ACT — American College Testing

The Writing section is optional. However, some colleges and universities require or recommend it for admission or academic placement. Students should check each target school's specific requirements. When in doubt, it is generally advisable to complete the Writing section.

The national average ACT composite score is approximately 19–20 out of 36. Competitive universities typically look for scores of 28–34+. For the most selective schools (top Ivy League, MIT, Stanford), the middle 50% of admitted students often score 34–36.

There is no official limit on ACT attempts. With ACT's Score Choice policy, students can choose which test dates' scores to send to colleges. Most colleges accept the Superscore (highest section scores across multiple test dates combined into one composite), making multiple attempts strategically advantageous.

Both are college admissions tests accepted by all US universities. Key differences: the ACT has a dedicated Science section; the SAT has a stronger reading/evidence-based focus. The ACT allows calculators throughout Math; the SAT has a no-calculator math section. Neither penalises for wrong answers. Most students perform comparably on both — taking a practice test for each is recommended to find your best fit.