usually by 8:30 am. Note that if you are taking the test on the computer, you may be taking the ACT at different times, including in the afternoon—be sure to look at your test ticket after you register for the ACT.

Finding the Right Pace for You

Your personal pacing strategy will depend on:

• your  ACT score goals
• what works best for you

See what’s working and what’s not by taking practice tests. We’ve got a free ACT practice test right here. Here are some ACT timing tips to keep in mind as you practice for your test date:

Read More: What's a Good ACT Score?

English Test

The most important thing is to finish. Try finding all the easy questions (the ones you know how to do) on the English Test first. Learn more about working questions out of order in our ACT Tips and Tricks article.

Spend more time to do fewer questions, and you’ll raise your accuracy. How do you know if you’re going too fast? Check your practice tests for careless errors on questions you should have gotten right. Get some ACT math practice here .

Reading Test

Practice extensively to find the pace that works best for you on the Reading Test . 

• Some students are slow but good readers. If you take 35 minutes to do fewer passages, you could get all of the questions right for each passage you do.
• Other students could take hours to work each passage and never get all the questions right. But if you find all the questions you can do on each passage (and guess on the rest of the questions), you could hit your target score.

Science Test

The ACT science test may have either 6 or 7 passages. Be aggressive and keep moving! Spend the time needed to ace the easiest passages first. Then move on the more difficult passages. Even on hard passages, work the the questions that look easiest first.

Read More: How to Write the ACT Essay

Writing Test (the Essay)

Outlining your essay before you write will keep you on track. Plus, organization is key to a great ACT writing score —you'll be doing yourself a big favor!

Remember, there is no guessing penalty on the ACT. Always mark an answer even if you don’t “work” the problem.

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How Long Does The ACT Take? An Overview of the ACT Test Length

The ACT—you know it, you love (to hate) it, and you need to know more about it in order to prepare for it effectively. Even with the explosion in the popularity of test-optional admissions policies that occurred during the COVID pandemic, getting a good score on the ACT can still help your college application, which leaves many students in the position of wanting or needing to take the test.

If that applies to you, then it’s important to know that the first step to doing well on the ACT is understanding as much as possible about the test. To that end, your friendly neighborhood test expert is here to answer one of the most common questions from students: how long is the ACT? We’ll cover the length of individual sections and the entire test, as well as discuss some strategies for coping with the pace of the test. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents / Quick Reference Guide:

An overview of the act exam.

• How Long Does The ACT Take?
• ACT Test Sections & Time
• How Many Questions Are On The ACT?
• ACT Start & End Times
• Extended Time Accommodations for the ACT
• Time Management Tips For The ACT
• Frequently Asked Questions About The Length of the ACT

The ACT is one of two tests—with the other being the SAT—that are used by colleges and universities in the admissions process to assess students’ readiness for college-level coursework. As I alluded to above, many schools implemented a test-optional admissions policy during the COVID pandemic, and most of those schools have indicated that they will remain test-optional for at least the foreseeable future. Test-optional is not the same thing as test-blind , however: schools with a test-optional policy will still consider test scores if you submit them with your application, which means that scoring well on the ACT can be a major boost to your chances of being admitted to one of those schools. There are also test score requirements attached to some scholarships, both athletic and academic. All of this means that the ACT still occupies an important place in the admissions landscape, which makes preparing for it a part of the high school experience for a large number of students.

Part of preparing for the test is knowing your enemy, from high-level strategy to content all the way down to logistical details. That leads us nicely to the main point of this post: tackling the question of ‘how long is the ACT?’

How Long Does The ACT Take To Complete?

In terms of purely testing time, the length of the ACT taken with standard time clocks in at 175 minutes—or just under 3 hours —without the Writing section; if you’re taking the Writing section, your total testing time will be 215 minutes, or just over 3.5 hours . You’ll use this time to complete 215 multiple-choice questions distributed between English, Math, Science, and Reading, as well as the optional Writing section if relevant.

Of course, there are other aspects of test day besides just the time you spend on each section. The proctor will read out instructions at the beginning and end of the test, and you’ll spend some time filling out biographical information on your answer sheet; additionally, a break of roughly 10 minutes is incorporated into the test after the Math section, as is a shorter break after Science if you are taking the Writing section. Finally, you may sometimes need to complete another short multiple-choice section at the end of the test—this is an experimental section that allows the ACT to test out questions for future administrations, and it does not affect your score.

Related Reading: What’s a Good ACT Score for 2023 & 2024?

With all of that factored in, the ACT’s website recommends that students testing with standard time should plan to be at the test center from 8:00am until approximately 12:35pm if they are not taking the Writing section or from 8:00am until approximately 1:35pm if they are taking the Writing section .

How Long Does Each Section of the ACT Take?

Though it’s helpful to know how long you should expect to be at the test center on the day you take the ACT, it’s more important as far as your preparation goes that you know how that time is distributed between the sections. The image below, taken from the ACT’s website, provides a high-level summary of the timing for each part of the test. For quick reference, the English Section of the ACT is 45 minutes long, the Mathematics section of the ACT is 60 minutes long, the Reading section of the ACT is 35 minutes long, and the Science section of the ACT is 35 minutes long. Finally, the optional Writing section of the ACT is 40 minutes long.

Source: ACT.org

ACT Test Times & Sections

If you’re looking for a more in-depth breakdown of the timing for each section, take a gander at the table I’ve created below for additional details.

If you’re looking for information about taking the ACT with extended time , don’t worry—we’ve got a whole section for you later in the post. Keep reading for additional details.

How Many Questions Are On the ACT?

The ACT exam has a total of 215 questions. These questions are broken down into four main sections we covered above: English, Math, Reading, and Science. The number of questions for each section varies, with the English section having the fewest and the Math section having the most. The English section has 75 multiple-choice questions, while the Math section has 60 multiple-choice questions. The Reading section has 40 questions, and the Science section has 40 questions as well.

Want To Get The Highest Score Possible On the ACT?

Act start and end times.

It will be pretty clear to you from the information above that the ACT is not a short test, even if you’re not taking it with extended time. The ACT takes about a minimum of about 3 hours , and you should expect to be at the test center for noticeably longer than that, especially if you’re taking the Writing section.

As I mentioned earlier, the ACT recommends that you arrive at your test center no later than 8:00am . Once you arrive, you’ll spend a few minutes checking in, finding your room, and getting situated; then, the proctor will begin the testing process by guiding you through the pre-test procedures. The specific amount of time required for this part of the process will vary depending on the proctor and the group of students; however, you can expect that you’ll likely begin taking the actual test somewhere between 8:30am and 9:00am.

One interesting aspect of ACT timing is that the first “half” of the test is significantly longer than the second half: English and Math combine for 135 minutes of standard-time testing, whereas Reading and Science comprise only 80 minutes. The upshot of this is that by the time you take your first break after the end of the Math section, you’re likely to be pretty fatigued; however, it’s important to remind yourself that you’re already close to two-thirds of the way through the test (if you’re not taking the Writing section). Use the break to rehydrate and refuel for the home stretch.

Once you finish the second half of the test, the proctor(s) will collect your materials and read a couple of final instructions; at that point, you’ll finally be free. Students testing with standard time are typically released from their testing room at roughly 12:35pm if they’re not taking the Writing section and approximately 1:35pm if they are taking the Writing section.

Extended Time Accommodations For the ACT

There are a number of accommodations available for students on the ACT, but one of the most common is extra testing time, or extended time (ET). This accommodation can take slightly different forms depending on the student, as the ACT tries to approve students for testing accommodations based on the accommodations that they receive in school , but probably the two most common versions of ET are 1.5x extended time (“time and a half”) and 2x extended time (“double time”).

Previously, ET on the ACT was administered as one lump amount: students would be given 1.5x or 2x the total amount of testing time and allowed to distribute it among the sections of the test as they saw fit. This is no longer the case, however. Instead, the ACT has adopted a more intuitive approach to ET wherein students are simply given 1.5x or 2x the standard time limit to complete each individual section. See the table below for specific numbers.

The ACT is a long test to begin with, but it can be an especially grueling experience for students who have extended time. Because of this, many students who are approved for the double time accommodation may also be granted the option to test over multiple days, which makes the testing experience somewhat more manageable.

