How to Prepare for theACT English Test

Of the three competence areas assessed (conventions of standard English, production of writing and knowledge of language), the following categories of question appear often:

In this category, you will demonstrate your understanding of the purpose of the passage and the author’s strategy in trying to achieve it. These questions may focus on style, tone and clarity of the passage. Questions may ask, based on your ability to understand the main idea of the passage, to what degree the writer has succeeded in fulfilling their goals. They may ask you to make improvements, if you see fit, in order to better fulfil this purpose. Other question types in this section include analysing if there has been a shift in tone of the writing, appropriate paragraph placement, appropriate sentence arrangement within a paragraph and any revisions to a sentence to achieve a stated purpose, among others.

Questions of this type might feel more challenging, with answer options that might not always feel so black and white. Remember, however, that the question holds the key to the correct answer. Zoom in on key words within it. What are you being asked? This might seem like a facile suggestion, but this is a couple of seconds well-spent, often overlooked in the heat of time pressures, but will inevitably enable you to focus quickly on relevant parts of the passage and the corresponding correct answer. With regular practice, you will come to observe patterns in question types and formulate techniques that will enable you to succeed. Keep calm and persevere!

In essence, this is very simple. You achieve one point for each question you get right, with the total number of correct answers giving your raw score. Crucially, you are not penalised with a point deduction if you get a question wrong, so be sure to leave no question unanswered- a guess is better than nothing.

The raw score that you achieve for each section is then converted into a scale score, from 1-36. There is no need for you to worry about how these scale conversions are calculated- keep in mind that the grading scale used for score conversion will vary from test to test, adjusted by the ACT to ensure that all scale scores are comparable across all forms of the ACT test and all dates.

Your score report will also show the percentage of answers that you have answered correctly in each reporting category. In addition, it will show a Readiness Range, showing the range of scores to be expected of test-takers who reach the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in English. The ACT College Readiness Benchmark scores demonstrate College readiness by reflecting the minimum ACT scores that indicate a strong probability of success in College courses.

The ACT has released a helpful guide of the skills that students who achieve scores within certain ranges on the ACT English section demonstrate within each of the three assessment categories. Ensure that you make good use of this as it will provide a solid foundation for you to build upon once you have identified the score ranges for your colleges of choice.

Keep in mind that each college that you apply to will have its own criteria that it looks for in applicants and, consequently, a “good” score is subjective among institutions to a certain degree. Therefore, rather than fixating on an arbitrary “good” score, aim instead to achieve a score that falls within the average range of scores for the colleges on your wish list.  This should inform your score aspirations. However, it remains axiomatic that the higher your score, more doors will open to you, so aim high!

It is, however, useful to have an idea of how scores reflect in comparison to other test-takers. This table, originally released by ACT, demonstrates the scores and corresponding national percentile achievements of test-takers from 2021 to 2023. In that period, to fall within the 90^th percentile you would have had to have achieved at least 29 on the ACT English test. So, to achieve a score in the top 10% of test takers, you’d need to achieve a score between 29-36. To fall within the top 25% of test takers for the ACT English test, you would need to achieve a score between 24-28. An ACT English score between 20-23 would put you in the top 50% of test takers in that testing period.

In general, Ivy League schools and their counterparts do not release such breakdowns and state their flexibility with regard to test scores post pandemic. 

It is true that the higher the score and, consequently, your percentile achievement, the better your chances of admission, even though this may be just one small part of the admissions puzzle. Remember that the overall ACT score is a composite based on the average of each section, so aim high! Your ACT English score is as relevant to presenting the best version of yourself as an overall candidate as it is as a standalone score.

You can find more information on ACT scores relevant to Ivy League admissions here.

Although the skills assessed in both formats are in essence the same, there are some unique aspects of the ACT English test when compared to the SAT Reading and Writing section. This can be helpful to keep in mind, both if you are deciding which test is right for you, or indeed if you are taking both assessments.

First of all, the ACT English section contains more questions than its SAT counterpart, the Writing and Language section, with the ACT allowing for less time to complete each question. In comparison to the 75 questions to be answered in 45 minutes allotted in the ACT, the SAT has 54 questions to be completed in 64 minutes over two 32-minute modules. This equates to 36 seconds for each question on the ACT, compared to 1 minute and 11 seconds for each question on the SAT. Whilst this in not reflective of the respective difficulty of the tests- the quality of questions is neither harder or easier on one test or the other, it does mean that when deciding which test to take, you should keep in mind how you work to time pressures in a test environment.

