The IvyPrep Difference
American College Testing (ACT)
What Is The ACT?
An overview of the ACT exam
The American College Testing (ACT) is a standardized test widely used in admissions to US universities. The ACT comprises four compulsory sections: English, Math, Reading and Science.
The ACT Essay is optional though some top universities consider it essential in your application. ACT Essay scores are reported separately from overall test scores.
Format
An insight into the ACT exam
Section
No. of questions
Total time (min)
English
75
45
Math
60
60
Reading
40
35
Science
40
35
Writing (Essay — Optional)
1
40
English
Five total passages with questions on grammar, punctuation, standard English conventions and rhetorical skills.
Reading
A total of four passages, each testing ten questions. The passages are taken from four main discursive modes of writing: history, literature (narrative prose), natural science and the social sciences.
Writing
One prompt with a time limit of 40 minutes. Students are required to take a stance on a broad social issue and write an argumentative essay taking into consideration up to three given perspectives.
Math
There are 60 total questions, testing algebra, geometry, statistics, functions and trigonometry. A calculator is allowed throughout the test.
Science
There are six total passages, asking questions on data representation, research summary and conflicting viewpoints. Most questions test visual data analysis.
We recommend that students start preparing for the ACT at least 3 months prior to the exam.
Registration
How do I register for the ACT?
1
Sign in to your free ACT account. If you don’t have an account, you should register for a new one here.
2
Provide your full name and other identifying information — this must be exactly the same as seen on your photo ID.
3
Select your preferred test date and testing center. Click here to find a test center near you.
4
Choose whether you want to take the ACT with or without the Essay.
5
Upload a photo ID that meets ACT’s specific photo requirements.
6
Check out, and print your Admission Ticket. Bring this with you on the test day.
What if I miss the deadline to register?
Academic requirements
Final Year Grades
IB; or A-Levels; or APs / SATs; or GPA
Reference Letter
You will need one teacher recommendation that speaks to your academic abilities. This would ideally be someone who has taught you recently (JC1 / JC2 or Grade 11 / 12).
Academic Honors
Applications require accomplishments that are academic in nature (eg: Honor Roll / Olympiads / Research Experiences).
Testing
Some courses (Law / Medicine / Oxbridge applicants) will require special admissions tests such as the LNAT or BMAT / UCAT.
Non-academic requirements
Super-curricular Accomplishments
These activities demonstrate to universities that you are exploring your chosen subject outside of the classroom with genuine passion and curiosity.
UCAS Personal Statement
This is a short essay of roughly 500 words. This essay will require you to state your intended course of study at university, why you wish to pursue this interest, and how you have already meaningfully engaged with this subject previously.
If you missed the regular ACT registration deadline, you can still register during the late registration period. The late registration period typically extends for 14 days following the regular registration deadline. For the latest information, visit here.
You will have to pay a late registration fee of US$29.50 (on top of the regular registration fee). The late registration process is the same as the regular registration process.
ACT Scoring
Superscores
If a college superscores the ACT, it will take your highest Math, Science, Reading, and English scores that you achieved on any of the dates you took the test.
Then, it will average these together for a new composite so that you’ll end up with your highest possible composite score.
April
English Score: 32
Math Score: 25
Reading Score: 28
Science Score: 33
Composite Score: 30
June
English Score: 28
Math Score: 32
Reading Score: 34
Science Score: 30
Composite Score: 31
Superscore
English Score: 32
Math Score: 32
Reading Score: 34
Science Score: 33
Super Score: 33
Which courses should I apply to?
1
Make payment via an AXS station or at the RELC EB office (only from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm on October 1, 2021). Registration before the standard deadline costs SGD 362, while registration before the late deadline (October 15, 2021) costs SGD 482. Click here for a guide on how to pay via AXS.
2
Oxford University and Cambridge University will only accept one application to either university. You cannot apply to both.
Courses in the veterinary science, medicine or dentistry fields which limit you to four courses on the UCAS, instead of the usual five.
Deciding on a course of study
There are over 50,000 undergraduate courses at more than 395 providers in the UK, so it’s important you do your research. What would you like to study? What would you like to achieve after university? Is being located in central London important to you? These are some important questions to ask as you decide which courses to apply to. To learn more:
Look at the UCAS subject guides to understand what the different subject areas have to offer — including graduate destinations, entry requirements, and personal statement tips.
Browse the UCAS search tool for inspiration on the types of courses you can study — you can use the subject filters to narrow your search.
What score do I need?
Here are the average ACT scores of successful applicants to top-tier universities.
