The three-hour exam is comprised of 215 English, math, reading and science multiple choice questions with an optional 30-minute writing portion. Each state offers the fee-based ACT five times during the academic year and once in June. Scores are mailed to students three to eight weeks after the test date and as of 2008, are also available online.
ACT scores are important to both high schools and institutions of higher learning. According to ACT Student, these test results help high schools correctly identify the academic strengths, weaknesses and interests of their students. Colleges and universities also use them for academic advising as well as to make admissions, course placement and scholarship decisions.
Based on the 2008 to 2010 national ACT results, only 1 to 3 percent of all U.S. participants achieve a 33 score on this standardized test. For example, only the top 1 percent earns a 33 composite or science score; 2 percent do so in math, while 3 percent achieve this result in reading and English.
Although other factors are involved, most with a 33 on their ACT can expect to be welcomed into their desired school and eligible for the highest scholarships. This is true even among the eight Ivy League institutions: Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania and Yale. According to University Language Services, 33 is on the high end of the Ivy League student's average ACT range.