Crucially, the ACT English test does not include an essay-writing requirement, where as an essay is a key element of the SAT Writing and Language test. Whilst there is an ACT Plus Writing test which you may choose to take, or indeed have to take if this is a requirement set by the colleges of your choice, the score you achieve for this essay is not reflected in the calculation for your composite ACT score.  

Historically, there have been slight differences in question type, with the SAT placing more emphasis on rhetoric. Furthermore, the increased time allotted in the SAT for this section has correlated with more complex passages. Finally, SAT questions in this section include questions on data graphics (charts and graphs).

The paper itself is the most effective tool to find the correct answer, with the strongest clues right there in the question - utilise it! Crucially, this means reading the question accurately. In particular, pay attention to the section of the passage that you are being asked to analyse. Is it an underlined section? A particular paragraph? This might not be as straightforward as it seems. Where there is no underlined portion or specific section indicated, this requires you to look at the passage as a whole. Be very clear about what you are being asked to do and any parameters to your task.

With regard to the answer choices presented to you, remember that you are looking to choose the option that responds bestto the question asked. Keep this in mind if you feel indecisive. Make sure you read all of the possible choices before selecting your response. Finally, once you have selected your answer, reread the sentence and, where appropriate, incorporate it. Does it sound right?

Timing is tight. Remember, you have five passages to read with 75 corresponding questions to answer in 45 minutes. Effective time management, practiced over several sample tests, is the best possible preparation to acclimatise yourself to these pressures. Set yourself checkpoints. For example, at 23 minutes, you should be just beyond the halfway mark for the number of questions answered, leaving you a few minutes at the end to check your work and revisit any uncertainties. Consider checking in with yourself every ten minutes to see how far you have progressed.  

Crucially, remember that there are no deductions for any incorrect answers, so choosing any option is better than nothing at all if time is not on your side. If, in those final few minutes, you find yourself hesitant, uncertain of which response to choose, immediately eliminate any options that are clearly wrong. This process of elimination will save time and increase your chances of selecting the correct answer from those remaining.

If you prepare thoroughly, the types of questions that arise and the skills assessed in the English test should not take you by surprise. Indeed, it is a test that has been designed to assess the abilities developed cumulatively over the entire course of your education. However, in the pressures of a strictly timed test environment, it can be difficult to see the wood from the trees. Developing formulae to recognise common grammatical errors on the syllabus can be beneficial to you, enabling you to find the correct response quickly. For example:

Verb errors:

WHO? Do verbs agree with the number of their subject?

WHEN? Is the tense correct, with due regard to the broader sentence?

HOW? Is the preposition correct?

N.B. Sometimes, more than one verb error type will be present. Be mindful of this.

It cannot be emphasised enough that the best preparation possible is to undertake as many practice tests as you can. This will enable you to refine your timing strategy and get used to the test’s question formats. Furthermore, it will enable you to identify weakness in your skills.

Keep a log of your mistakes, alongside reasoned, correct answers. Understand your errors. You might consider broadening this record to include any questions in which you hesitated between different options. Why are certain choices considered incorrect? This log will become an invaluable tool in striving to achieve the highest score you can, a vital resource for effective preparation, particularly in the final days preceding the exam. There are many papers that you can attempt online, and the ACT itself has released English sample questions to assist you in your preparation.

Finally, rally a supportive team around you that you can consult for encouragement or skills development. Reach out to relevant teachers and reach out to them if you have any questions. Consider enlisting a tutor to help you target any areas in which you feel less confident. The team at A-List have significant ACT experience and are always available to you. For students that prefer group training, why not consider its intensive 5-day ACT courses?

Preparing for the ACT writing section can be a daunting task since it can be hard to judge the quality of your own essay. An experienced tutor can be very useful in helping you to develop your essay writing skills and making sure you are on track. Especially since, on average, most students sitting the ACT Writing paper only score half marks. It is important to find a tutor with a proven track record of success as their insight is vital in shaping your progress. A-List Education has a selected number of experienced tutors who can help you with the Writing section (and all other areas of the ACT!). 

For students that prefer group training, why not consider our intensive 5-day ACT courses.

A-List has been a leader in US university pathways for almost 20 years.

All of our tutors are first class graduates from leading US universities - including Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth and University of California - they combine in depth subject knowledge with insight into what it takes to succeed in some of the world’s most demanding academic environments.

For each subject area, we train our students in a thorough grounding of foundational to advanced content, stretching them with material beyond past papers and drills to produce articulate, well-rounded thinkers.

To enquire about A-List ACT support services, contact our Client Services team at +44 (0)20 3004 8101 or info@alisteducation.co.uk, anytime during our office hours Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm.