ACT Tutoring
What is the ACT?
The ACT is a college entrance examination accepted by all college admissions offices throughout the country as an alternative to the SAT. Because the ACT tests students in a different manner than the SAT, some students find it better suited to their aptitudes. Some parents (and even a few educators!) still mistakenly believe there is an advantage to submitting the SAT over the ACT. However, every school in the United States accepts the ACT on an equal par with the SAT, so the focus should be solely on which test is a better fit for the student. Next Level Learning provides professional ACT instructors who can help make that determination.
How can Next Level instructors help?
While Next Level’s highly trained ACT instructors are well versed in the structure, content, strategies, and timing of the ACT, our experience has shown that properly assessing a student’s unique learning style and aptitude while simultaneously building effective rapport allow our instructors to design a tutoring approach that will achieve the quickest and most desirable results. Next Level instructors know the ACT well and have years of experience successfully supporting students.
Who takes it and when?
Students typically take the ACT two to three times, generally in the 11th grade and again in the fall of 12th grade, allowing sufficient time between each test for additional practice and focused ACT preparation. Please see the ACT Exam Test Dates and Deadlines page for this year’s schedule. You can download and print our simplified one-page PDF version here, and pin it to your fridge.
How are the ACT and SAT different?
The ACT and the College Board have both made sweeping changes to their flagship tests in recent years, but there are still several meaningful differences between the tests. Because SAT questions require more processing and reasoning, the SAT grants more time per question. Conversely, ACT questions are more straightforward, and as a result the test can feel more like an achievement test that prioritizes ”what you know,” timing, and endurance. There are also significant differences in content and structure. If you decide to take the ACT go to the ACT website to create an account and register for the ACT.
In April 2025, the ACT introduced the Enhanced ACT, which features three required non-adaptive sections (English, Math, and Reading), two optional non-adaptive sections (Science and Writing), and two possible formats (digital and paper-based). The non-adaptive nature of the ACT means that all students in a given administration of the ACT receive the same questions, regardless of performance. The changes to the ACT were preceded by the March 2024 shift from the paper-based SAT exam to the new digital SAT. All SATs are now administered digitally in school settings and consist of two adaptive sections: Reading & Writing and Math. In this adaptive test, the first module of each section is of mixed difficulty, while the difficulty of the second module depends on performance in the first module. The tests (without the ACT’s optional sections) are of similar lengths, both clocking in at just over two hours, but the ACT packs considerably more questions into that time. Please see our Enhanced ACT vs. Digital SAT page for a full chart of differences.
How do I know which test is better for my child?
As both tests are viewed equally in the eyes of college admissions staff, the decision about which test to take is an important one. At Next Level, our ACT and SAT instructors identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses, aptitude, and learning style to assess which test is the better fit. We offer a digital hybrid diagnostic, allowing a student to work through sections of each test to gauge comfort and aptitude before a decision is made. After review and working through material from each test, students almost always express a strong preference or comfort level, which serves as a primary indicator of which direction to go.
What’s new on the Enhanced ACT?
There are three big changes on the new enhanced ACT:
Fewer questions and more time per question
Each required section (English, Math, and Reading) now has fewer questions and more time per question than on the original ACT, bringing the test’s timing closer in line with the SAT’s.
Optional Science section
The famous ACT Science section is now OPTIONAL, allowing STEM students to demonstrate their strength if they choose to take it, but no longer weighing down less science-confident students.
New optional digital format
The ACT will continue to offer a paper-based test in the new Enhanced format beginning September 2025. However, the test will also be available digitally from April 2025 onward.
Which ACT format is better for my child?
Students who thrive in a digital modality may jump at the chance to take the new computer-delivered Enhanced ACT. However, for some students with learning differences (or even just old-fashioned types!), the physical element of the paper test provides a big boost in comfort. Next Level instructors work to ascertain the format in which a student is most confident, targeting their strategies to that testing type.
When should preparation begin?
The amount of preparation required for the ACT varies with each student. Just as no two students are the same, preparation for every student is also different. The following factors should be considered:
- Is the student working at grade level?
- Are there concepts or material on the exam that require significant review?
- Does the student typically perform well on standardized exams?
- Is anxiety a factor in performance?
- Does the student need to learn how to use extra time accommodation?
- Is motivation an issue?
- Is the student able to focus his or her full attention on preparation?
- Does the student have time to complete homework assignments as part of preparation?
- Is the student applying to highly competitive schools for which a higher score is essential?
