The ACT® (www.act.org) is one of the two primary college admissions and placement tests. The ACT may be taken in addition to the SAT or instead of the SAT. In recent years, the ACT has become more popular than the SAT because the ACT is shorter. The ACT includes multiple-choice sections on English, Math, Reading, and Science, and one optional 40-minute essay.
While both the SAT and ACT assess a student’s relative readiness for college, the ACT differs from the SAT in both content and style, and so requires a different test-taking approach.
The ACT is given in September, October, December, April, and June. It is also given in February and July, but not in New York State. (Wendy’s New York students who take these tests take them in Greenwich or Danbury, Connecticut, or in Bergen County, New Jersey.) The registration deadline is about 6 weeks before the test date, but Wendy suggests you register earlier to get your choice of testing sites.