The ACT is one of two tests that fulfill the admissions criteria for many US universities. The ACT is approximately 4 hours in length and is administered 6 times per year in Canada in September, October, December, February, April, and June. Additionally, it is offered in July in the United States. Students must sign up directly with ACT.org for the test. The test is administered at a number of designated test centers in the Greater Vancouver Area that offer computer-based testing. In the US, the test is administered on paper. It is best for students to sign up two months or more in advance as the test centers may get booked quickly. You may request to have your official ACT scores sent directly to your universities by the ACT organization.
The ACT Exam is a content-based multiple-choice exam that has four sections: English, Reading (four passages, one each of prose fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science), Math (includes some trigonometry), and Science reasoning. The 25-minute essay section is optional. There is no penalty for guessing on the ACT. The test is scored out of 36 points.
Starting in April 2025, the ACT will transition to a digital, computer-adaptive format, with the paper-and-pencil version available from September 2025. It’s important to note that the digital (linear) ACT is already available in Canada, but the new computer-adaptive format will be introduced in the US and internationally, including in Canada, in Spring 2025. Changes to the school-day ACT will begin in Spring 2026, though there is no school-day ACT in Canada as no province or school requires all its students to take these tests.
Notably, the Science section of the ACT will become optional starting in 2025, providing students with four different versions of the exam to choose from:
- ACT: Core subjects of English, Math, and Reading.
- ACT + Science: Includes the optional Science section.
- ACT + Writing: Includes the optional Essay.
- ACT + Science and Writing: Includes both the optional Science and Essay.
Timing and Length Changes
Along with the new formats, the ACT will see changes in the timing and length of sections:
- English: 35 minutes and 50 questions (10 minutes shorter and 25 fewer questions).
- Math: 45 minutes and 45 questions (15 minutes shorter and 15 fewer questions). Answer choices will decrease from 5 options to 4 options.
- Reading: 40 minutes and 36 questions (5 minutes longer and 4 fewer questions).
- Optional Science: 40 minutes and 40 questions (5 minutes longer).
To help students conquer every type of question on the four components of the exam, which include Math, English, Science, and the Essay section, students must familiarize themselves with the content and work on test-taking strategies, mastering tactics to optimize their score and complete the test in a timely manner.
We consult with our students on when to begin ACT Prep, when and how to register for the test, as well as on the timing of tests so that students can optimize results. For those of our students who are undecided about whether to take the SAT or the ACT exam, we offer a diagnostic to determine which test they are best suited for.
SELECT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ACT Prep + Self-study -> ACT Mock Exams -> ACT Exam = Success !