ACT Strategies by Section: A 40-Point Checklist
Four rules carry across every section of the ACT: answer the question actually asked, eliminate wrong choices before you commit to a right one, keep moving instead of stalling, and never leave a blank. Everything below is the section-specific technique that sits on top of those four, eight items each for English, Math, Reading, Science, and the optional essay.
These are the same technique checklists built into the free practice app on this site, written out here so you can read them in one pass, print them, or work through them before a timed run. Nothing here requires an account or an email address.
The pace targets every strategy is built around
| Section | Questions | Time | Per question | Counts toward Composite? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 35 min | ~42 sec | Yes |
| Math | 45 | 50 min | ~67 sec | Yes |
| Reading | 36 | 40 min | ~67 sec | Yes |
| Science | 40 | 40 min | ~60 sec | No, optional and scored separately |
| Writing (essay) | 1 prompt | 40 min | — | No, optional and scored separately |
Your Composite (1–36) is the average of English, Math, and Reading only. For the full breakdown of how that number is produced, see how the ACT is scored, and for drilling these targets see the ACT pacing strategy guide.
What are the best ACT English strategies?
ACT English rewards concision and rule knowledge over instinct. Read the full sentence, not just the underlined words, then pick the shortest option that is grammatically correct. Most questions come down to a small set of punctuation and agreement rules, so learning those rules outright beats reading each sentence by ear.
- Read the whole sentence, and often the sentence before and after, not just the underlined words.
- The shortest grammatically correct option usually wins. The ACT rewards concision, so cut redundancy.
- Do not fear "NO CHANGE." With four answer choices it is correct about as often as any other option, so pick it when nothing is actually wrong.
- Own the punctuation rules: the comma sets off nonessential information, the semicolon joins two complete sentences, the colon introduces a list or explanation after a complete sentence, and the apostrophe marks possession, not plurals.
- Subject and verb: find the real subject and ignore the words between it and the verb, as in "The collection of records is…"
- Transitions: read what comes before and after, name the relationship (contrast, cause and effect, addition), then pick the word that matches it.
- Rhetoric and "add or delete" questions: answer the question literally. Does the sentence serve the stated goal of the paragraph?
- Keep verb tense and pronouns consistent across the whole passage, not just within one sentence.
Go deeper: ACT comma rules and the grammar rules beyond commas.
What are the best ACT Math strategies?
ACT Math has four answer choices and no formula sheet, and those two facts drive the strategy. Memorize the core formulas, then use the answer choices as a tool: backsolve by plugging them in, or pick easy numbers when the choices contain variables. Answer what the question actually asks, which is where most avoidable points are lost.
- No formula sheet is given, so memorize the essentials. That alone converts directly into points.
- Backsolve: with only four answer choices, plug them into the problem and see which one works. Start with B or C.
- Pick numbers: when the answers contain variables, substitute easy numbers (not 0 or 1) and test.
- Questions trend easy to hard. Do not burn time early; bank the quick points first.
- Answer what is asked. Circle the actual target (perimeter or area, x or x+3) before you solve.
- Draw and label the figure. Most geometry mistakes come from not sketching it.
- Use the calculator selectively. Simple arithmetic by hand is often faster than typing it in.
- Eliminate impossible answers (wrong sign, wrong magnitude, wrong units) before you compute.
Go deeper: the ACT math formulas to memorize, every math topic on the test, and the 2026 calculator policy.
What are the best ACT Reading strategies?
Every correct ACT Reading answer is supported by the text, so the section is an evidence-location task rather than a comprehension test. Read for structure first, paraphrase each question before looking at the choices, and eliminate the four recurring trap types. Pacing matters as much as accuracy, so flag and move rather than stalling.
- Every correct answer is supported by the text. Never use outside knowledge or pick what merely sounds reasonable.
- Budget your time per passage and hold to it. If a question stalls you, flag it and move on, then come back.
- Paraphrase the question in your own words before you look at the choices.
- For line references, read a few lines above and below. You want the context, not just the cited line.
- Eliminate the four classic traps: too extreme, half right and half wrong, true but irrelevant, and out of scope.
