There's no shortage of ACT advice online, but most of it is generic ("study hard!" "get enough sleep!"). These 10 tips come from strategies that consistently show up among students who score 34 or above. They're specific, actionable, and focused on the mechanics of the test itself.
1. Master the Time Budget for Each Section
The ACT is, above all else, a speed test. Knowing exactly how much time you have per question is non-negotiable:
| Section | Questions | Time | Seconds per Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 75 | 45 min | 36 seconds |
| Math | 60 | 60 min | 60 seconds |
| Reading | 40 | 35 min | 52 seconds |
| Science | 40 | 35 min | 52 seconds |
The English section is the fastest — 36 seconds per question means you cannot spend time deliberating. If you're not sure within 20 seconds, mark your best guess and move on. On Math, 60 seconds sounds generous, but the later questions are significantly harder and take longer, so you need to bank time by moving quickly through the first 30 questions.
Practice tip: Use a stopwatch during practice sessions. Set section-level timers, not just overall test timers. Get a physical feel for how long 36 seconds and 52 seconds actually are.
2. Use Process of Elimination Ruthlessly
On the ACT, eliminating wrong answers is often easier and faster than finding the right one. This is especially true on the Reading and Science sections, where answer choices often contain subtle errors.
- Cross out answers that are factually wrong based on the passage
- Eliminate answers that are too extreme ("always," "never," "all," "none")
- Remove answers that are true in general but not supported by this specific passage
- If two answers seem similar, the correct one is usually more precisely worded
Even eliminating one answer improves your odds from 25% to 33%. Eliminating two gives you a 50/50 shot.
3. Attack the Science Section Strategically: Charts First, Questions Second
The ACT Science section intimidates a lot of students, but here's the secret: it's not really a science test. It's a data interpretation test wrapped in scientific language. You don't need to know chemistry or biology — you need to read graphs.
The most efficient approach:
- Skip the passage text initially. Go straight to the charts, graphs, and tables.
- Read the axis labels and units. Understand what's being measured before looking at the data.
- Read the questions. Most can be answered directly from the figures.
- Only read the passage text if a question specifically asks about the experimental setup or a scientist's hypothesis.
This "charts first" approach saves 2–3 minutes per passage, which is enormous in a 35-minute section. About 70% of Science questions can be answered from the figures alone.
4. Develop a Reading Passage Order Strategy
The ACT Reading section has four passages in a fixed order: Prose Fiction (or Literary Narrative), Social Science, Humanities, and Natural Science. But you don't have to answer them in that order.
Start with your strongest passage type. If you're a science person, start with Natural Science. If you love literature, start with Prose Fiction. Getting your strongest passage right builds confidence and banks time for harder passages.
Many high scorers use this order:
- Strongest passage type (answer quickly and accurately)
- Second strongest
- Third strongest
- Weakest passage type (if time is tight, you lose points where you'd have lost them anyway)
This strategy only works if you've practiced enough to know your strengths. Spend a few practice sessions trying different orders.
5. Know the Must-Have Math Formulas
Unlike the SAT, the ACT does not provide a formula reference sheet. You need these memorized cold:
- Geometry: Area of triangle (1/2 bh), circle (pi r squared), trapezoid (1/2(b1+b2)h). Circumference (2 pi r). Volume of cylinder (pi r squared h), cone (1/3 pi r squared h), sphere (4/3 pi r cubed).
- Algebra: Slope formula, point-slope form, slope-intercept form, quadratic formula, distance formula, midpoint formula.
- Trigonometry: SOH-CAH-TOA, unit circle values for 0, 30, 45, 60, and 90 degrees. Law of Sines and Law of Cosines.
- Statistics: Mean, median, mode. Probability = favorable outcomes / total outcomes.
Create flashcards for these formulas and review them daily during the two weeks before your test. Knowing formulas instantly (not having to derive them) saves critical seconds on test day.
6. Exploit the No-Penalty Guessing Rule
The ACT has no guessing penalty. There is zero reason to leave any question blank. This changes your strategy in two important ways:
- Always answer every question. Even if you have no idea, a random guess gives you a 25% chance. A blank gives you 0%.
- Guess strategically when time is short. With 2 minutes left, fill in your best guess for all remaining questions. If you've eliminated even one choice, your odds are better than 25%.
Pick a "default letter" (B/G or C/H are popular choices) for any question you need to guess on blindly. This ensures you don't waste time deliberating on pure guesses.
7. Master the English Section's Recurring Patterns
The ACT English section tests the same grammar rules over and over. Learn these patterns and you'll handle 80% of the questions:
- Comma rules: No comma between subject and verb. Use commas after introductory phrases. Use commas to separate items in a list. No comma before "that" in restrictive clauses.
- Subject-verb agreement: Watch for prepositional phrases that separate the subject from the verb. "The group of students is" not "are."
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement: "Everyone" takes singular pronouns. "The team" can be singular or plural depending on context.
- Wordiness: When in doubt, the shortest answer that's grammatically correct is usually right. The ACT values conciseness.
- Transitions: Make sure the transition word matches the logical relationship (contrast, continuation, cause-effect).
When you're stuck between two grammatically correct options, choose the more concise one. The ACT consistently rewards brevity.
8. Know When to Skip and Come Back
High scorers don't grind through hard questions — they skip strategically. Here's the rule: if you've spent 60 seconds on a question and aren't close to an answer, mark it and move on. The time you'd spend struggling with one hard question could be used to answer two or three easier ones correctly.
This is especially critical on the Math section, where difficulty increases from front to back. Questions 1–30 are relatively straightforward. Questions 50–60 are genuinely hard. Don't let a question in the 40s eat 3 minutes when there might be easier points in the 50s that you haven't reached yet.
Circle skipped questions clearly in your test booklet so you can find them quickly when you come back.
9. Practice Under Real Timing Conditions
Doing ACT practice questions untimed is like practicing basketball without a shot clock. Timing pressure fundamentally changes how you approach questions. When you practice:
- Always time yourself at the section level (not just overall)
- Use a proctor-style timer, not your phone (no distractions)
- Don't pause between sections — build stamina for the full 2 hours 55 minutes
- Take at least 4 full-length practice tests before your real test date
- Review wrong answers after every practice test — this is where the learning happens
Your practice test scores should be within 1–2 points of your real test score if you're simulating conditions accurately. If your practice scores are inconsistent, you're probably not timing yourself honestly.
10. Stay Updated on Science Section Changes
ACT Inc. has been making changes to the test format for the 2025–2026 cycle. One of the most significant developments is the potential shift to make the Science section optional, similar to how the essay became optional years ago. If this change takes effect for your test date:
- Your composite score would be based on three sections instead of four
- Some colleges may still recommend or require the Science section
- You can still take it to demonstrate strength in data interpretation
Check the latest ACT format details and ACT Inc.'s official website before your test date to confirm which format you'll be taking. Study plans change significantly depending on whether Science is required or optional for your sitting.
Bonus: The Night Before and Morning Of
This isn't a "tip" — it's a non-negotiable:
- Night before: Light review only (flip through formula flashcards). Pack your bag (ID, calculator, pencils, snack). Get 8 hours of sleep. Do not cram.
- Morning of: Eat a real breakfast (protein + complex carbs, not just sugar). Arrive early. Do a few easy warm-up questions to activate your brain. Stay calm — you've prepared for this.
The students who score 34+ consistently say the same thing: it wasn't one magic trick that got them there. It was disciplined practice, strategic time management, and staying calm under pressure. These 10 tips are the framework. Your practice hours are the substance.