If you use accommodations in school or think you may be eligible for accommodations on the ACT for another reason, such as a learning disability or recent injury, contact your school counselor for more information on how to apply for testing accommodations. You can also check out the ACT’s website for additional details about ET and other accommodations.

Time Management Tips for the ACT Exam

It goes without saying that knowing how long the ACT is will only be your first step to succeeding on the test; the next step is making sure that you’re able to complete each section within the time limit. Here are a couple of tips for managing your time on each section of the test.

ACT English Time Management Tips

• Read (or at least skim) the passage as you go. It may seem counterintuitive that doing more reading will improve your timing, which is why many students instinctively skip over the portions of the passage that don’t have any questions attached to them. There are two things you may not realize, however. First of all, context is your friend on many of the grammar questions, especially those annoying transition questions—knowing what came right before or comes right after after the sentence being asked about will make these questions significantly easier, and therefore faster. And second, most passages have 1-2 questions at the end that ask about the content of the entire text. You don’t need to read deeply enough to memorize specific details in order to answer these end-of-passage questions, but having a general sense of what the passage is about will help you address them more quickly.
• Use process of elimination (POE). This is true across the entire test, but English is one of the sections where POE can be most useful. Look for opportunities to play answer choices against each other. For example, semicolons and periods play the exact same role on the ACT 99.8% of the time—if you see two choices that are identical other than a period being swapped out for a semicolon, you can almost certainly safely eliminate both of those answers and focus on the others.

ACT Math Time Management Tips

• Break the section up into thirds. As I alluded to earlier, you shouldn’t expect every problem in Math to take you the same amount of time, despite the fact that you have a nice, round 1 minute per question in this section. Rather than approaching the Math section as one big blob of 60 questions, think of it as three subsections: #1-20 (the easiest portion), #21-40 (the medium-est portion), and #41-60 (the hardest portion). Give yourself a time goal for each of these subsections; then, as you practice, work to fine-tune those goals in order to give yourself as much time as possible for the harder problems while not moving so fast that you’re overly prone to careless errors on the easier problems.
• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. The range of content that can show up on an ACT Math section is massive, and very few students can go into the section expecting to be comfortable with absolutely every concept that could show up. As you get further into the section and the questions get harder, you should grow commensurately more willing to skip past questions that test content you’re not familiar with and prioritize those where you’re more comfortable. Remember that every question in this section counts exactly the same—if you’re going to run short on time, make sure the questions you have to guess on are the ones that you would have had the hardest time getting right anyway.
• Use your calculator! This one should be pretty obvious, but nonetheless students frequently forget how helpful of a tool their graphing calculator can be. In addition to using the calculator for complex arithmetic, look for opportunities to save yourself time by doing things like graphing equations.

ACT Reading Time Management Tips

• Address the section in the way that makes the most sense for you. Remember that the passages will always be the same four genres in the same sequence . If you notice during your practice that you are consistently performing worse on one specific passage-type, consider saving that passage for last in order to ensure that you have the time to bank the points on the passages that you find easier. Similarly, remember that you can answer the questions within an individual passage in whatever order is easiest for you. For most students, it’s better to answer the questions that ask about a specific portion of the passage first; in the process of close-reading the text to address those problems, you’ll naturally grow your understanding of the passage and therefore make the broader questions significantly easier and faster.
• Watch out for the ‘EXCEPT’ questions. Probably the question archetype that has the greatest potential to bog students down is the ‘EXCEPT’ question. Rather than asking you which of the four answer choices is correct, these questions ask you to identify the choice that is NOT found in the passage. To answer these monsters, you’ll need to locate the other three answer choices in the passage and use POE to identify the one that isn’t present, which is extremely difficult to do quickly. Save these questions for last, and be conscious of the clock—you may need to cut bait, take your best guess, and move on to the next passage for the sake of time.

ACT Science Time Management Tips

• Don’t read unless you need to… The dirty secret of this section is that most of the text will simply give you information that you could have gleaned more quickly from the graphs and charts. When you first start a passage, take a quick look at the figures to get the lay of the land, then go straight to the questions. Remember that you can always go back to the passage to read and get more information if questions require it, which they sometimes will; however, you can’t get back the time that you spend reading stuff that isn’t tested.
• …and if you do need to, don’t read the way the test wants you to. One of the six passages in this section—the Conflicting Viewpoints passage—will have few if any visual aids. There’s no getting around it: you’ll need to actually do some reading in this passage. The best way to approach this passage-type, however, is not to read the whole passage and then answer the questions in order. Instead, read the first portion, then answer any questions (and do any POE) that you can using that information; then, go to the next portion and do the same thing, and rinse and repeat until you’ve completed all of the questions. This allows you to keep less information in your brain at one time, and it also ensures that you’re earning points along the way rather than front-loading all of the time-consuming reading and not answering questions until the end, when you’re likely to be more frazzled and hurried.

Closing Thoughts On The Length of the ACT

The primary challenge of the ACT for most students is its timing, and understanding the specifics of that timing is the first step to mastering the test. Once you have a grasp on the information I’ve provided in this post, the next step is to incorporate it into your practice. Make sure you’re giving yourself plenty of time to prep for the ACT—most students require a significant amount of work and many practice reps before they start to feel comfortable with the speed of this test. You may feel overwhelmed at first by how fast everything goes, but don’t get discouraged: with practice, you can master the pace of the ACT and raise your score.

Frequently Asked Questions About The ACT’s Length

What happens if i’m late to the act.

It’s crucial to be aware of the ACT guidelines when it comes to test day logistics. The organizers are quite strict about latecomers and may deny entrance if you arrive after the designated time. To ensure a smooth experience and guarantee admission, I recommend getting to the test center between 7:30 and 7:45 am. Typically, you’ll find a line of other students waiting outside, so it’s best to arrive early. The doors to the test center open at 7:45 am and give you a 15-minute window of opportunity to enter before they close promptly at 8 am. Once the doors shut, late entry is not permitted, so arriving on time is absolutely essential.

How long is the ACT without the Writing section?

The ACT Writing section, or Essay, is an optional portion of the test. Because colleges and universities don’t typically put a ton of emphasis on it during the application process, many students opt not to take the Writing section. If you take the ACT without Writing, your total (standard) testing time will be 175 minutes , and the ACT’s website states that you’ll be released from the testing center at approximately 12:35pm.

How many questions can you miss and still get a 36 on the ACT?

This is a very difficult question to answer with certainty: the scaled score conversion tables vary depending on the difficulty level of each section, which means that you’ll have more wiggle room to get questions wrong if your section is harder than average. Speaking broadly, though, we can say that to get a 36 in English or Math, you typically can’t miss more than 2-3 questions; to be guaranteed a 36 in Reading or Science, you have to have perfect accuracy. As a result, to be confident of getting a 36 on the ACT, you’re probably aiming to miss a total of 5-6 questions across the entire test, with most if not all of those needing to be concentrated in English and Math.

It’s also important to remember, however, that your section scores are averaged to calculate your composite score; as a result, you don’t need to get a 36 on every individual section to score a 36 on the ACT as a whole. You can get a composite score of 36 by earning 36s in two sections and 35s in the others, or even 36s in three sections and a 34 in the fourth. This gives students verrrrrry slightly more margin for error when it comes to earning a perfect score on the ACT.

Which is longer, the SAT or the ACT?

Currently, the SAT is almost exactly the same length as the ACT without Writing: the ACT without Writing clocks in at 175 minutes of testing time , while the SAT (without its Essay, which is only available in specific locations) comes in at 180 minutes of testing time. This means that the lengths of the two tests shouldn’t currently be a factor in your decision of whether to take the ACT or the SAT .

In March of 2024, however, the SAT will be switching to its new digital form for US testers. Once that happens, the SAT will be shortened to 134 minutes of testing time , which will make it a noticeably shorter test than the ACT. Test length is still unlikely to be the deciding factor between the two tests for most students, but it will become more of a consideration once this shift occurs.

Related ACT Resources:

How Much Does The ACT Cost?

Should You Take The ACT With or Without Writing?

What’s a Good ACT Score For Ivy League Colleges?

ACT Test Dates For 2023 & 2024

What’s a Good ACT Score For 2023 & 2024?

