ACT Exam Pattern 2025: ACT Paper Pattern, Duration and Questions Type

The ACT 2025 pattern consists of 4 sections covering English, mathematics, reading, and science, with an optional writing section. The new ACT pattern for 2025 has been designed with reduced time, fewer questions per section, and an optional science section. The ACT syllabus and pattern are designed to assess the qualitative knowledge of the students to pursue their undergraduate courses in the USA and other abroad countries. Understanding the ACT test structure and format is very crucial for international students looking to appear for the exam for preparation. We have them covered as we have mentioned the updated subject wise ACT exam 2025 syllabus and pattern in this article. The ACT paper pattern is in the MCQ format (multiple choice-based questions). A total of 215 MCQ questions are there in the ACT test. Furthermore, the ACT test duration is 4 hours with the writing section and 3 hours without the writing section.

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1. ACT Exam Pattern Highlights 2025
2. ACT 2025 Exam Pattern
3. ACT Exam Syllabus and Pattern: Section-wise details
4. ACT 2025 Test Duration
5. Salient Features Related to the ACT Exam Pattern 2025

The ACT total marks are scored on a scale of 1 to 36 and the students are granted a score based on it. However, the requirement for ACT exam total marks depends on the university one is applying to and it is usually preferred that the score is above 30 to get admission into a university abroad. The ACT exam pattern 2025 is designed so that the speed and endurance levels are measured. This is why knowing the ACT pattern is advantageous as it allows students to plan their exam day well in advance. In this article, candidates would be able to gather information on the ACT 2025 paper pattern like type of questions, duration, scoring pattern, sub-scoring topics, etc. Check the ACT exam highlights in the below table first.

ACT Exam Pattern Highlights 2025

ACT 2025 Exam Pattern

The ACT exam authorities have given the details of the ACT test pattern 2025 for the benefit of candidates. The ACT exam format for the ACT computer-based test pattern and ACT paper pattern both are the same. The details include the subjects, total questions, total marks, duration for each section and more. The detailed table below gives this information.

ACT Exam Pattern 2025: Overview

There is no negative marking on the ACT test. So you are free to guess the answers. The ACT total marks are measured on a scale of 1-36. The ACT exam total marks is the average of all the individual sections. Candidates are suggested to check previous ACT exam papers which give the example of ACT exam in India and help them to understand the test format.

ACT Exam Syllabus and Pattern: Section-wise details

Here are the section-wise details of the ACT paper pattern, which include the information like number of questions, question types, test topics and skills assessed.

English ACT Pattern 2025

The section duration is 45 minutes and consists of 75 multiple-choice questions. The English test assumes that the test takers are writers who can make decisions to revise and edit a text.

• Short texts and essays in different genres are given to provide a variety of rhetorical situations.
• Passages are chosen to assess writing and language skills while reflecting students’ interests and experiences. Questions will be as follows

• Underlined portions of passages with several alternatives to the underlined portion will be given. Candidates must decide which choice is most appropriate in the context of the given passage.

• Some questions will ask about an underlined portion, a section of the passage, or the passage as a whole. Again test takers have to decide which choice is the best answer to the question posed.

Note: Many questions also offer “NO CHANGE” as one of the choices.

The ACT test total marks reported are based on all 75 questions, and three reporting category scores based on specific knowledge and skills.

Each reporting category with the approximate percentage of the test devoted to is given as follows:

Production of Writing (29–32%): Candidates are required to apply their understanding of the purpose and focus of a piece of writing. This section includes

• Topic development includes an understanding of, and control over, the rhetorical aspects of texts, identification of the purposes of parts of texts, determination of whether a text or part of a text has met its intended goal, and evaluation of the relevance of the material in terms of a text’s focus.

• Organization, unity, and cohesion: Use various strategies to make sure that a text is logically organized, flows smoothly, and has an effective introduction and conclusion.

Knowledge of language (13–19%): Questions in this section showcase effective language usage by ensuring precision in word choice and maintaining consistency in style and tone.

Conventions of Standard English (51–56%): This section has questions that require students to apply an understanding of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics to revise and edit text. It has the following parameters:

• Sentence structure and formation: Candidates must apply an understanding of sentence structure and formation in a text and make revisions to improve the writing.

• Punctuation: They must recognize common problems with standard English punctuation and make revisions as needed

• Usage: Recognition of common problems with standard English usage in a text and revisions to improve it

ACT 2025 Pattern of Mathematics

According to the ACT exam paper pattern, the mathematics section of the ACT test takes 60 minutes to complete 60 questions; a multiple-choice test which assesses a student’s mathematical capability typically acquired in school courses until Grade 12.

Test takers need to use their analytical and reasoning skills to solve practical problems in the mathematics section. Also, candidates need to know and apply the basic formulas, computational skills, and basic knowledge of the subject.

Candidates are not expected to know complex formulas and perform extensive computation in the ACT exam in India. A permitted calculator can be used in the mathematics section alone. It is the responsibility of the test takers to ensure that their calculator is permitted.

ACT Pattern for Reading

The reading section of the ACT Test is a 35-minute test comprising of 40 multiple-choice questions that evaluate candidates’ ability to solve reading comprehension questions. During the test, aspirants are required to derive meaning from several academic text passages that they are presented by:

• Referring to what has been explicitly mentioned

• Using their reasoning skills to determine the implicit meaning

ACT 2025 Exam Pattern for Science

The science test, according to the ACT exam pattern 2025 measures the candidate's reasoning, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving skills, which are considered a prerequisite for admission in the natural sciences. The entire science section takes 35 minutes to complete and comprises 40 questions. The use of a calculator isn’t allowed during the science test.

ACT Pattern of Writing (Essay)

The 40-minute writing test (or essay test) includes one writing prompt for judging a student’s writing skills –especially those skills that were acquired in high school and in entry-level college composition courses.

The test describes an issue and presents three alternatives before the student. Students are then required to evaluate and analyze these alternatives; come up with their own perspective, and finally to compare their perspective with those given. Also, scores aren’t affected by the nature of the prospective candidates.

ACT 2025 Test Duration

This table gives a clear idea of the ACT test time breakdown. The total duration of the ACT exam in India is 2 hours 55 minutes which makes it nearly a 3-hour long paper. We have provided a detailed breakdown of ACT exam timings for the morning test-takers and how their time will be invested in each of the sections.

ACT Test Timings

Salient Features Related to the ACT Exam Pattern 2025

• The ACT exam syllabus 2025 and the test pattern is designed based on the high school curriculum to evaluate the academic capability of an aspirant in English, Mathematics, Reading and Science.

• ACT scores are based on the number of correct answers. There is no negative marking for incorrect answers.

• It includes an enhanced scoring pattern for reliable college and career planning insights: STEM Score, ELA Score, Progress Toward Career Readiness Indicator, and Text Complexity Progress Indicator.

The exam conducting body does not specify any ACT eligibility criteria but considering it is a college admission test, it is generally taken by high school graduates across the globe.

Typically, students aged above 13 appear for the ACT exam in India since they are the ones looking forward to admission in US schools for undergraduate studies. ACT exam is conducted over multiple dates and across many centres but candidates need to choose the preferred ACT test date and test centre.

ACT Scores Calculator Policy

Candidates knowing the ACT 2025 exam pattern, must know the details of the on-screen calculator facility and calculator policy in the test. Students taking the ACT exam are allowed to bring calculators to the test centre on the exam day.

Students can bring a 4-function, scientific or graphing calculator to the exam hall. They can use the calculator for the Maths section of the ACT exam. Students who take the test in a computer-based testing environment can use the on-screen calculator for the ACT exam paper pattern purposes.

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