Ivy League Universities
ACT Score of 25th Percentile
ACT Score of 75th Percentile
Yale University
31
35
Harvard College
32
35
Columbia University
32
35
Princeton University
32
35
University of Pennsylvania
31
34
Brown University
31
34
Dartmouth College
30
34
Cornell University
30
34
Top private universities
ACT Score of 25th Percentile
ACT Score of 75th Percentile
California Institute of Technology
34
35
University of Chicago
31
35
Vanderbilt University
32
35
Stanford University
31
35
MIT
33
35
Johns Hopkins University
32
34
Northwestern University
31
34
Carnegie Mellon University
31
34
Top public universities
ACT Score of 25th Percentile
ACT Score of 75th Percentile
Georgia Institute of Technology
31
34
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
27
33
UC, Berkeley
30
34
University of Michigan, Ann-Arbor
29
33
University of Virginia
29
33
UC, Los Angeles
28
33
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
27
32
Score Percentiles
Understanding your score
The ACT gives you a percentile ranking for your overall composite score as well as for each of the four section scores: English, Math, Reading and Science.
The following table is the most recent data regarding 2017-2018 percentile statistics from ACT.org.
Composite score range
Percentile ranking
33–36
99
32
98
31
97
30
95
29
93
28
90
27
87
26
83
25
79
24
74
23
68
Which courses should I apply to?
1
Make payment via an AXS station or at the RELC EB office (only from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm on October 1, 2021). Registration before the standard deadline costs SGD 362, while registration before the late deadline (October 15, 2021) costs SGD 482. Click here for a guide on how to pay via AXS.
2
Oxford University and Cambridge University will only accept one application to either university. You cannot apply to both.
Courses in the veterinary science, medicine or dentistry fields which limit you to four courses on the UCAS, instead of the usual five.
Deciding on a course of study
There are over 50,000 undergraduate courses at more than 395 providers in the UK, so it’s important you do your research. What would you like to study? What would you like to achieve after university? Is being located in central London important to you? These are some important questions to ask as you decide which courses to apply to. To learn more:
Look at the UCAS subject guides to understand what the different subject areas have to offer — including graduate destinations, entry requirements, and personal statement tips.
Browse the UCAS search tool for inspiration on the types of courses you can study — you can use the subject filters to narrow your search.
Section percentiles
| SCORE | COMPOSITE | ENGLISH | MATH | READING | SCIENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 35 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 34 | 99 | 98 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 33 | 99 | 97 | 98 | 97 | 98 |
| 32 | 98 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 98 |
| 31 | 97 | 94 | 96 | 93 | 97 |
| 30 | 95 | 92 | 95 | 90 | 95 |
| 29 | 93 | 90 | 93 | 87 | 94 |
| 28 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 84 | 93 |
| 27 | 87 | 85 | 88 | 81 | 90 |
| 26 | 83 | 82 | 84 | 78 | 87 |
| 25 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 75 | 86 |
| 24 | 74 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 77 |
| 23 | 68 | 69 | 67 | 66 | 70 |
| 22 | 62 | 64 | 61 | 61 | 63 |
| 21 | 56 | 58 | 56 | 56 | 56 |
| 20 | 49 | 51 | 52 | 48 | 48 |
| 19 | 42 | 44 | 47 | 42 | 39 |
| 18 | 36 | 39 | 42 | 36 | 32 |
| 17 | 29 | 35 | 36 | 30 | 26 |
| 16 | 23 | 31 | 27 | 25 | 21 |
| 15 | 17 | 26 | 15 | 20 | 16 |
| 14 | 12 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 12 |
| 13 | 7 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 9 |
| 12 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
Differences
Both tests are accepted by most universities in the US. However, as they have slight differences, it is recommended that candidates should take the test they would fare better in.
Should you be unable to decide which test might be more suitable for you, a good way to gauge your expertise is to attempt a full length practice test for both.
IvyPrep offers free diagnostic tests for both the SAT and ACT. Upon completion of the tests, a detailed score report would be generated to assist with your decision in which test you should sit for.
Scoring
Composite score of 400–1600
Scoring
Composite score out of 36 (average of all 4 sections)
Format
Paper and Pencil
Format
Computerized
Dates
Offered five times a year:
March
May
August
October
December
Dates
Offered seven times a year:
February
April
June
July
September
October
December
Math formulas
Geometry formulas are provided
Math formulas
To be memorized
Calculator policy
Allowed in one Math sub-section
Calculator policy
Allowed in Math section
Science section
No
Science section
Yes
Which courses should I apply to?
1
Make payment via an AXS station or at the RELC EB office (only from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm on October 1, 2021). Registration before the standard deadline costs SGD 362, while registration before the late deadline (October 15, 2021) costs SGD 482. Click here for a guide on how to pay via AXS.