Understanding the Differences Between the ACT & SAT

• September 27, 2023
• Standardized Tests & Test Prep

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The ACT Test: Format, Timing & Question Types

The ACT is a college entrance exam that many colleges and universities in the United States use as part of the college admissions process. Looking for basic information about the ACT test format? We've got it!

The ACT is a standardized test that measures a student's skills in five core areas: English, math, reading, science, and writing (optional). Students in grades 11 and 12 take the ACT so that they can submit their scores to colleges as part of the college application process.

The ACT is composed of four multiple-choice sections-English, Math, Reading, and Science-and one optional essay section-Writing. Total testing time is 2 hours and 55 minutes for the ACT without Writing and 3 hours and 35 minutes for the ACT with Writing. The breakdown of each section is as follows:

Related Topics

• For more specific information about the ACT English section, visit our ACT English page.
• For more specific information about the ACT Writing section, visit our ACT Writing page.

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How Long is the ACT test

The ACT test requires your good knowledge, discipline, and excellent time-management. If you've ever used essay writing services because of your busy schedule, you know how important time-management skills can be. It might be hard to divide the ACT test time wisely so that you can pass the test with the bright colors. Therefore, in this article, we dwell upon the ACT section times. Learn more about the useful hints that will help you to cope with all the sections on time.

When Do You Need To Arrive

The first thing you should remember is that you can’t be late. If you're usually late with an assigment, custom writing essays services may help you get the job done, but this type of situation is a bit different. In case if you arrive later, you won’t be able to enter the testing room.

For that reason, make sure you wake up early, and it would be better if you come to a needed location beforehand. For instance, the administration lets the students in at 7:45. Thus, you may arrive at 7:30 but not later than 7:45.Importantly, check whether you have your ID and admission tickets when you leave your house.

There is no way you can get down to your test without these two critical documents. The same goes for admission essays when applying for college, they can't be left out - you can always order admission essay to increase your chances of success.The administrators will ask you to handle the ticket and ID during the check-in procedure. After the registration, the test itself begins, specifically, between 8:30 and 9:00 AM.Calm down, pull yourself together, and proceed with the first section.

What Time Does the ACT Start

All in all, there are four mandatory sections of the test, which are English, Math, Reading, and also Science. There is one more section – Writing – that is optional. The compulsory parts last for 2 hours and 55 minutes.

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How long does the ACT Take

How long is the ACT with Writing section? If you decide on completing a Writing section, keep in mind that it will last for 40 minutes. So, if you want to pass all possible parts, including the optional one, the ACT test will take you 3 hours and 35 minutes overall.

What Time does the ACT end? There are two breaks during four tests, so the end time is 12:15. And if you take the Writing test, it will last till 1:15.

How Long is Each Section of the ACT Exam

The act english time.

As it always happens, the first section will race by! Make sure you calm yourself down, concentrate on the assignments, and don’t freak out. The students have 45 minutes for their English test, and 75 questions to cover. You will start the first section at 8:30 and finish it at 9:15.

So, what is the best way to prepare for this part? First of all, you need to learn how to spend your time on all the questions. For this, you need to practice before the actual day of the test. The best practice is to take the training test without a timer – this will help you to see your actual speed. Then, gradually decrease the Time to 45 minutes.

Note that if some question blindsides you, proceed to the next question. There is no way you can stick to one specific point, as this will steal your time only. It is better to come back to this question in the end.

ACT Math Time

The Math section consists of 60 questions, and the students have 60 minutes overall. The part starts at 9:15 and ends up at 10:15. At first, it may look as if one hour is not enough given it is mathematics. In reality, however, you can easily pass the section, if you watch your timing – this will be especially helpful in the end, if you would like to revise the written answers.

The key idea is to practice before the actual ACT test. Again, start with your real pace and continue practicing to reach your desired speed of writing the math test. This section requires your analytical skills, so don’t get distracted. At the same time, don’t get nervous if you think you don’t know the answer; this can undermine your spirit.

ACT Reading Time

How long is the ACT with the reading section? The main idea of the Reading section is to make sure the students will manage all the amounts of longreads during their first year. Your Reading section starts at 10:25 and lasts till 11:00. The overall Time for this part is 35 minutes.

Now, everyone knows that it is hard to concentrate during reading when you know that you have a time limit. Nevertheless, this section might be the easiest in terms of preparation for two reasons: you can practice it anytime and anywhere.

You will have an answer and a passage. Some people prefer scanning the passage first and then reading it. Yet, it is better to read the question and analyze its main point first. In this way, you will be able to concentrate on the details that will later help you answer the question.

ACT Science Time

The Science Time is a logical continuation of the previous section – you need to read the passages and then answer the questions. So, don’t lose your reading speed after the third test section. The students have 35 minutes to finish seven passages and related questions. The beginning of the Science part is at 11:00, and the ending is at 1:35.

The only difficult moment of this section is that these seven passages are likely to contain some infographics, graphs, or charts. Don’t panic, though! While preparing for the science part, take your Time and find scientific articles that include summaries and graphical envisionings so that you can practice analyzing new material.

ACT Essay Time

How Long is the ACT test with writing? The ACT Writing time is an optional section. To find out whether you need to complete it or not, check the requirements of the college you chose. The students are not very fond of essay writing for some reason; however, it is not that hard at all. The writing part lasts for 40 minutes: from 11:45 till 12:25.

The best way to prepare yourself for the last section is writing, of course. However, it is not all about writing: you must learn the right structure of a good essay and find some writing tips on how to nail it. Here are some of the recommendations you may find helpful for yourself:

• Create an outline.
• Use short sentences.
• Don’t distract from the topic.
• Use paragraphs.
• Revise your grammar and punctuation in the end.

As we have already mentioned, there is a break during the four compulsory sections.

How long is the ACT test with breaks and how to be prepared?

Specifically, the students always have a break before the Reading section, lasting from 10:15 till 10:25. In case if you are taking the writing part, you will also have a five-minute break from 11:35 till 11:40. The breaks are a great time to refresh yourself and relax a little (but not too much). So, the students should use these mindfully.

Before you leave your house for a test, take some snacks (banana or sandwich) and water with you. It is hard to concentrate on the test when your stomach is complaining. Besides, it will make you feel uncomfortable in front of the administrators. As for water, don’t go too far with it – you’ll have to stay in the class for several hours.

Note that there also might be a fifth section that is used to question the students regarding the ACT test format. This section usually lasts for 15 minutes or so. The administrators need to collect the answers so that they can improve the quality of the exam in the future. So, you can share your impressions and recommendations regarding the format of the test.

How to Deal With the ACT Test Length

Even though the ACT time limits make the entire test rather compact, the whole test does last long. Therefore, here are some helpful recommendations for you to be prepared for it:

• Work on your time-management to cope with all the sections in the allotted time;
• Your breaks are for taking a rest so, use them wisely;
• Practice the parts separately at first, and then, try to cover the entire exam at once;
• Don’t skip your breakfast, however, don’t overeat as well;
• Make sure you have a good sleep before the examination.

The ACT test length is the average time required to fulfill all the assignments. Therefore, it is something you surely can handle. Follow the advice, focus on the result, keep positive, and good luck!

ACT Test Sections 2023: Comprehensive Format Breakdown

Aaron • Last updated on January 5, 2023

An ACT exam covers a lot of ACT sections that you must be familiar with to obtain a score that is higher than average. This is why it is crucial that you know the ACT test a hundred percent.

Know what question types you should expect and what subject areas you would encounter the most. Being familiar with the ACT test sections is the real deal as it helps you increase your chances of passing the exam. 

Overview of the Structure of the ACT Test

The ACT test format has four ACT sections, which are all presented in the standard ACT test subject order: (1) English, (2) Math, (3) Reading, and (4) Science. There is also an optional (5) Writing section. Each of the four sections is scored out of 36 points, while the writing section is scored out of 12 points.

Keep in mind that if you do not choose to participate in the writing section, you have only 2 hours and 55 minutes to finish the four sections. If you choose to participate, then you have 3 hours and 35 minutes to finish all five sections.

Also, the ACT section with the greatest number of questions is ACT English with 75 questions that should be answered in 45 minutes. The section with the highest time limit is the ACT Math with a 1-hour time limit for its 60 questions. The two other multiple-choice sections, Reading and Science, both have 40 questions that must be answered in 35 minutes.

