Sequoia Academy offers ACT preparatory courses in a variety of class sizes and timelines in order to tailor test preparation to each student’s schedule and target score. Private and group lessons provide comprehensive instruction in math, reading, science, and English targeted to each student’s strengths and weaknesses. A strong ACT score is an important part of a well-organized college application. The ACT is an increasingly popular alternative to the SAT due to a comparatively more inclusive breadth of material tested.
ACT Information
The ACT is accepted by all colleges and universities in the United States. The ACT is a 2 hour, 55 minute test with four sections: math, reading, science, and English, and an optional 40 minute writing test. Each section is scored out of 36 points. The composite score is the rounded average of the four sections. The writing portion is scored from 2 to 12 and is not factored into the composite score.
The mathematics section is 60 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, and covers pre-algebra, algebra, coordinate geometry, plane geometry, and trigonometry. The critical reading section is 40 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes, assessing reading comprehension skills with passages of prose, literature focused on topics in social studies, natural sciences, arts, and literature.
The science section is 40 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes. The science test covers topics in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth and space sciences. This test is designed to assess scientific reasoning through questions on provided data sets, research summaries, and presented conflicting viewpoints.
The English section is 75 questions in 45 minutes, and covers the following topics: punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, writing strategies, organization of ideas, and writing style. The writing test is a 40 minute written assessment. Students are given an issue and three different perspectives on that issues, and are asked to develop their own perspective in relation to the presented perspectives and present their argument in a well-organized essay.
The mathematics section is 60 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, and covers pre-algebra, algebra, coordinate geometry, plane geometry, and trigonometry. The critical reading section is 40 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes, assessing reading comprehension skills with passages of prose, literature focused on topics in social studies, natural sciences, arts, and literature.
The science section is 40 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes. The science test covers topics in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth and space sciences. This test is designed to assess scientific reasoning through questions on provided data sets, research summaries, and presented conflicting viewpoints.
The English section is 75 questions in 45 minutes, and covers the following topics: punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, writing strategies, organization of ideas, and writing style. The writing test is a 40 minute written assessment. Students are given an issue and three different perspectives on that issues, and are asked to develop their own perspective in relation to the presented perspectives and present their argument in a well-organized essay.
ACT Scores by College
Average ACT scores (25% - 75%) of students accepted to the following private schools in 2014:
|
California Institute of Technology
Harvard College Princeton University Yale University University of Chicago Massachusetts Institute of Technology Washington University in St. Louis Harvey Mudd College Columbia University Vanderbilt University Stanford University Northwestern University Pomona College Dartmouth College Duke University University of Pennsylvania |
33 - 36
32 - 35 31 - 35 32 - 35 32 - 35 33 - 35 32 - 34 32 - 35 31 - 34 32 - 34 31 - 34 31 - 34 31 - 34 30 - 34 30 - 34 30 - 34 |
Average ACT scores of students accepted to the University of California system in 2014:
|
UC Berkeley
UC Los Angeles UC San Diego UC Santa Barbara UC Davis UC Irvine UC Santa Cruz UC Riverside UC Merced |
31
30 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 |