What goes into an ACT study plan?
Five steps: confirm which sections you’re taking, take an official practice test as a diagnostic, work on your weakest reporting categories, check progress with more timed tests, and ease off in the final week. The number of weeks you have decides how many rounds you can fit.
Which ACT sections will you take?
Every enhanced ACT includes English, math and reading, and your Composite score is the average of those three. Science and writing are optional sections. For state and district testing, ACT sets science optionality at the contract level, so if you test at school, ask your counselor whether science is included.
Taking science adds a science score and a STEM score, which is the average of math and science. Writing is scored 2–12 and doesn’t change your Composite. Some colleges require or accept writing scores, so check before you skip it. If you’re unsure about science, read should you take ACT science?
How much time do you get per ACT question?
| Section | Questions | Minutes | Average per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 35 | About 42 seconds |
| Math | 45 | 50 | About 67 seconds |
| Reading | 36 | 40 | About 67 seconds |
| Science (optional) | 40 | 40 | About 60 seconds |
| Writing (optional) | 1 essay | 40 | Not applicable |
The averages are simple division, not ACT rules. Each multiple-choice section includes unlabeled field test questions that don’t count toward your score, so pace yourself for every question. ACT scores 40 of the 50 English questions, 41 of 45 in math, 27 of 36 in reading and 34 of 40 in science.
ACT suggests a sharper target: subtract the time you expect to spend reading passages or data, then divide what’s left by the number of questions. There’s no penalty for wrong answers, so answer every question. ACT also suggests answering the easier questions first and returning to the hard ones if time remains.
How do I start with an official ACT practice test?
ACT offers four official full-length practice tests for free, in digital or paper form. The digital sections come in timed and untimed versions. For a diagnostic, take the timed version of every section you’ll take on test day.
Each online section has to be finished in one sitting, and closing the page erases your answers. When you’re done, use the scoring key to convert your raw scores to scale scores.
The scoring key also tags each question with its reporting category, such as Conventions of Standard English. Count your misses by category. Your two weakest categories are where skill work starts. Our skill guides explain what each category tests, for example Conventions of Standard English and Interpretation of Data. The practice test review guide shows how to sort each miss.
If you’ve already taken an official ACT, your score report lists each reporting category with the number of questions, how many you got right and your percentage correct. Use it alongside your diagnostic.
What does a 12-week ACT study plan look like?
Twelve weeks lets you use all four free official practice tests and still keep a quiet final week.
| Weeks | Focus | Official practice checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm your sections. Take the diagnostic and count misses by reporting category. | ACT Practice Test 1, timed |
| 2–4 | Daily sets on your two weakest categories, untimed at first, then timed. | ACT’s free section practice questions in those subjects |
| 5 | Take the second test. Re-rank your categories and pick the next two. | ACT Practice Test 2, timed |
| 6–8 | New categories plus passage-by-passage pacing. Add science sets if you’re taking science. | ACT Practice Test 3 at the end of week 8 |
| 9–10 | Mixed timed sections. Redo every question in your error log. | ACT Practice Test 4 at the end of week 10 |
| 11 | Fix the patterns from your fourth test. Short timed sets in any section where you ran out of time. | Redo missed questions from all four tests |
| 12 | Taper. See the final week below. | None |
What does a 6-week ACT study plan look like?
| Weeks | Focus | Official practice checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm your sections. Take the diagnostic and count misses by category. | ACT Practice Test 1, timed |
| 2–3 | Daily sets on your two weakest categories. | ACT Practice Test 2 at the end of week 3 |
| 4 | Add the next categories and work on pacing. Redo the questions in your error log. | ACT’s free section practice questions |
| 5 | Take the third test early in the week, then fix what it shows. | ACT Practice Test 3, timed |
| 6 | Taper. | None |
What does a 3-week ACT study plan look like?
| Weeks | Focus | Official practice checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm your sections. Take the diagnostic in the first two days, then pick two categories and a pacing target for each section. | ACT Practice Test 1, timed |
| 2 | Daily sets on your two categories, plus one timed section every other day. | ACT Practice Test 2 at the end of the week |
| 3 | Fix the pacing problems from your second test, then taper. | None |
For every checkpoint, ACT’s practice booklet suggests conditions as close to test day as you can manage: time each section and give yourself only the time allowed.
What should I do in the final week before the ACT?
- Keep sessions short. Redo questions from your error log and a few timed sets in sections where your pace slipped.
- Skip a new full practice test in the last few days. You won’t have time to act on the results.
- If you’ll use a calculator on the math section, practice with the same permitted calculator you’ll bring on test day, as ACT advises.
- Check your date on our SAT and ACT test dates page, confirm your sections in your registration or with your school, and pack with our test day checklist.
Where does Hourly Prep fit?
Hourly Prep’s free plan includes one SAT practice test, one ACT practice test and short daily practice sets for both exams. The daily sets use a test-style screen and include an explanation for every question, so they fit the category work between official tests. Premium adds an adaptive study plan, an AI tutor, 30+ ACT practice tests, 10,000+ practice problems, score estimates, no ads and study on the web. See ACT prep for details.
Use ACT’s free official practice tests for your full-length checkpoints.
Common ACT study plan questions
Should I study ACT science if it isn’t in the Composite?
If you’re taking it, yes. Science still gets its own 1–36 score and feeds your STEM score, and ACT notes that some colleges require or accept science scores. If science isn’t part of your test, put that time into English, math and reading.
How many free ACT practice tests are there?
ACT’s website offers four official full-length practice tests, each in digital or paper form, plus free section practice questions and its QuizMe tool.
Should I take ACT practice sections timed or untimed?
Both have a place. Untimed sections are useful while you learn a skill. For your diagnostic and checkpoint tests, use the timed versions so your pace matches test day.