For a better visual guide, take a look at the tables below.

ACT English

Act reading, act science.

  ACT Writing

In the subsequent parts below, we will show you what subject areas you would encounter the most, what question types you should expect, and what ACT test strategy tips you need to follow to succeed in your ACT test.

With the ACT sections in order, this is the first, which is comprised of several passages and four answer choices for every question/item. The whole idea of this section is for you to act as the editor as you spot grammar and punctuation issues in the passages presented to you. Aside from this, you should also have a keen eye on what passages are rhetorically-sound and well-organized.

Basically, you will be tested based on two broad skill areas: (1) usage & mechanics and (2) rhetorical skills . The former targets the technicality like the sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and so on. The latter, on the other hand, sees to it if a passage is sensible enough to effectively convey a point.

Question Types

There are six types of questions in the ACT English test, three types under usage and mechanics, and another three types under rhetorical skills.

Usage and Mechanics

Rhetorical Skills

For more tips on how to ace the ACT English, check out this Magoosh guide ( 1 ).

Strategy Tips

Acing the ACT English section is not difficult for someone who knows how to approach each question appropriately. Here are a few of our strategy tips to help you excel in this section.

•   Build a consistent passage strategy – Discover what passage strategy will work for you. You can even try to use the graf-by-graf approach ( 2 ) wherein you will have to skim a paragraph and answer all the questions.
• Learn grammar rules – Most of the passages in the ACT English involve a lot of grammar rules, so be sure to know about them. Learn how to form sentences in the most appropriate way and when to put punctuation marks, especially commas (a common mistake by almost everyone).
• Make use of the NO CHANGE answer choice – Do not be afraid to choose this answer if you feel that there’s no error in the passage. You can even choose this answer in times when you are completely clueless about what to answer. It can be your best bet than a no answer at all.

There are six contents in the Math section of an ACT that you need to focus on, and they are as follows:

• Pre-Algebra
• Elementary Algebra
• Intermediate Algebra
• Coordinate Geometry
• Plane Geometry
• Trigonometry

The questions in this ACT test section are also composed of five answer choices. Below, you will have a better look at what specific areas you would expect in this section as well as the number of questions per content.

Here are the important notes you have to remember when it comes to the question types in the ACT setup of the Math section.

• The questions are either word problems or straightforward Math problems with graphs, charts, figures, and etc.
•  The questions are ordered by difficulty. It can be ordered like this:
• 20-40 Intermediate
• 40-60 Difficult
•  The questions are also arranged by subject matters, which may appear like this:
• 1-30 Algebra & Pre-Algebra
• 30-60 Geometry & Trigonometry

Like the ACT English, you must also be wary with how to approach Math problems. Here are some of our tips.

• Practice problem-solving with time limit – Remember, you have a maximum of one minute per question in the ACT Math. So practice solving Math problems within one minute. Otherwise, you will not be able to finish this section. Focus on the simpler questions first so you can answer as many questions as possible without sacrificing the accuracy. Once you are done with the easy ones, then you can move on to the more difficult questions.
• Bring an ACT-approved calculator – Yes, it is allowed. Yes, it makes your life efficient when it comes to the Math test. Most questions can be answered without a calculator. However, you do not want to spend your whole time manually solving Math problems. Thus, bring an approved calculator ( 3 ).
• Memorize and practice the most essential formulas – Spend time to practice the most essential formulas that will come out in the ACT. You should not waste your time trying to recall a formula during the test. Instead, the allotted time per question should be spent solely on trying to solve the problem.

The third section of the ACT test contains a lot of passages that aim to test your comprehension skills. It targets how well you interpret passages in various subjects, small details, and major themes. Plus, this is one of the ACT categories that tests your ability to analyze an author’s purpose and tone.

There are four subsections in ACT Reading. Take a look at them below and their corresponding overview.

• Literary narrative & prose fiction – You will encounter literary memoirs and the usual fiction passages.
• Social science – You will encounter nonfiction passages from education, sociology, psychology, and many others.
• Humanities – You will encounter personal nonfiction passages like memoirs and essays and nonfiction pieces on philosophy, arts, and literature commonly found in various popular materials.
• Natural science – You will encounter nonfiction passages from medicine, biology, chemistry, and physics.

There are five types of questions with 4 answer choices in the ACT Reading.

Here’s how to succeed in ACT Reading.

• Stick to answers supported by evidence on the passage – The ACT Reading is full of tricky questions and answers that are intentionally designed to confuse you. There are answers that appear correct because most of them are subjective, but we suggest that you stick to an answer that is backed by evidence found in the actual passage.
• Practice how to skim passages effectively – With a limited timeframe, avoid reading passages entirely. Instead, practice how to skim through them effectively ( 4 ). You can either read the questions first before skimming the passage or vice versa.

This section is like a combination of two ACT components–ACT Math and Reading because of its format. It is not composed of stand-alone questions only but also of several passages that have graphs, charts, and other figures. The length (number of questions and time limit) is the same with ACT Reading, but the data presented is quite similar to ACT Math.

In this section, your scientific interpretation skills will be tested more than your existing factual knowledge of science. You will be asked to evaluate various theories and hypotheses and interpret data. You should also expect various topics like biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science.

There are three passage formats in the ACT Science, and each format will present data in different ways.

There is a lot of data presentation in the ACT Science, so you have to develop a certain strategy that will help you ace this section. 

•   Focus on the information you need – Keep in mind that there can be too many information that will be presented, and you have to be quick in spotting which information is essential or the answer to the question.
• Answer the paired passages last – There are few paired passages in the ACT Science and we recommend you answer these last. These paired passages can consume a lot of your time because you have to read them both carefully in order to make a good comparison. Also, it makes sense that you save them last because, after all, all questions have the same amount of points. Finish all the easy and short questions first before you circle back to the paired passages.

ACT Writing (Optional)

This section of the test may be optional but is surely one of the most talked-about ACT components. Some students are confused about whether or not they should take the test. The ACT Writing score is not part of your composite score, which is the reason why it is optional. However, if you are planning to enroll in a college that requires an ACT Writing result, then be sure to take this section. 

In this section of an ACT test, your ability to come up with a clear, cohesive, and well-argued essay will be tested. You should be able to analyze an issue in connection with other existing viewpoints. Usually, the topic in the Writing section is of global significance with philosophical nature. In other words, a topic that’s universal and can be argued in multiple angles.

How should you approach the essay?

You should be able to present your perspective logically while presenting a relationship with other perspectives or viewpoints (at least one perspective). In other words, your essay should appear as a well-written argument paper.

How do they evaluate the essay?

They use four domains in evaluating your essay for the ACT Writing section. 

• Ideas and Analysis – How well did you present and analyze your perspective and other perspectives in connection to your own? There must be a crystal-clear explanation.
• Development and Support – How logical did you develop your thesis? The proper presentation of evidence is the key to this section.
• Organization – Are your paragraphs cohesive? Do your paragraphs support the main thesis and discuss a topic in a clear manner? Are your introductory and closing sentences well-written that appeal significantly to the reader? Anything that covers the organization aspect is under this area.
• Language Use – How good are you in your command of the standard written English?

Lastly, keep in mind that your essay will be assessed by two graders, so make sure to give your best in this section. 

Importance of Knowing the ACT Format Beforehand

Are you still wondering why you need to know how many sections on the ACT are you going to answer and why it matters that you know? 

First of all, the ACT test is predictable. There may be some changes in the overall test itself, but the format, for the most part, has remained consistent. Plus, the ACT is not ultimately strict in terms of sharing the format of their test so students can prepare beforehand.

Second, when you are familiar with the ACT format, you can easily work on those topics that would most likely appear in the test. This will also help you focus on your weak spots and, eventually, improve your score as you discover strategies that will work for you.

Finally, when you know what ACT test types to expect, you can manage your prep time well. You will be able to avoid spending time on subject areas that will not appear in the test. Knowing the format beforehand also helps you lessen your anxiety because there will be fewer surprises on the test day.

Preparation for the ACT Based on the Format

There are key points you need to consider when preparing for the ACT test. Based on the format presented in this post, here are the key points you need to work on.

