The Official ACT Logo

The ACT is a standardized achievement examination for college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a consistent manner An achievement test is a test of developed skill or knowledge To examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely hence an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person University admission or college admissions is the process through which students enter Tertiary education at universities and Colleges Systems Education in the United States is provided mainly by government with control and funding coming from three levels federal, state, and local. ^[1] It was first administered in Fall 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test. Autumn (also known as fall in North American English) is one of the four Temperate Seasons Autumn marks the transition from Summer The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Everett Franklin Lindquist (1901–1978 was a professor of Education at the University of Iowa. The College Board is a Not-for-profit Examination board in the United States that was formed in 1900 The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test for College admissions in the ^[2] Some students who perform poorly on the SAT find that they perform better on the ACT and vice versa. ^[3] The test has historically consisted of 4 tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science reasoning. In February 2005, an optional writing test was added to the ACT, mirroring changes to the SAT that took place later in March of the same year. All four-year colleges and universities in the U. College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects S. accept the ACT^[4] but different institutions place different emphases on standardized tests such as the ACT, compared to other factors of evaluation such as class rank, G.P.A., and extracurricular activities. In Education, a grade (or mark is a teacher's standardized Evaluation of a Student 's work Extracurricular activities are activities performed by Students that fall outside the realm of the normal Curriculum of school or university education

ACT, Inc.

ACT, Inc. , was originally known as the American College Testing Program, Inc. , but changed its name to ACT Inc. , the letters not standing for anything, in 1996. A pseudo-acronym (or empty acronym) is an apparent Acronym or other Abbreviation which doesn't stand for anything or cannot be officially expanded to some In 2002 the company was restructured to include "Education" and "Workforce Development" divisions, each overseen by its own advisory board. Each state also has its own state organization, and the entire company is overseen by a board of directors made up of 14 members. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government When high school students become sophomores, they take the PLAN test to help decide if they will want to take the ACTs the following year. The PLAN is a pre- ACT test that is generally administered in the fall of the sophomore year ^[1]

In 2005 the company established ACT International. This organization is composed of ACT Education Solutions, Limited, and ACT Business Solutions, B. V. ACT Education Solutions is directed toward helping non-native speakers learn English in preparation for studying at an English-speaking educational institution. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States ACT Business Solutions attempts to help employers assess their employees' level of English proficiency through use of the WorkKeys assessment. The WorkKeys job skill assessment system was created in the late 1980s by ACT Inc ^[1]

Function

ACT, Inc. says that the ACT assessment measures high school students' general educational development and their capability to complete college-level work with the multiple-choice tests covering four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The optional Writing Test measures skill in planning and writing a short essay. ^[5] Specifically, ACT states that its scores provide an indicator of "college readiness", and that scores in each of the subtests correspond to skills in entry-level college courses in English, algebra, social science, humanities, and biology. ^[6]

To develop the test, ACT incorporates the objectives for instruction for middle and high schools throughout the United States, reviews approved textbooks for subjects taught in Grades 7-12, and surveys educators on which knowledge skills are relevant to success in postsecondary education. ACT publishes a technical manual that summarizes studies conducted of its validity in predicting freshman GPA, equating different high school GPAs, and measuring educational achievement. ^[7]

Colleges use The ACT and the SAT Reasoning Test because there are substantial differences in funding, curricula, grading, and difficulty among U. S. secondary schools due to American federalism, local control, and the prevalence of private, distance, and home schooled students. Political federalism is a Political philosophy in which a group of members are bound together (Latin foedus, covenant) with a governing Homeschooling (also called home education) home learning or homeschool  – is the education of children at home typically by parents or professional ACT/SAT scores are used to supplement the secondary school record and help admission officers put local data — such as course work, grades, and class rank — in a national perspective.

In addition, some states have used the ACT to assess the performance of schools, and require all high school students to take the ACT, regardless of whether they are college bound. Colorado and Illinois have incorporated the ACT as part of their mandatory testing program since 2001. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Michigan has required the ACT since 2007, Kentucky will require all high school juniors to take the ACT beginning in 2008 and Wyoming will require all high school juniors to take either the ACT or the ACT WorkKeys exams. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. The WorkKeys job skill assessment system was created in the late 1980s by ACT Inc ^[8]

Use

Map of states according to preferred exam of 2006 high school graduates. States in blue had more students taking the ACT than the SAT.

The ACT is more widely used in the Midwestern and Southern United States, while the SAT is more popular on the east and west coasts, although recently the ACT has been gaining more use on the East Coast. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard" refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern ^[9] Use of the ACT by colleges has risen as a result of various criticisms of the effectiveness and fairness of the SAT.

Format

The required portion of the ACT is divided into four multiple choice subject tests: English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. For the 1974 John Wayne Crime drama movie see McQ. Multiple choice is a form of Assessment in which respondents English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Reasoning is the cognitive process of looking for Reasons for beliefs conclusions actions or feelings Subject test scores range from 1 to 36; all scores are natural numbers. In Mathematics, a natural number (also called counting number) can mean either an element of the set (the positive Integers or an The English, mathematics, and reading tests also have subscores ranging from 1 to 18. (The subject score is not the sum of the subscores. ) The "composite score" is the average of all four tests. In addition, students taking the writing test receive a writing score ranging from 2 to 12, a "combined English/writing score" ranging from 1 to 36 (based on the writing score and English score), and one to four comments on the essay from the essay scorers. The writing score does not affect the composite score. Sometimes the test includes an experimental section that may be a short version of any of the four major sections. The experimental section is used to normalize questions for future administrations of the ACT and does not count toward the final score. The experimental section is most often found on the June offering.