Most students begin preparation early in their junior year, but that too varies depending upon the student’s starting point and comfort level. However, it is never advisable for students to wait until a few weeks before their first attempt. Just as cramming for a test in school is rarely productive, waiting until right before the ACT exam can generate significant and sometimes even debilitating anxiety. The ideal approach is to spread out preparation over a longer period so the student doesn’t feel an intensifying pressure to put it all together quickly.
For many students, the ACT is the first standardized test that will have a substantial impact on their future, and that realization alone can generate substantial anxiety. Getting an early start can often help ameliorate anxiety and put students in a significantly better position to achieve their greatest potential.
As part of the preparation process we recommend students take a proctored ACT exam at Next Level Learning. Taking a practice exam provides a valuable opportunity for students to work on test-taking skills and to see how they perform under pressure. A practice exam also helps students develop better time management skills.
What’s tested on the ACT?
The test consists of three required sections and two optional sections: Science and Writing. The total time is 2 hours 5 minutes, plus 40 additional minutes for each of the optional sections. There is no guessing penalty. Each question is multiple choice with four possible answer choices.
English Test | 35 minutes | 50 questions
- Usage/Mechanics
- punctuation
- grammar and usage
- sentence structure
- Rhetorical Skills
- strategy
- organization
- style
- Spelling and vocabulary are not tested.
Math | 50 minutes | 45 questions
- Pre-algebra
- Elementary algebra
- Intermediate algebra
- Coordinate geometry
- Plane geometry
- Trigonometry
Reading Comprehension | 40 minutes | 36 questions
Tested on ability to derive meaning from the text and determine implied meaning.
The passages are:
- Social Studies
- Natural Sciences
- Literary Narrative or Prose Fiction
- Humanities
Science (optional) | 40 minutes | 40 questions
The content of the science test includes biology, chemistry, physics, and the Earth/space sciences (for example, geology, astronomy, and meteorology). Advanced knowledge in these subjects is not required, but knowledge acquired in general, introductory science courses is needed to answer some of the questions. The test emphasizes scientific reasoning skills over recall of scientific content, skill in mathematics, or reading ability.
The passages are presented as:
- Data representation
- Research summaries
- Conflicting viewpoints
Writing (optional) | 40 minutes
Analyze and evaluate 3 perspectives on an issue + your own perspective and how they relate.
Should my child take the Science or the Writing section?
The Science and Writing sections are now optional for students. Some colleges may require one or both, others do not require either, and some merely recommend students take them. It is important to check the admissions portal of each of your prospective colleges to ensure you understand the school’s policy. At Next Level, we generally recommend students take the section that demonstrates their strengths to colleges. The world of college admissions is highly competitive and anything a student can do to get “an edge” is advisable. Of course there are situations where it might not be advisable to take either optional section, and we work with each student to determine the most beneficial course of action.
When are ACT scores released?
ACT results are available approximately two weeks after the test date.
How are ACT scores reported?
Scores are reported separately in each of the three sections on a scale of 1-36. These three scores are averaged to form a “composite score” on the same scale. However, when submitting scores to schools, students can sometimes submit their best scores in each section, from different test dates. This is known as “superscoring.” For example, a student may score a 26 in English and a 28 in Math in their first test and a 27 in English and a 27 in Math in their second test. Superscoring allows that student to submit a 27 in English and a 28 in Math as their individual section scores even though they were from different tests. Thus, a student can use superscoring to produce a higher composite score than the one they achieved in any single test.
Note: Not all schools accept superscoring. As always, applicants should check with the school’s admissions department to ascertain the school’s policy. Students applying to colleges that allow superscoring should consider taking the ACT multiple times to take advantage of the opportunity to present the highest scores from each test.
Scoring
- The composite score is reported in the range 1-36
- The test is scored in the three separate sections: English, Math, and Reading each on a scale of 1-36. The composite score is the average of these three scores.
- Science is scored on a scale of 1-36 and reported separately from the composite of the three mandatory sections. If test-takers opt in to the Science section, they will receive a STEM score (composite of Math and Science).
- The Writing score is reported separately. It is scored over 4 areas (Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use and Conventions) which are added and then averaged to produce a single score between 2 to 12. If test-takers opt in to the Writing section, they will receive an ELA score (composite of English, Reading, and Writing* scale scores).
*Writing scale score obtained using sum of domain scores
Contact Next Level Learning to find out how our SAT instructors can help your child achieve his or her greatest potential.