Knowledge Is Power: What Teachers Need to Know to Prep Students for the ACT

Do you remember taking the ACT?

The anticipation, the stress, or even an overwhelming sense of pressure involved with preparing for test day may come to mind. Along with your score, you may even recall a little bit about how you prepped. Now, as adult educators readying future test-takers for the exam, you can boost student confidence by first gathering essential information about the test and then identifying the core strategies to drive their success.

Even basic details such as the number of questions in each section, how the test is scored, and the number of correct answers needed to demonstrate college readiness are important for you—and, of course, your students—to know prior to test day. Knowledge is power, and the more you understand about this high-stakes test, the better you can guide students toward achieving their goals.

Below are some steps to take as an educator preparing students for the ACT or as you plan a test-prep strategy in their school or district.

The ACT consists of mandatory English, Math, and Reading sections, with Writing and Science sections that will both be optional starting with the Spring 2026 school-based administration. Each section assesses specific skill sets:

English: Tests grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical skills, assessing the ability to edit and understand written text effectively
Math: Focuses on topics ranging from algebra to trigonometry, testing mathematical abilities and problem-solving skills
Reading: Evaluates comprehension skills across various genres, requiring students to interpret and analyze texts
Science (optional): Measures interpretation, analysis, and problem-solving skills within scientific contexts, challenging students to apply scientific reasoning and methodologies.
Writing (optional): Assesses writing skills by prompting students to analyze a perspective and construct a well-organized argument, emphasizing coherence, structure, and language use

TIP: What many teachers and test-takers don’t realize is that with the exception of the Math section, the questions in each section are not arranged by difficulty. This means easier questions are “marbled” throughout the test, challenging the common assumption that the test gets more difficult as students progress.

The ACT is as much about pacing as it is about content mastery. And students have limited time per question.

This tight timing makes time-management skills crucial, which is where strategies such as “Mark and Move” come into play. Because there are no penalties for guessing, students should always provide an answer, even if they are unsure! This can significantly enhance a student’s performance by preventing time traps, where they get stuck on difficult questions scattered throughout the ACT, designed to disrupt their pacing. Answer the item, place a mark or flag the question for review (if time permits), and move on.

Other timing and pacing strategies to consider include:

Process of Elimination: Identifying and eliminating obviously incorrect answers first to ensure better chance of selecting the correct answer
Answer Awareness: Reviewing answer choices before reading the question to understand what each answer means by identify similarities and differences

ACT scores range from 1 to 36, with each section scored individually and then averaged to determine the composite score. Understanding how these scores are calculated is essential for helping students perform their best. There are three types of scores:

Raw Score: The number of questions answered correctly. Since each section has a different number of questions, the raw score represents the total number of correct answers students give in that section.
Scale Score: The raw score is converted into a scale score, which adjusts for slight variations in test difficulty from one test date to another. This conversion makes scores comparable across different test administrations.
Composite Score: The average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. It represents the student’s overall performance on the test.

Scale Score	English Raw Score	Math Raw Score	Reading Raw Score	Science Raw Score	Scale Score
36	75	60	40	40	36
35	74	59	39	39	35
34	73	58	39	39	34
33	72	59	38	38	33
32	71	57	37	38	32
31	71	55	37	38	31
30	69	53	36	37	30
29	68	52	35	36	29
28	67	50	34	36	28
27	65	47	33	34	27
26	63	45	32	33	26
25	61	42	31	31	25
24	59	40	30	30	24
23	57	37	29	28	23
22	54	36	27	27	22
21	52	34	26	25	21
20	49	32	24	23	20
19	46	30	22	21	19
18	43	28	21	19	18
17	41	25	19	17	17
16	38	20	18	15	16
15	35	17	16	14	15
14	33	14	15	13	14
13	31	12	13	12	11
12	29	9	12	11	12
11	26	7	10	10	11
10	24	6	8	8	10
9	21	5	7	7	9
8	18	4	6	6	8
7	15	3	5	5	7
6	12	3	4	4	6
5	9	2	4	3	5
4	7	1	3	2	4
3	5	1	3	2	3
2	3	—	1	1	2
1	O	O	O	O	1

College Readiness Benchmarks

To provide a clearer understanding of the scores students should aim for, the ACT provides the general college readiness benchmarks for each section.

Can you identify the raw score needed in each section to achieve a college-ready scale score?

If you can, you will be able to help your students set goals based on the actual number of items they need to correctly answer in each section instead of blindly going into the test and simply hoping for the best composite score. Having a raw-score goal can make a world of difference in student preparation, pacing, and performance!

The ACT’s design includes several hurdles that can catch students off guard, impacting their overall performance. Here are three examples to consider as you plan your approach to test prep in your school or classroom.

Students may feel confident as they breeze through questions, but this confidence can lead to careless errors. Consider practicing with what’s known as interleaving—mixing question types throughout practice sessions—to help students stay sharp and reduce the likelihood of mistakes caused by overconfidence.

Students often select and stick with an answer they want to be correct—overlooking red flags in the process—instead of objectively considering each answer choice and eliminating those that are obviously incorrect. This bias can lead to misinterpretation of questions and answer choices. By teaching students to carefully read each question and consider all options before choosing, this bias can be mitigated.

The length and structure of the ACT makes physical and mental stamina essential. Because easier questions are “marbled” throughout the test, students must continuously stay focused and manage their energy.

Encouraging students to practice under timed conditions will help them build the endurance needed to maintain accuracy and concentration throughout the entire test. Proper pacing is invaluable in upholding stamina through the end. (Remember: With questions marbled throughout the test—with the exception of Math—if students do not properly pace and complete each section, they may miss the opportunity to answer easier questions that appear near the end of the exam!)

At MasteryPrep, we’re committed to equipping educators with the tools and strategies needed to demystify the ACT for students. Our methods emphasize:

Time Mastery: Developing pacing skills to optimize performance
Test Mastery: Teaching test-taking strategies, like process of elimination and strategic guessing
Content Mastery: Bridging gaps between classroom learning and ACT requirements

Each year, we help thousands of educators and students improve ACT outcomes through professional development and resources tailored to diverse learning needs.

Understanding the ACT’s intricacies is the first step to helping students unlock their potential. If you’re ready to transform your district, school, or classroom approach to ACT prep, MasteryPrep offers comprehensive training and resources designed for educators. Let’s work together to ensure every student has the tools to succeed.

About the Author: Eboney P. Edwards

Eboney P. Edwards is an accomplished education and training specialist currently serving as the Senior Instructional Advisor at MasteryPrep. Holding an MBA from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Louisiana State University, her career has been characterized by a steadfast commitment to instructional excellence and effective training methodologies. At MasteryPrep, she oversees the development of product trainers and coordinates the planning of customer product implementations for school leadership, particularly for large-scale educational clients. Eboney’s extensive experience in both project management and curriculum facilitation establishes her as a pivotal leader in enhancing educational outcomes and advancing college readiness for students nationwide.

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