2
Oxford University and Cambridge University will only accept one application to either university. You cannot apply to both.
Courses in the veterinary science, medicine or dentistry fields which limit you to four courses on the UCAS, instead of the usual five.
Deciding on a course of study
There are over 50,000 undergraduate courses at more than 395 providers in the UK, so it’s important you do your research. What would you like to study? What would you like to achieve after university? Is being located in central London important to you? These are some important questions to ask as you decide which courses to apply to. To learn more:
Look at the UCAS subject guides to understand what the different subject areas have to offer — including graduate destinations, entry requirements, and personal statement tips.
Browse the UCAS search tool for inspiration on the types of courses you can study — you can use the subject filters to narrow your search.
Should I take the SAT or the ACT?
The types of questions in each section of the SAT and the ACT vary. Ultimately, the best way to know which test is a better fit for you is to attempt both. Click here to schedule a free SAT and/or ACT Diagnostic Test.
The key differences in concepts tested on the SAT and the ACT are here:
SAT
ACT
Reading
Questions are always in chronological order; a number line is provided. You are given approx. 13 minutes per passage.
Reading
Questions are not in chronological order — being able to remember the location of exact details in passages gives you an advantage. You are given approx. 8 minutes per passage.
Writing
More focused on questions about writing style, language precision and vocabulary.
Writing
More focused on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and big idea questions.
Math
Focus on Algebra, along with other topics such as Data Analysis and Modeling.
Math
Wider range of Mathematical concepts — such as logarithms, graphs of trigonometry functions, and matrices.
Science
No Science section. Scientific data and passages present in Reading and Writing sections.
Science
Comfort with scientific terms and experience gathering scientific data from charts and graphs will give you a greater advantage on the ACT.
Essay
No longer offered after June 2021.
Essay
Analyze three perspectives on an issue and present your own.
Score Conversion
SAT Composite score
ACT Composite Score
1570–1600
36
1530–1560
35
1490–1520
34
1450–1480
33
1420–1440
32
1390–1410
31
1360–1380
30
1330–1350
29
1300–1320
28
1260–1290
27
1230–1250
26
1200–1220
25
1160–1190
24
1130–1150
23
1100–1120
22
1060–1090
21
1030–1050
20
990–1020
19
960–980
18
920–950
17
880–910
16
830–870
15
780–820
14
730–770
13
690–720
12
650–680
11
620–640
10
590–610
9
Personal Statement
Write an engaging personal statement
Your UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) personal statement is an important part of your university application to differentiate yourself from other applicants. You will need to demonstrate that you are a suitable candidate who will thrive at the university with your drive, skills, and enthusiasm for the subject. We have compiled a few tips that will help you write an engaging personal statement.
Be Specific
Your UCAS Personal Statement needs to be highly personalized to you in order to show your unique motivations and academic interests. As you will be sending one personal statement to all of your chosen schools and subjects, it is important to tailor your personal statement to emphasize your commitment to the subject as much as possible.
Supporting your application with specific examples will demonstrate that the course aligns with your academic pursuits and goals, persuading admissions tutors that you are suitable for the course and will contribute to the learning environment at the university.
Structure it clearly
With the 4,000 character limit, concision is key. A clear, logical structure will be easier for the admissions tutor to follow cohesively. The “ABC” structure is an effective method to write about how your experiences have shown evidence of your enthusiasm for the subject.
Action
What have you done that demonstrates your passion for the subject?
Benefit
What skills have you gained? How did your experiences influence your academic and professional goals?
Course
How do these actions demonstrate suitability for the course?
Some achievements that you could talk about to show the best side of yourself are:
Outside coursework or readings. Any books or courses that have corroborated your interest in the subject.
Work or research experience. Any work/internship experiences or research you participated in that advanced your interest in the subject or determined your career goals.
Extracurricular activities. Ways that you have extended your learning beyond the classroom.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do
Do ask for more feedback from others such as a trusted teacher, friends, or family members to ensure you submit the best work possible.
Do be authentic and stay true to yourself! Give the admission tutor an insight into your personality and strengths.
Do write clearly with a formal, academic tone that shows depth in your writing.
Don’t
Don’t wait until the last minute to write your personal statement! Give yourself time for reviewing and revisions.
Don’t copy someone else's personal statement — UCAS has software that checks for plagiarism!
Don’t use examples or experiences irrelevant to your course. Every sentence should help explain why you would contribute to the university.
Important Dates for 2023 entry applications
University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
Medical Application
Other Universities / Courses