• Master managing your time – Knowing what to expect in the ACT test will give you a clear guide on what subject areas and sub contents you need to study without wasting ample time on those that won’t reflect on the test. You can also do practice drills so you can answer questions based on the time limit for each ACT section.
• 0-1 point: 10 hours
• 1-2 points: 20 hours
• 2-4 points: 40 hours
• 4-6 points: 80 hours
• 6-9 points: 150+ hours

What’s Next?

With all this information in your hand, be sure to make use of it as you prepare for your ACT test. Remember, it is much better to study smartly than to study hard. You can study hard without targeting the actual content, and it’s a waste of time if your goal is to ace the ACT test. Therefore, make sure to study wisely and efficiently.  

• https://magoosh.com/hs/act/act-english/2020/act-grammar-rules/
• https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-best-way-to-approach-act-english-passages
• http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-calculator-policy.pdf
• https://supertutortv.com/act/how-to-skim-tips-to-increase-your-speed-on-the-act-reading-section

How Long Is the ACT?

The ACT without Writing is 2 hours and 55 minutes (175 minutes) long, while the ACT with Writing is 3 hours and 35 minutes (215 minutes) long. For students needing extended time, the ACT without Writing is 4 hours and 30 minutes (270 minutes) long, while the ACT with Writing is 5 hours and 30 minutes (330 minutes) long. This does not include mandatory breaks.

Some students also receive accommodations for multi-day testing; if this is true for you, you will instead take the test at your school during a designated three-week testing window under the supervision of your guidance counselor.

How Long Is the ACT by Section?

ACT sections (“tests”) vary in length. The length of individual ACT sections follows a standardized format:

*The Writing test is optional.

How Long Does the ACT Take?

Of course, you are going to be spending longer in the testing room than that. You’ll spend time checking in, filling out initial information, listening to instructions, and taking breaks. All in all, you’ll likely spend a little over 4 hours in the testing center if you are taking the test without Writing and up to around 5 hours if you are taking the Writing test. So, yeah, that’s why we tell you to pack a snack.

The ACT requires you to report to the testing center by 8 AM. Likely you’ll want to get there earlier, though, so you aren’t freaking out if you hit unexpected traffic and so that you have time to mentally prepare yourself, find your testing room, use the bathroom, and so on.  

Schedule for the ACT

Below you’ll see what your ACT Saturday morning is likely to look like. You may take more or less time to primp in the morning, but I highly recommend you do not take the “roll out of bed and show up in your PJs approach” to the ACT. First priority is getting enough sleep, but you should also build time into your morning for these three essentials: 1. breakfast 2. getting the blood flowing with some brief exercise 3. getting the brain warmed up with some reading (or a math problem or two).

Depending on your test-taking needs, below are two schedules that will give you an idea about of what the ideal test day should look like. However, it is much more likely that you’ll get out 10-40 minutes later than what’s projected in these schedules.

Note: You’ll notice that we mention “reviewing your list of reminders”—if you need help with knowing what to put on your list, check out our advice on making an ACT Cheat Sheet .

Ideal Schedule for ACT Test Day for Test-Takers Without Extended Time

Ideal schedule for act test day for test-takers with extended time.

So how long is the ACT? The moral of the story here is that the ACT is long . This is why it is so important to take practice tests so you can practice your stamina and make sure you have breakfast and snacks for energy on test day–your brain has 4 to 5 hours of hard work to do!

Dr. Kristin Fracchia has over fifteen years of expertise in college and graduate school admissions and with a variety of standardized tests, including the ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT, with several 99% scores. She had a PhD from the University of California, Irvine , an MA degree from The Catholic University, and BA degrees in Secondary Education and English Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. She was the recipient of the 2013 Excellence in Teaching Award and the Chancellor’s Club Fellowship from the University of California, Irvine. She’s worked as a high school teacher and university professor, as an independent college and graduate school admissions counselor, and as an expert tutor for standardized tests, helping hundreds of students gain acceptance into premier national and international institutions. She now develops accessible and effective edtech products for Magoosh. Her free online content and YouTube videos providing test prep and college admissions advice have received over 6 million views in over 125 countries. Kristin is an advocate for improving access to education: you can check out her TEDx talk on the topic . Follow Kristin on LinkedIn !

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4 responses to “How Long Is the ACT?”

I was looking for the ACT test schedule and came across your webpage. the information is very useful, thanks!

Can you please make a correction, the last dismissal time has been incorrectly marked as 12:15 instead of 12:50.

Hi Revathi,

You’re absolutely right! Thanks for pointing out our mistake. I corrected the table 🙂

Can you create a table for extended time also? The standard time table has been so helpful to me and an extended time table would help as well. Thanks!

That’s a great idea! I will definitely propose that we add that for the benefits of our students. Thanks for the suggestion, and I wish you success on your exam!

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Writing Sample Essays

Write a unified, coherent essay about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to: 

• clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective
• develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples
• organize your ideas clearly and logically
• communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English

Your essay perspective may be in full agreement with any of those given, in partial agreement, or completely different.

Get more information about preparing for the writing test .

Sample Test Questions

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Should I Take The ACT With Writing? | Is ACT Writing Required?

What To Know About The ACT’s Optional Writing Section

When you prepare to sign up for the ACT, you might feel unsure about whether or not to take the ACT Writing portion because it’s an optional section. 

Since the section is an additional and optional portion of the ACT, you only need to take the ACT if the schools you are applying to require an ACT Writing score in their application.

However, there are a few factors to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to take the ACT Writing portion. Keep reading to find out more about what the section actually consists of and how to know if you should sign up to complete the optional Writing portion.

What Is The Writing Section Of The ACT?

The Writing section of the ACT is an optional, additional section taken after all other sections of the ACT.

The ACT Writing section is designed to test your ability to craft a concise, well constructed, and compelling essay under a time limit. In shorter terms, it’s basically a test of writing skills you should have picked up throughout your high school English classes.

In this optional section, you will receive a prompt that describes an issue of some kind. The prompt will also include three different perspectives on the issue described. Using the information in the prompt, you will have to write an essay in which you explain your own perspective on the issue. According to the official ACT website, your essay has to “analyze the relationship between your own perspective and one or more other perspectives [provided in the prompt].” Your score is not based on what perspective you take on the issue, but rather how well you were able to communicate your perspective and put it in conversation with other perspectives.

How Is The ACT Writing Section Scored?

The ACT Writing section is not part of your overall ACT score out of 36. Instead, you will receive a separate score if you choose to take the Writing section.

For the ACT Writing section, you will receive five scores from two different graders. The scorers will provide you with a “single subject level writing score reported on a scale of 2-12 and four domain scores that are based on an analytic scoring rubric.” Your subject score will be the rounded average of the four domain scores. 

For instance, Grader 1 will score your essay by giving you a score of 1-6 for each “domain” (section of the rubric). Grader 1 will take the average of the 4 domain scores to come to a final score of 1-6. Grader 2 will repeat this process, and your final ACT single subject score will be the sum of Grader 1 and Grader 2’s final scores. Therefore, if Grader 1 scores your essay as a 5 and Grader 2 scores your essay as a 4, then your total composite ACT Writing score will be 9 (out of 12). 

The four writing domains that your essay is scored on are:

• Ideas and analysis
• Development and support
• Organization
• Language use and conventions

Each of the writing domains will score your essay based on how well it demonstrated the writing techniques and conventions outlined by the separate domains.

The ideas and analysis domain will score your essay based on its ability to critically engage with the other perspectives given in the prompt. You will be scored in this domain based on your ability to appropriately address the issue given in the prompt and generate ideas relevant to the situation.

The development and support domain will score your essay based on its ability to explain and support your arguments and ideas. For instance, an essay that supports its arguments with both clear rationale and examples will receive a higher score than an essay that might just present an argument without much supporting evidence. If the reader is able to read your essay and understand your logic as you approach the prompt, you would likely receive a higher score in this domain.

The organization domain will score your essay based on the clarity and structure of your essay. It will evaluate your ability to organize your ideas in a way that flows logically and allows readers to clearly follow your points. This domain will determine how well your essay was able to guide readers through complex arguments and how well you showed the relationship between different ideas or points.

The language use and conventions domain will score your essay based on writing conventions like grammar, syntax, word choice (diction), and mechanics. This domain will also consider your writing tone, and whether your tone and style were effective and appropriate to communicate your argument.

