I always ask students to take a full-length practice ACT before beginning any test prep package. This approach may appear redundant when students already have detailed score reports from their PreACT tests. Success on the PreACT, however, does not always correlate to success on the ACT. Understanding the difference between these tests along with their respective benefits and limitations is vital to student success with the prep process. (Information regarding the relationship between the PreSAT and the SAT will be discussed in an upcoming blog post.)
The PreACT is intended for high school sophomores, although any high school student can take it. Schools decide if and when to administer the test and inform students and families of the test date and registration process. The school will administer the test during a regular school day. If you have any questions about the testing timeline at your child’s school, reach out to a counselor.
Because the PreACT is targeted to sophomores instead of juniors, it is somewhat easier than the ACT. Students receive a PreACT score (out of 35) as well as a predicted composite score range and predicted section score ranges for the ACT (out of 36). Unlike the ACT, the PreACT has no essay section. The PreACT provides an important introduction to the format and demands of the ACT. The detailed score report helps students identify general strengths and weaknesses that the student can then work on before taking the ACT. The included predicted range of ACT scores provides a rough guideline, but does not always predict accurately ACT success.
PreACT
English: 45 questions, 30 min (40 seconds per question)
Math: 36 questions, 40 min (67 seconds per question)
Reading: 25 questions, 30 min (72 seconds per question)
Science: 30 questions, 30 min (60 seconds per question)
--no essay--
ACT
English: 75 questions, 45 min (36 seconds per question)
Math: 60 questions, 60 min (60 seconds per question)
Reading: 40 questions, 35 min (52.5 seconds per question)
Science: 40 questions, 35 min (52.5 seconds per question)
--optional essay section--
In the above breakdown, note the shorter allocation of time per question across all sections, particularly in reading and science. Students who finish these sections without issue on the PreACT are often surprised to find that they run out of time on those same sections of the ACT. Additionally, the increase in total test time from 2 hrs 10 min to 2 hrs 55 min (longer if the student opts to write the essay) increases fatigue as well as the likelihood of mistakes.
While the PreACT certainly provides a helpful preview of college admissions testing, a full-length practice ACT predicts more precisely performance on the ACT. The full-length practice test also helps the tutor more accurately assess issues with pacing across all sections which then allows the student to cultivate better pacing strategies from the start.