- Detail answers usually restate the text with synonyms. Exact words showing up verbatim is often a trap.
- Watch capitalized negatives: EXCEPT, NOT, LEAST. Three choices will be true and you want the odd one out.
- Note each paragraph's job and the author's overall point. That handles main idea and tone questions quickly.
Go deeper: ACT Reading strategy and the pacing math and the Reading question types.
What are the best ACT Science strategies?
ACT Science is a graph-and-data reading test, not a science-knowledge test, and most answers are sitting in the figures. Skim the intro for variables and units, go straight to the questions, and read axes carefully. If the data states something literally, that is the answer, even when it feels too easy.
- This is a graph-and-data reading test, not a science-knowledge test. Most answers are sitting in the figures.
- Skim the intro for variables and units, then go straight to the questions and return to the text only as needed.
- State trends out loud as "as X increases, Y does ___," then confirm the direction against the axis labels.
- Know the roles: the independent variable is what is changed, the dependent is what is measured, and the control is the unchanged baseline for comparison.
- Read axes and units carefully. Mixing them up is one of the most common avoidable errors on this section.
- Interpolate and extrapolate by following the established pattern between or beyond the data points.
- On Conflicting Viewpoints, nail each scientist's main claim and the single key point they disagree on.
- Do not overthink it. If the data says it literally, that is the answer.
Go deeper: ACT Science strategy and whether you should take Science at all.
What are the best ACT Writing (essay) strategies?
The optional ACT essay gives you one debate prompt with three perspectives and 40 minutes. You must take a clear position and engage with at least one perspective you did not choose. Plan before you write, support every claim with something concrete, and treat the rebuttal as the paragraph that lifts your Analysis score.
- You get a debate prompt with three perspectives. You must take your own clear position and engage with at least one other perspective.
- Commit to a stance in the first paragraph. Nuance is fine; fence-sitting is not.
- Structure it: hook and thesis, then two or three body paragraphs each tied to a perspective and each carrying a specific example, then a conclusion that reinforces your position.
- Use specific, concrete support such as history, current events, or a plausible hypothetical. Vague generalities score low.
- Directly address a perspective you disagree with, then explain why your view still holds. This is what lifts the Analysis score.
- Pace it: roughly 8 minutes planning, 27 minutes writing, 5 minutes proofreading. Plan before you write.
- It is scored on four domains, each 2 to 12: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use.
- Length helps within reason. Fill the space with developed argument, not filler.
Go deeper: the ACT essay guide.
How to actually use this checklist
Reading forty strategies in one sitting will not raise a score by itself. Pick one section, take three or four techniques from it, and use only those on your next timed run. Then check what you missed: if a miss came from not knowing a rule, that is a content gap, and if it came from rushing or misreading the question, that is an execution error. The two need different fixes, which is the whole method in how to raise your ACT score. If you are starting from scratch, the six-week study plan sequences all of it.
FAQ
What are the best ACT strategies?
The strategies that transfer across every section are: answer the question actually asked, eliminate wrong choices before choosing a right one, keep moving rather than stalling on one item, and never leave a blank, because the ACT has no penalty for wrong answers. Section-specific technique sits on top of those four.
Is there a penalty for guessing on the ACT?
No. Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly, and nothing is subtracted for a wrong answer. That makes a blank strictly worse than a guess, so fill in every question even when the clock is about to run out.
How much time do you get per question on the ACT?
English gives about 42 seconds per question (50 questions in 35 minutes), Math about 67 seconds (45 in 50 minutes), Reading about 67 seconds (36 in 40 minutes), and Science about 60 seconds (40 in 40 minutes). The optional Writing essay is a single prompt in 40 minutes.
Do I need to memorize formulas for ACT Math?
Yes. The ACT does not provide a formula sheet, so area, volume, slope, the Pythagorean theorem, and the basic trigonometry ratios have to be in your head before test day. This is one of the few places on the ACT where straight memorization converts directly into points.
Do I need science knowledge for the ACT Science section?
Very little. ACT Science is mainly a graph-and-data reading test, and most answers can be found in the figures and tables themselves. You need to read axes and units carefully and follow trends, not recall coursework content.
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