What Is Considered A Good ACT Writing Score?

The lowest score you can receive on the ACT Writing section is 2 and the highest is 12. The average score is 6-7. To get a better feel for what a “good” ACT Writing score means, review the percentile chart below with data provided by the ACT itself.

Keep in mind that percentiles refer to how well you did in relation to other test takers. For instance, if you scored a 12 on the ACT Writing section and are in the 100th percentile, that means you scored higher than or on par with 100% of the students who took the ACT Writing section. The higher your percentile, the better.

How Long Is The ACT Writing Section?

If you register for the ACT with the optional writing portion, you will take the essay section after the four multiple choice sections of the ACT.

The ACT Writing section is 40 minutes long and consists of one writing prompt that you will address in your essay. 

Signing up for the optional essay portion means the ACT will last around 3 hours and 40 minutes, or around 4 hours including breaks in between sections. By contrast, the ACT without the Writing section will last around 3 hours, or 3 hours and 30 minutes including breaks. 

Is The Writing Portion Of The ACT Required?

As mentioned above, the Writing section of the ACT is completely optional.

However, there are a select few colleges in the United States that do require the ACT Writing section. Additionally, there are colleges and universities that do recommend that their applicants take the ACT with Writing. Even if you are not applying to schools that require the ACT Writing section, you might want to check if your target schools recommend it. Beyond strict requirement, there are multiple factors you should consider when you decide whether or not to take the ACT Writing section. 

Complete List Of Colleges Requiring ACT Writing

Only a few colleges require their applicants to take ACT Writing as of 2023. Some of them are listed below:

• Martin Luther Colleges
• Soka University of America
• United States Military Academy, also known as West Point
• University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
• Yellowstone Christian College

For a full list, read our article on “Colleges That Require ACT Writing.” If a college requires ACT Writing, they will not review your application unless you have completed the ACT with Writing. If you apply to any of the above colleges without an ACT Writing score, the admissions committee will mark your application as incomplete and will not review it.

Colleges That Recommend ACT Writing

There is a difference between colleges that recommend ACT Writing and colleges that simply accept ACT Writing scores. If a school’s admissions page or admissions officer states that their school recommends ACT Writing, this means a strong score could provide a boost to an application. On the other hand, if a school simply says they will accept ACT Writing scores, this means they will see your score, but it might not matter to the institution in terms of admission and might not affect your application at all.

Here is a list of schools in the U.S. that explicitly state that they recommend taking ACT Writing as of 2023:

• Bethune Cookman University
• Colorado School of Mines
• Morehouse College
• Molloy College

Does The Writing Section Of The ACT Affect Your ACT Score?

As mentioned above, the writing section of the ACT will not affect your composite ACT score out of 36. 

Instead, your ACT Writing score will be a separate score – for a more in-depth description of ACT scoring, refer to the previous section “How Is The ACT Writing Section Scored?”

Does The ACT Writing Section Score Affect College Admissions?

While this isn’t the answer you probably want to hear, the truth is that it just depends.

If you are applying to a school that explicitly requires that applicants take the ACT Writing section, then yes, the ACT Writing section score absolutely matters. In fact, if you don’t end up taking the optional Writing portion, these schools will not even review your application. 

However, there are only a handful of schools that require the optional Writing portion, meaning most of the schools you apply to will not be ACT Writing required. If you are applying to schools that are ACT Writing recommended, you should probably strongly consider signing up for the optional section. Colleges that explicitly recommend ACT Writing are indicating that a good ACT Writing score could impact your chances of admission, so practicing for and taking the optional section could really boost your application.

For most colleges and universities in the United States, the ACT Writing section is neither explicitly required nor recommended. So, you will need to use your best judgment when determining whether or not to sign up for the ACT with Writing. This must be done on a case to case basis, because everybody is different and will be applying to different schools and programs.

If you have your sights set on a highly competitive school, then you might want to consider taking the ACT with Writing. Since the pool of applicants is extremely strong for highly competitive schools like Ivy League schools, you want to give yourself the best chance of demonstrating skill and academic ability as possible. Practicing and studying for the ACT Writing section and scoring well will definitely be a plus, although it obviously might not be the deciding factor between admission and rejection. Since many students applying to top universities are extremely high achieving, they might have taken the ACT Writing section as well. 

Obviously, different students have different goals, strengths, and interests. So, if you are applying to a STEM-focused school with the stated intention of studying a STEM subject, then it might not be as relevant to college admissions officers what your ACT Writing score is compared to someone who is applying to a humanities college with the intent of studying journalism. However, just keep in mind that every discipline, even STEM, depends on writing to some extent (for instance, STEM-focused schools might want to know you would be able to write successful and publishable research papers). Therefore, if you have strong writing skills and time to practice for the optional Writing section, it would be a good idea to take the Writing portion.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the SAT has recently removed their optional essay portion completely, which has led to some changes in Writing section policy from many schools. One of the best ways to help determine whether or not you should sign up for the optional Writing portion is to look up the ACT Writing score policy for all of the schools you plan on applying to. If the schools you are applying to do not even consider ACT Writing scores in their admissions process, then it’s not worth the time and effort to take the additional section. 

What To Keep In Mind When Deciding Whether Or Not To Take ACT Writing

Cost and time.

The optional ACT Writing section does cost more money to register for. There is an extra $25 fee to sign up and sit for the Writing section. If this additional cost poses an issue, you might be able to qualify for a fee waiver to add the Writing section for free. Keep in mind that you can’t apply for a fee waiver yourself — your high school must apply for you. Therefore, if you think you may need a fee waiver, make sure to work with your school counselor to determine if you are eligible ahead of when you want to sign up for the exam. 

Additionally, the Writing section lasts 40 additional minutes as mentioned previously, meaning you will be at the test center after the required, multiple choice portions of the ACT have concluded. Students who didn’t sign up for the ACT Writing section will leave the testing center and those who have signed up for the additional section will stay.

Anticipated Score

If you are a strong writer and feel comfortable writing essays, then you should consider taking the ACT Writing portion even if you are not applying to colleges that require or recommend the ACT Writing section. 

Since the Writing section score is not included in the total composite score for the multiple choice sections of the ACT, it’s not considered to be super important unless you are applying to a school that has ACT required or recommended policies. So, if you’re a strong writer and feel confident in your ability, taking the ACT Writing section will just be another way to emphasize your communication and writing strength. If you are not a strong writer and struggle with English classes (and are not applying to an ACT required or recommended school), then you might not want to sign up since there is a larger risk to reward ratio. 

Generally, admissions officers do not place as much weight onto the ACT Writing score as they would for an applicant’s English grades and application essays. However, it is possible that a strong ACT Writing score can slightly boost an applicant’s chances of admission if they have demonstrated they have a slightly weaker English academic background (based on school transcripts). 

Study Schedule

In addition to the monetary cost associated with signing up for the additional Writing portion, there is also a time commitment required if you decide to take the ACT with Writing. 

If you sign up for the Writing section, then you should read through the grading rubrics to get an understanding of what they are looking for in an essay. You should also look for ACT Writing prompts and practice writing a cohesive essay in 40 minutes to practice writing under the stress of a time limit. 

For students who might be cramming for the ACT multiple choice sections and are working under a very tight timeframe, it might not be the best idea to also sign up for the ACT Writing section (again, unless they are applying to an ACT Writing required or recommended school). You should not sacrifice any ACT multiple choice section study time to study for the Writing section, as your composite ACT score is much more important than your ACT Writing score. Studying and preparing for the ACT Writing section should be an additional effort, not one that takes time away from your ACT preparation.

How To Prepare For The ACT Writing Section

The best way to prepare for the ACT Writing section is to review the scoring rubric and practice writing using ACT essay prompts. 

The ACT official website provides six different sample prompts that you can use to practice. Below, we’ll include the first sample prompt from the ACT’s website.

“This sample prompt, Intelligent Machines , is representative of the prompts that will be used for the ACT writing test.

The test describes an issue and provides three different perspectives on the issue. You are asked to read and consider the issue and perspectives, state your own perspective on the issue, and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective on the issue. Your score will not be affected by the perspective you take on the issue.

Sample Prompt: 

Intelligent Machines

Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives.

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. 

Perspective One

What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people. 

Perspective Two

Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone. 

Perspective Three

Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities.”