English

The first section is the 45 minute English test covering usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills. A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for design and writing of documents either for general use or for a specific publication or organization Rhetoric has had many definitions no simple definition can do it justice The 75 question test consists of a few passages with various sections underlined on one side of the page and options to correct the underlined portions on the other side of the page. There are also a few questions asking about the order of sentences in a paragraph and paragraphs in a passage and the author's tone in a section of text.

Math

The second section is the 60 minute, 60 question math test with 14 covering pre-algebra, 10 elementary algebra, 9 intermediate algebra, 14 plane geometry, 9 coordinate geometry, and 4 elementary trigonometry. Pre-algebra is a common name for a course in Elementary mathematics. Algebra is a branch of Mathematics concerning the study of structure, relation, and Quantity. Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to the Greek Mathematician Euclid of Alexandria. Analytic geometry, also called coordinate geometry and earlier referred to as Cartesian geometry or analytical geometry, is the study of Geometry Circle-trig6svg|300px|thumb|right|All of the Trigonometric functions of an angle θ can be constructed geometrically in terms of a unit circle centered at O. ^[10] Calculators are permitted in this section only. The calculator requirements are stricter than the SAT's in that computer algebra systems are not allowed; however, the ACT permits calculators with paper tapes, that make noise, that have wireless capabilities, and that have power cords with certified "modifications" (disabling the above features), which the SAT does not allow. A computer algebra system ( CAS) is a software program that facilitates Symbolic mathematics. ^[11] Also, this is the only section that has five instead of four answer choices.

Reading

The 35 minute, 40 question reading section measures reading comprehension in four passages (taken and edited from books and magazines) one about prose fiction (short stories and novels), one about social science (history, economics, psychology, political science, and anthropology), one about humanities (art, music, architecture, dance), and one about natural science (biology, chemistry, physics, and the physical sciences), in that order. A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally For the Wikipedia guideline regarding editing articles see WikipediaManual of Style. Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including Anthropology, Communication studies History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of The humanities are academic disciplines which study the Human condition, using methods that are primarily Analytic, Critical, or Speculative Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of Natural science and Science that study non-living systems in contrast to the biological sciences ^[12]

Science reasoning

The science reasoning test is a 35 minute, 40 question test. There are seven passages each followed by five to seven questions. There are three Data Representation passages with 5 questions following each passage, 3 Research Summary passage with six questions each, and one Conflicting Viewpoints passage with 7 questions. ^[13]

Writing

The optional writing section, which is always administered at the end of the test, is 30 minutes long. All essays must be in response to a given prompt. The prompts are about a social issue applicable to high school students. No particular essay structure is required. Two trained readers assign each essay a score between 1 and 6, where a score of 0 is reserved for essays that are blank, off-topic, non-English, not written with no. 2 pencil, or considered illegible after several attempts at reading. The scores are summed to produce a final score from 2 to 12 (or 0). If the two readers' scores differ by more than one point, then a senior third reader decides.

Although the writing section is optional, several schools do require an essay score and will factor it in to the admissions decision^[14].

The chart below summarizes each section and the average test score based on graduating high school seniors in 2006. ^{[15] [16]}

Test availability

The ACT is offered four to six times a year, depending on the state, in the United States, in September, October, December, February, April and June and is always on a Saturday. A year (from Old English gēr) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the Orbit of the Earth around the Sun The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Candidates may choose either the ACT assessment, ($30), or the ACT assessment plus writing, ($44. 50).

Candidates whose religious beliefs prevent them from taking the test on a Saturday may request to take the test on the following Sunday. Such requests must be made at the time of registration and are subject to denial.

Students with verifiable disabilities, including physical and learning disabilities, are eligible to take the exam with accommodations. The standard time increase for students requiring additional time due to learning disabilities is 50%. ^[17] Scores are sent to the student, his or her high school, and up to six colleges. ^[18]

Score cumulative percentages and comparison with SAT

Of the graduating high school class of 2007, there were 1,300,599 students who took the ACT; this comprises 42% of the graduating class took the ACT. ^[19] The average composite score was a 21. 1. Of 2006 test-takers, 517,563 (or 42. 9%) were males, 646,688 (or 53. 6%) were females, and 42,204 (or 3. 5%) did not report a gender. ^[16] Nationwide, 314 students who reported that they would graduate in 2007 received the highest ACT composite score of 36. ^[20] Males on average scored one fifth (. 2) of a point higher on the ACT than females. ^[9]

2005 distribution of ACT scores

Although there is no official conversion chart, the College Board, who administers the SAT, released an unofficial chart based on results from 103,525 test takers who took both tests between October 1994 and December 1996 here; however, both tests have changed since then. Several colleges and test-prep companies have also issued their own charts. The following is based on the The Princeton Review conversion chart. The Princeton Review (TPR is an American educational preparation company ^[21] The cumulative percentage are based on the published 2007 ACT distribution. ^[22]. Note that ACT percentiles are calculated as the percent scoring the same or lower not as is sometimes the case just those who score lower. Note that these values are approximations; yet the distributions have retained a good degree of stability over the history of these exams.

References

See also

• List of admissions tests
• PLAN (examination)
• SAT

External links

• ACT Test Taker's Site
• ACT Corporate Site