ACT prep that starts with a real test
A full-length, timed practice test — free — and the lessons and drills to fix exactly what it finds.
Full-length practice exams
Timed, full-length ACT practice tests with passages, figures, and instant scoring — the closest thing to test day.
Browse examsQuestion bank
Untimed topic drills with a worked explanation after every question — the fastest way to fix one weakness.
Browse the bankLessons
Guided lessons across English, Math, Reading, and Science, each built around the method the question is testing.
Browse lessonsFree diagnostic
A short diagnostic across all four sections. About ten minutes, and no account required.
Start the diagnosticWhat the ACT actually looks like
Four sections, always in the same order, with a calculator allowed for all of the maths. The defining feature is speed: the ACT asks more questions in less time than the SAT, and most students lose more points to the clock than to the content.
| Section | Questions | Minutes | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 75 | 45 | Grammar, punctuation, and rhetoric, tested inside passages. |
| Math | 60 | 60 | Pre-algebra through trigonometry. A calculator is allowed throughout. |
| Reading | 40 | 35 | Four passages, ten questions each. The tightest timing on the test. |
| Science | 40 | 35 | Charts, experiments, and conflicting viewpoints — data reading, not recall. |
| Whole test | 215 | 175 |
Each section is scored 1 to 36 and the composite is the average of the four, rounded. A wrong answer costs nothing more than a blank one, so leaving a question unanswered is always the worse option — build the habit on a full-length practice exam where the clock is real.
How to prepare, in order
On the ACT specifically, pacing is a skill you have to practise under a clock. Untimed work can hide the problem entirely, which is why measurement comes first here too.
1. Take a timed test, not an untimed one
Start with the free diagnostic or a full-length exam. Both report pacing alongside accuracy, so you can see whether you are losing points to the content or simply running out of time.
2. Separate the two problems
A topic you get wrong with time to spare needs a lesson. A topic you get right but slowly needs repetition. They are different problems and the fix for one does nothing for the other.
3. Drill the exact weakness
The question bank is untimed and single-topic, with the explanation shown after every question — so the correction lands while your reasoning is still fresh.
4. Re-test under the clock
Every few weeks, sit a fresh full-length exam at real timing. It is the only way to confirm that a fix survived contact with the pace of the actual test.
ACT questions, answered
How long is the ACT?
Two hours and fifty-five minutes of testing time across four sections: 45 minutes of English, 60 of Math, 35 of Reading, and 35 of Science, with breaks between. That is the length of every full-length ACT practice test on this site.
How many questions are on the ACT?
215 — 75 English, 60 Math, 40 Reading, and 40 Science. It is a fast test: Reading and Science both give you well under a minute per question, which is why pacing is tracked separately from accuracy here.
How is the ACT scored?
Each of the four sections is scored from 1 to 36, and the composite is the average of the four rounded to the nearest whole number. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so every question should be answered even if it is a guess.
What is a good ACT score?
The composite runs 1 to 36. Around 20 sits near the middle of all test takers, 24 and up is solidly above average, and 30 and up is competitive at selective universities. As with the SAT, the number that matters is the range your target colleges publish.
What does the ACT Science section actually test?
Reading data, not remembering science. The questions are built on charts, experimental setups, and pairs of conflicting hypotheses, and almost all of the information needed is on the page. Outside knowledge is rarely required, so the section rewards a reading method more than it rewards a science course.
Should I take the ACT or the SAT?
Colleges accept both and do not prefer either. The ACT is faster and includes a Science section; the SAT gives you more time per question and is adaptive by module. Sit one full-length practice test of each under real timing and compare where you land on each test's own scale.
How should I prepare for the ACT?
Start with a full-length timed test, because ACT scores are limited by pacing as often as by knowledge and you cannot see that in untimed work. Then drill the specific topics that cost you points, and re-test every few weeks to confirm the change is real.
Are the ACT practice tests on this site free?
ACT Practice Test 1 is completely free and needs no card, as is the ten-minute diagnostic. Premium opens the remaining full-length exams, the whole question bank, and every lesson.