The official ACT website also includes sample responses , so you can read the sample essays they provide in response to the prompts in order to get a feel for what your essay might resemble. They even provide 6 different responses that receive different scores so you can read the difference and understand what essays might score well and what essays might not. Read the sample responses for the above prompt here .

For specific strategies and approaches to use in the ACT Writing section, read our article on “ACT Writing Tips To Ace Your Essay.”

ACT Writing Tips

• Don’t force extremely complex vocabulary. Including complex vocabulary words here and there can definitely boost your ACT score and perceived writing skills, but not if you are oversaturating your essay with complicated terms. Especially if you’re not sure how to spell a word or are shaky on its meaning, it’s best to choose a simpler word that you do know how to spell and use.
• Use legible handwriting. Graders don’t want to struggle to even read your essay. Give yourself the best chance of communicating your ideas by practicing clean and legible handwriting.
• Keep tone and audience in mind. Remember that your audience is an ACT Writing section grader, so don’t be overly casual in tone and stay away from inappropriate language.
• If possible, write as much as you can. ACT graders tend to reward longer essays, so if you can, try to write at least four paragraphs across 2-3 pages. However, if you don’t have any more points to make, do not repeat yourself just to pad your word count.

Prepare For The ACT Writing Section With SoFlo Tutors

Whether you’re planning on taking the ACT with or without the optional Writing section, work with SoFlo Tutors to boost your scores. SoFlo Tutors are students at top universities across the United States that scored in the highest percentiles of the SAT and ACT. Schedule a free consultation call or visit our website to learn more!

About The Author

Emily is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and will be working in marketing in New York City. In her free time, she enjoys painting and playing the guitar.

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ACT vs SAT Essay Differences

Despite being optional, the ACT and SAT Essay sections are still important tests to take because the skills they stress are important in both academic and professional life. Students who do decide to take them will have advantages over those who skip them, in the long term.

Let’s take a look at the differences between the ACT vs SAT Essay and why it’s still good to do it even if you don’t want to try.

Be sure to take a second to check out our SAT prep and ACT prep options, both of which provide helpful strategies on how to tackle each test’s essay.

ACT vs SAT Essay Time Limit Differences

Let’s first look at the time allowances both tests provide you and how to manage it.

The ACT Essay section allows test-takers 40 minutes for completion; the SAT Essay needs to be wrapped up in 50 minutes. There’s an immediate difference of 10 minutes that you need to notice.

Ten minutes may not sound like much, but remember that both tests are rigorously timed and require you to do all of the necessary work within each section’s limits.

That work includes:

• Reading the provided prompt
• Looking for evidence
• Brainstorming ideas
• Outlining your response
• Writing the final essay

On top of those steps, you’ll have to consider the demands of the prompts themselves, which are quite different on both tests (we’ll get to that in a minute). If you’re a person that in general needs more time when writing to ponder, then the SAT offers a slight advantage. However, don’t use the time alone as the deciding factor here. Let’s move onto the prompts themselves now.

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ACT vs SAT Essay Prompt Differences

The ACT and SAT Essay prompts are noticeably different in nature and really force your brain to work in different ways, within a limited time frame.

Going to the ACT first, here is what the official ACT website says about the prompt you will face:

“ The test consists of one writing prompt that will describe a complex issue and present three different perspectives on that issue…You are asked to read the prompt and write an essay in which you develop your own perspective on the issue. Your essay should analyze the relationship between your perspective and one or more other perspectives. You may adopt a perspective from the prompt, partially or fully, or you may generate your own. ”

In short, the ACT demands that you not only have the analytical ability but also are comfortable with formulating your own argument.

The essay requires you to work on two separate levels: 1) Being able to logically understand the three different perspectives, 2) Being able to formulate your own distinct perspective. Remember again that you need to do all of that and then write it out in only 40 minutes.

When working on this essay, here are 5 tips that can help you while working fast:

• Analyze and incorporate each given perspective into either your introduction or body somewhere
• Make sure to clearly state and develop your own perspective
• Make sure to support your perspective through both logic and examples
• Make sure your essay is logically structured and organized
• Double-check your writing for grammar and spelling errors

The SAT Essay, in contrast, is designed to be as similar to a typical college assignment as possible. The reason is that it can let prospective universities know how prepared you are to handle normal assignments and writing work.

In the essay itself, you are provided a prompt that is a long reading passage from an author that presents a particular argument. You are then asked to explain how the author builds that argument, in order to persuade his or her reader to accept it. As part of your explanation of the author’s methodology, you are tasked with citing evidence from the text itself to back up the argument you present.

Think of the SAT’s essay as simply giving a long explanation of how and why the author’s argument works. In no way are you asked or expected to provide your own viewpoint of the argument. The SAT essay is not interested in your opinion at all, but rather seeing that you can clearly identify the author’s opinion and dissect how it is proven in the provided passage.

Both essays require the ability to both recognize and employ logic, however, the usage of that logic moves in opposite directions.

ACT vs SAT Essay Complexity

Each essay provides significant challenges regarding mental complexity that have to be addressed within a short time frame.

On paper, the SAT essay would appear to demand more, since you are essentially acting as a detective on another’s person’s work. The constant digging and citations that you need to provide to prove your understanding can be taxing.

However, you are provided with a lengthy passage that should provide plenty of material to prove your understanding of the central argument. More importantly, you have an extra ten minutes available than you would on the SAT to write everything out.

The ACT essay, in contrast, has relatively fewer instructions to follow. The major difference here though is that you are required to formulate and defend your own opinion, in addition to recognizing the other provided perspectives.

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That shift means that not only must your ability to recognize and cite evidence be sound, but also the ability to logically formulate your own argument and defend it. While the SAT is especially heavy on critical analysis, the ACT splits the differences between analysis and logic.

How Prep Expert Helps

At Prep Expert, we help students everyday prepare for the challenges both of these different essay formats present on test day.

We are often asked, “why should I prepare for the essay?” It is true that for many schools today, the essay portion on each test is optional. Here, at Prep Expert, though, we make sure that every student can handle each one. Why? Because both essays test skills that every student will need in college, regardless of where they go to school.

The ability to express one’s own logically constructed argument or analyze someone else’s through writing is a skill that most college courses require. If your writing is not up to par before getting into your dream school, then trying to develop it on the fly in school will be difficult.

More importantly, a strong essay score provides further evidence to admission officials that you are capable of handling the standard coursework. Preparing you for not only the test itself but what you do after getting into college is important to us. Despite the challenges that these essays create, we have strategies in place that will help you overcome them in time on test day.

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ACT vs SAT Essay Differences FAQ

Should i even take the sat or act essay, how much time do i have to write each one, what does the act prompt ask you to do.

The ACT Essay prompt consists of one writing prompt that will describe a complex issue and present three different perspectives on that issue. You are asked to read the prompt and write an essay in which you develop your own perspective on the issue. Your essay should analyze the relationship between your perspective and one or more other perspectives. You may adopt a perspective from the prompt, partially or fully, or you may generate your own.

What does the SAT prompt ask you to do?

You are provided a prompt that is a long reading passage from an author that presents a particular argument. You are then asked to explain how the author builds that argument, in order to persuade his or her reader to accept it. As part of your explanation of the author’s methodology, you are tasked with citing evidence from the text itself to back up the argument you present.

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ACT Strategies , ACT Writing

There is no part of the ACT more mysterious to students than the essay, and very few people seem to know what exactly the ACT is looking for in a "perfect" essay (particularly since September 2015 was the new ACT Writing test's debut). Luckily, we've got the expertise to give you some insight into how the essay works and what you can do to push your score those extra few points up the scale.

Whether you're trying to impress your dream school or just want to boost your ACT score, the essay is a great thing to work on. Some of the tips below stand alone, while others are part of larger categories that have been assembled based our ACT expertise.

Important: If you haven't read these two other ACT Writing guides before , take a minute and read them now:

The ACT Writing Rubric: Analysis, Explanation, and Strategies

How to Write an ACT Essay, Step by Step

This will make the rest of the article make more sense.

Part I: What a 12 on the ACT Essay Means

If you're already scoring an 8 or above in every domain on practice (or real) ACT essays, you have a shot at completely nailing what the graders want, represented by a score of 12, with a little practice.

