The ACT Test is a standardized test taken by over 1.4 million students each year, for the purpose of college admissions. The test measures general academic capabilities, and the potential to perform well at the college level. ACT scores are used by many colleges and universities in conjunction with high-school grades to determine how prepared an applicant is for a successful college career. Most students take the ACT test during their junior or senior year of high school

Most colleges and four-year universities require you to take either the SAT or the ACT in order to be considered for admission. The vast majority of schools accept either the ACT or the SAT, and have no preference between the two; however, a few select schools may only accept one or the other. You should check the schools you intend to apply to before choosing which test to take. Some students score higher on one test versus the other, so it may be beneficial to take both.

While colleges evaluate their applicants on a wide variety of criteria, standardized test scores can play a significant role in the admissions decision. For this reason, it is important to be well prepared for the SAT/ACT tests in order to produce a score that accurately reflects your academic capabilities.

The SAT consists of three major categories: Writing, Mathematics, and Critical Reading. Each of these three categories is broken down into three sections. One additional, unscored, section will fall under one of the three main categories, and is used for the purpose of trying out new test questions. Including this trial section, there will always be a total of 10 sections on the SAT test. The first section is always the essay, and the last section always falls under writing, however the others may come in any order.

SAT Test = 10 sections
3 Writing
3 Mathematics
3 Critical Reading
1 Variable (an unscored section in any category that is used for the purpose of trying out new test questions)

The ACT test consists of four multiple-choice sections (English, Mathematics, Reading, Science) and an optional Writing test. Many colleges require you to take the Writing portion of the ACT in order for your score to be considered for admission purposes. You should check the schools you plan to apply to before deciding whether or not to take this portion of the test. (Or, when it doubt, just take it. It can't hurt!)

All ACT tests consist of the following:
English: 75 questions – 45 minutes
Mathematics: 60 questions – 60 minutes
Reading: 40 questions – 35 minutes
Science: 40 questions – 35 minutes
Total: 215 questions
Writing (optional): 1 essay prompt – 30 minutes

In each of the three major sections of the SAT (Writing, Mathematics, and Critical Reading) scores may range from 200-800 by increments of 10. These three scores are then added together to determine your composite score which ranges from 600-2400. For example, if you scored a 570 on the Writing portion of the SAT, a 640 on the Mathematics portion of the SAT and a 620 on the Critical Reading portion of the SAT, your composite score would be an 1830.

But how does the College Board get these numbers? By calculating the number of questions you get right, wrong, and leave blank in each section they come up with a raw score. This raw score is then translated into a score between 200 and 800. Correct answers ADD 1 point to your raw score, incorrect answers SUBTRACT 1/4 point from your raw score, and questions left blank do subtract any points from your score. This holds true for all multiple-choice questions on the SAT.

Incorrect answers on the free response portion of the Mathematics section of the SAT CANNOT result in a deduction of points from your raw score. On the free response portion of the Mathematics section you can only gain 1 point for a correct answer or subtract 0 points for an omitted or incorrect answer.

The essay portion of the SAT is scored by two graders. Each grader can give the essay a score from 0-6, and these two scores are combined to give the essay a score from 0-12. This score is used in conjunction with your Writing multiple-choice raw score to determine your scaled Writing score (200-800).

Unlike the SAT, the ACT does not penalize for incorrect answers. This means it is always in your best interest to make an educated guess, even if you are not sure of your answer. In each of the four test sections (English, Mathematics, Reading, Science) you can earn an integer score from 1-36. These four scores are then averaged and rounded to the nearest whole number to arrive at your composite score (also ranging from 1-36).

Much like the SAT, these number are arrived at by first calculating a raw score and then translating this raw score to a score on the 1-36 scale. As previously mentioned, correct answers improve your raw score while incorrect and blank answers leave your raw score unchanged.

If you choose to take the Writing portion of the ACT, instead of having just an English sub-score on a scale of 1-36, you will have an English/Writing sub-score on a scale of 1-36 as well as a Writing sub-score. The combined English/Writing sub-score is created using a formula that weights the English Test score 2/3 and the Writing Test score 1/3. This combined English/Writing sub-score is then averaged with your Mathematics, Reading, and Science sub-scores and rounded to the nearest integer to create a composite score between 1 and 36 (exactly as it would be done without the writing portion of the test).

SAT scores range from 600 to 2400. While 2400 is considered a "perfect" score, you can make a few mistakes and still get a 2400. Only about 1 in 10,000 SAT takers achieve a "perfect" score. The national average is usually around a 1500. Scores below 1100 are considered "low" by just about any four-year college. Anything above an 1800 is usually to be quite good by many sources, and will make you a competitive applicant to a large number of colleges and universities. However, in order to get into the nation's top universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc. you will generally need a score above 2100. Keep in mind that a high-score doesn't necessarily guarantee you a spot at a top school, nor does a low score mean you won't get into a top school.

ACT scores range from 1 to 36. While a 36 is considered a "perfect" score, you can make a few mistakes and still get a 36. Only about 1 in 4,000 ACT takers achieve a "perfect" score. The national average is somewhere between a 20 and a 21. Scores below 15 are considered "low" by just about any four-year college. Anything above a 26 is usually to be quite good by many sources, and will make you a competitive applicant to a large number of colleges and universities. However, in order to get into the nation's top universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc. you will generally need a score above 31. Keep in mind that a high-score doesn't necessarily guarantee you a spot at a top school, nor does a low score mean you won't get into a top school.

The College Board – http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning
Use the categories on the left hand side of the screen to navigate a list of common SAT questions (grouped by topic).

The ACT website – http://www.actstudent.org/faq/faq.html
Tons of FAQs and answers covering all aspects of the ACT test.