ACT English: format, rules tested and how to prepare
Updated 4 November 2026 · By the Dean Prep team
ACT English gives you passages with underlined parts and asks for the best version of each, or asks about the writer's choices. Here is what it contains on the enhanced ACT and how to prepare.
The format
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 35 minutes |
| Reading | 36 | 40 minutes |
| Math | 45 | 50 minutes |
| Science (optional) | 40 | 40 minutes |
On the enhanced ACT the composite score (1 to 36) is the average of English, Math and Reading; Science and the Writing essay are optional. Each English question has four choices, and the first is often "NO CHANGE". Formats and times can change: confirm them on act.org.
What it tests
- Conventions of Standard English: sentence structure (run-ons, fragments, comma splices), punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, apostrophes), agreement, verb tense and pronoun case.
- Production of Writing: whether a sentence belongs, where it fits, and whether it does what the writer intends.
- Knowledge of Language: concise, precise wording and a consistent tone.
How to prepare
- Learn the rules one at a time, each with a wrong and a right example, then find it in passages.
- Prefer the shortest choice that is correct; the ACT rewards concision when meaning is kept.
- Read the whole sentence, not just the underlined part, before you choose.
- Practise in passages under time: 35 minutes for 50 questions is 42 seconds each.
Taking the ACT outside the US
The ACT is used for admission to colleges in the United States and accepted by many universities elsewhere; international students take it at test centers abroad. Check the official site for the dates, fees and centers in your country.
Dean Prep works the same everywhere: one price in US dollars in every country, paid by card or PayPal, in English, in any modern browser and on Windows, iPhone and Android. Students in the US, Canada, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, the UK, Germany, France, the Philippines and elsewhere use exactly the same product.
Questions
How many questions are on ACT English?
50 questions in 35 minutes on the enhanced ACT.
Is grammar on the ACT hard to learn?
No. It tests a limited set of rules again and again. Learn them one at a time with examples and practise them in passages.
Dean's ACT is coming
ACT English and Reading prep built around daily rule and vocabulary cards. Leave your email on the Dean's ACT page and we will write once, when it opens.
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