But there's something important to remember in your quest for perfection: on the ACT essay, a 12 is not always achievable. We've got good news and bad news for those of you who are determined to know how to get a 12 on the ACT essay.

The Big Secret

You'll have to practice this specific essay. The perfect ACT essay is like a puzzle that happens to be in writing form—it can be mastered, but to do it well and completely every time requires a few month's practice. Knowing how to write other kinds of essays will only help you a limited amount.

The Bad News

Because the whole essay must be written in 40 minutes, getting a 12 requires some luck. You have to pick a thesis and think of relevant and convincing evidence to support it before you can even start writing, so a lot depends on how quickly you can decided on a point of view and relevant support for whatever the prompt happens to be. And because perfect-scoring essays are almost always at least two pages long , you won't have any time to spare.

The Good News

Because the essay is so formulaic, it's always possible to get at least a 10 in each domain. And, on top of this, no college worth its salt is going to base your college admission on getting those last two points on an essay you had to write in 40 minutes. The goal, really, is to show that you can write a decent essay in that time, and a 10 in each domain shows that just as well as a 12 does.

Part II: The Difference Between a 10 and a 12

If we asked the ACT what the difference is between a 10 and a 12 ACT essay, they would direct us to their scoring criteria (replicated in the table below) that describes the difference between the 5 and 6 essay scores in each domain. As you may already know, a total domain score of 12 comes from two readers separately giving your essay a 6; the four domain scores are then averaged to calculate your total essay score of 12.

We've marked the differences between the 5 and 6 criteria in bold . Later, we'll look at these differences in the context of a sample essay.

Part III: Applying the Criteria in a Real ACT Essay Example

Now we'll look at a sample essay and how it demonstrates the characteristics of the 6 essay above. First, let's look at the prompt:

Intelligent Machines

Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives.

Perspective One: What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people.

Perspective Two: Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone.

Perspective Three: Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities.

Write a unified, coherent essay about the increasing presence of intelligent machines.

Now, read the ACT essay example below , and try to notice how it meets the criteria in the table above.

     From the simplest system of pulleys and ropes to the most complex supercomputer in the world today, machines have had (and continue to have) a profound influence on the development of humanity. Whether it is taking over monotonous, low-skill tasks or removing that messy "human" element from our day-to-day interactions, machines have answered the call to duty. The increasing prevalence of intelligent machines challenges us to change long held beliefs about our limitations and to continue forward to new and even more advanced possibilities.     One common argument against the increased presence of machines in our day to day lives is that machines leach from us our basic humanity. Indeed, certain people whose only social interactions are anonymous text-based conversations with other anonymous Internet forum dwellers over computers may begin to lose basic human courtesy and empathy. This is crystal clear with a glance at the comments section of any popular news article. Yet machines are also capable of enhancing people's abilities to communicate. An example of this can be found in Tod Machover's lab at MIT, where breakthroughs in neurotechnology have made it possible for quadripalegics to manipulate text on computers with their minds. Such interactions would be impossible without the existence of intelligent machines. Therefore, I must disagree with Perspective one. Rather than losing part of our own humanity to machines, we instead make that most-essential-to-humanity of acts, communication, possible.     Another school of thought (Perspective Two) argues that machines are good at how and high skill repetitive jobs, which leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone. This can be seen in the human work hours that are saved daily with automated phone menus. Before intelligent machines made automatic telephone menus possible, every customer service call ate up valuable employee time. Now, menus allow callers to choose the number that best suits their needs, routing calls to appropriate destinations without the need for human employees to waste time explaining for the hundredth time that "our business hours are 10am-6pm." On the other hand, no mechanized system of this kind is perfect, because it can't predict all future outcomes. In terms of automated telephone menus, this means that sometimes, no menu options are correct. While automated systems may take the burden off of human workers, it is a mistake to think that they can replace humans entirely. Why else would the last line of resort for most automated phone menus be "Dial "0" to speak to an operator/customer service representative?" Perspective Two is true, but it only goes so far.     A final example will demonstrate how intelligent machines challenge longstanding ideas and push us towards new, unimagined possibilities (perspective three). At my high school, all students had to take diagnostic tests in every main subject to figure out our strengths and weaknesses, and we were then sorted into class by skill level. A truly remarkable pattern emerged as a result of this sorting: it turned out that every kid in my medium-level physics class was also a talented musician. The system that sorted us allowed us to find this underlying pattern, which changed the way our teachers taught us; we learned about mechanics through examples that were more relevant to our lives (answering questions like "how many pulleys are needed to lift a piano?"), which in turn made our classes both more enjoyable and also more effective. When before I had struggled with physics and simply assumed it was a subject I "wasn't good at," the intelligent, automated sorting system allowed me to discover that I could in fact understand mechanics if taught in the right way. This discovery pushed me toward previously unimagined academic possibilities.     In conclusion, intelligent machines help us to move forward as a species to greater heights. While machines can cause problems and may in some cases need human input to function optimally, it is how we react and adapt to the machines that is the real takeaway.

This was a real essay written by me within the time limit. What do you think?

Now let's look at an annotated version of this ACT essay example that points out the essay's features.

What Makes This ACT Essay a 12, Rather Than an 8 or 10?

Considerations that aren't included in the act's published guidelines.

The essay is long enough to analyze and compare the author's perspective to other perspectives in a nuanced way (one positive example for each perspective with an addition negative example comparing two perspectives the author disagreed with to her own perspective) and include an introductory paragraph and a conclusion.

While ACT, Inc. doesn't acknowledge that length is a factor in scoring ACT essays , most experts agree that it is. But length means nothing if there isn't valuable information filling the space, so long ACT essays also need to be detailed—this author uses the space to give lots of analysis of and context for her examples.

Paragraph Breaks

You may have noticed that the essay is broken up into multiple paragraphs (into the standard five-paragraph format, in fact). This makes the essay easier to read, especially for the ACT readers who have about two to three minutes to read (and score!) each essay. If your points can easily be split up into small parts, then it makes sense to split it up into even more paragraphs, as long as your essay's organization and logical progression remains clear.

Content and Examples

This essay uses a personal example, which may or may not be made up (spoiler alert: it is). But the point is that it could be made up, as can anything you use in your essay. Being able to think of examples (that are not too obviously made up) can give you a huge advantage on the ACT essay.

Do's and Don'ts for a 12 ACT Essay

The key to a perfect score on the ACT essay is to use every second of your time wisely. To this end, here are a few tips to avoid common time-wasters and put your energy where it will get you the most points.

Do spend time:

#1: Writing as much as you can without including repetitive or irrelevant information.

#2: Revising the first and last paragraphs (they stand out in readers' minds).

#3: Making sure you have transitions.

Don't spend time:

#1: Thinking of 'smart' sounding evidence— examples from your own life (or made up about your own life) are just as viable as current events, as long as you keep your example focused and concise.

#2: Trying to correct every error—the grammar and spelling do not have to be perfect to score a 12 in the Language Use domain.

#3: Adding as many vocabulary words as you can—you only need enough to avoid repeating the same basic words or phrases multiple times; you'll max out fancy vocab's potential at two words per paragraph.

How To Practice Your Writing To Get A Perfect 12 In Each Domain

• Start with our list of ACT essay prompts.
• Create a list of evidence examples—from literature, history, or personal experience—that you can use for many or most prompt arguments.
• Practice first with extended time—50 minutes—so you can get an idea of what it takes to get a top-scoring essay.
• Find a way to grade your essay, using the ACT Writing Rubric . If you can be objective about your writing, you can notice weak spots, especially if you ran out of time but know what to do. Otherwise, try to get help from an English teacher or a friend who's a better writer than you are.
• Start narrowing the time down to 40 minutes to mirror the actual test.
• Stay confident! The ACT essay is just like a puzzle—every time you do one, you get better at doing it.

What's Next?

Find out more about how to write an ACT essay with this step-by-step example .

Use our analysis of the ACT Writing Rubric to learn about how your essay will be scored—and discover strategies you can use to get the score you want.

Want to aim for perfection on the ACT with a 36? Read our guide on how to score a perfect ACT score, written by our resident 36 scorer.

Make sure your ACT score is high enough for the schools you want to apply to. Find out how to find your ACT target score .

Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points?

Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes . We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more.

Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts . If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next.

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Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

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