ACT English Section
Format, Content, and Strategies
📋 Format
The English section consists of 75 multiple-choice questions. These questions are divided into five passages, each followed by a set of questions. The passages may cover a variety of topics such as social studies, humanities, natural sciences, or literary fiction.
⏱️ Timing
You have 45 minutes to answer all 75 questions in the English section. This means you need to manage your time effectively, as you have less than a minute per question.
2 Content & Skills Tested
Usage/Mechanics
This part of the test evaluates your understanding of grammar and usage. It includes questions on punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, and usage.
Punctuation
Questions focus on commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, and other punctuation marks.
Grammar & Usage
Tested on subject-verb agreement, verb tense, pronoun agreement, and other grammatical concepts.
Sentence Structure
Includes questions about fragments, run-on sentences, and sentence order.
Rhetorical Skills
This part assesses your ability to express ideas clearly and effectively. You’ll encounter questions related to organization, strategy, and style.
Rhetorical Strategy
Tests your ability to organize ideas and choose effective opening, transitions, and closing statements.
Rhetorical Style
Assesses your understanding of tone, voice, and emphasis in a passage.
Scoring
Your raw score (the number of questions you answer correctly) is converted to a scaled score on the 1-36 scale. This scaled score is then averaged with your scores from the other sections to calculate your overall composite score.
Preparation
To prepare for the English section, it’s essential to review grammar rules and practice reading and analyzing various types of passages. There are numerous ACT prep books, online resources, and practice tests available.
Key Insight: The key to doing well on the ACT English section is not just knowing grammar rules but also being able to apply them in the context of rhetorical writing. Practice and familiarity with different question types can significantly improve your performance.