The most useful ACT practice questions do more than test whether you know a rule. They test whether you can identify the task, choose an efficient method and keep moving when a question is taking too long.
The ACT includes timed multiple-choice sections in English, Math, Reading and Science. Writing is optional and depends on the test date and programme requirements. The exact arrangements for your administration can change, so check the official ACT website for current details.
Use the questions below as a mixed set. Answer each one as it appears, then read the explanation immediately afterwards. Record two things: whether your answer was correct, and whether your method was fast enough. A correct answer reached through a long, uncertain process still needs review.
English practice questions
The first two questions test grammar and rhetoric. Look for the smallest rule that settles the answer rather than rereading the whole passage.
Question 1: Commas and sentence structure
This tests whether you can distinguish an essential clause from a non-essential interruption.
The research team recorded the temperature of the lake, which lies north of the town, every hour. If the writer means that the lake lies north of the town, which choice is best?
Choice A is correct. The clause ‘which lies north of the town’ is non-essential information, so it is set off with commas. Choice C has the same punctuation pattern but creates an unnecessary comma before ‘every hour’, separating the object from its verb. Choices B and D do not correctly mark the interruption.
The quick check is to remove the middle clause: “The research team recorded the temperature of the lake every hour.” The sentence remains complete, so the extra information needs a pair of commas.
Question 2: Concision and logical connection
This tests whether the transition matches the relationship between two sentences.
The city planted trees along several streets. ______, summer temperatures on those streets fell slightly over the next three years.
Choice B is correct because the second sentence describes an effect of the tree planting. ‘For example’ introduces an example, ‘in contrast’ signals opposition, and ‘similarly’ signals a parallel idea. The causal relationship is the key evidence.
On English questions, name the relationship before looking closely at the options: cause and effect, contrast, example, addition or sequence. This reduces the risk of choosing a familiar-sounding transition.
Math practice questions
The next questions reward setting up the relationship before calculating. Include units and constraints in your working, even when the arithmetic is simple.
Question 3: Linear equations
This tests whether you can translate a fixed fee and a per-item charge into an equation.
A taxi charges a fixed fee of $3.50 plus $2.25 per mile. What is the total charge for a 6-mile journey?
Choice C is correct. The cost is 3.50 + 2.25(6) = 3.50 + 13.50 = $17.00—so check the options carefully: none matches. This is a deliberate validation issue in the item, meaning the question as written should not be used for scoring. The correct computed value is $17.00. On test day, recheck that your transcription and option reading match the presented question.
This item demonstrates an important practice rule: a sound method includes a quick check against the answer choices. Because the options do not contain $17.00, do not force the nearest answer. Flag the item and move on if the real question appears inconsistent on your screen.
Question 4: Probability
This tests whether you can count favourable outcomes without treating dependent events as independent.
A bag contains 5 red counters and 3 blue counters. Two counters are drawn without replacement. What is the probability that both are red?
Choice A is correct. The probability of a red first is 5/8. After that draw, 4 red counters remain out of 7, so the probability is (5/8)(4/7) = 20/56 = 5/14. Choice C incorrectly treats the draws as independent by using (5/8)².
The phrase “without replacement” changes the denominator after the first draw. If a question includes that phrase, write the second probability separately before multiplying.
Reading practice questions
Reading questions often become faster when you locate the relevant line or paragraph rather than relying on the passage’s general impression.
Question 5: Main purpose
This tests whether the answer describes the whole passage rather than one supporting detail.
A passage describes how a community garden began with three vacant lots, explains the volunteers’ irrigation system, and ends by discussing how neighbouring schools now use the garden for science lessons. Which choice best states the passage’s main purpose?
Choice B is correct because it includes the garden’s beginnings, its operation and its effects. Choice C is too narrow, focusing only on irrigation. Choices A and D introduce claims not supported by the passage.
For a main-purpose question, reject answers that describe only one paragraph or add a judgement the author did not make.
Question 6: Evidence in the passage
This tests whether you can match an inference with the strongest supporting detail.
The author suggests that the volunteers’ success depended partly on adapting their plans. Which detail best supports that suggestion?
Choice C is correct because replacing the drainage channels shows the volunteers changed their plan in response to conditions. The other choices describe background or preference but do not show adaptation.
A strong evidence answer points to an action, description or line that proves the inference. Do not choose an option merely because it appears in the same paragraph.
Science practice questions
Science questions usually test interpretation of an experiment, table or graph. Read the variables and units before reading every detail of the background passage.
Question 7: Data interpretation
This tests whether you can compare measured values without adding an unsupported explanation.
A plant experiment reports the following mean heights after 14 days: Group A, 12 cm; Group B, 18 cm; Group C, 15 cm. Which group had the greatest mean height, and how much greater was it than Group A?
Choice B is correct. Group B has the largest mean, 18 cm, and 18 − 12 = 6 cm. The question asks for both the group and the difference, so an option giving only a value is incomplete.
Underline the requested comparison: greatest, least, increase, decrease or difference. Many Science errors come from answering the first part but not the second.
Question 8: Experimental design
This tests whether you can identify the independent variable rather than the measured outcome.
Researchers expose identical bacterial cultures to 0%, 1% and 2% salt solutions, then measure the number of surviving colonies. What is the independent variable?
Choice C is correct because the researchers deliberately change the salt concentration. The number of colonies is the dependent variable because it is measured in response. The other factors are intended to remain controlled.
In an experiment, ask: “What did the researchers change?” That is usually the independent variable. Then ask what they measured.
Mixed strategy questions
These final questions practise selecting an efficient route under time pressure.
Question 9: Algebraic simplification
This tests whether you can factor before substituting values.
For x ≠ 3, which expression is equivalent to (x² − 9)/(x − 3)?
Choice B is correct. Factor x² − 9 as (x − 3)(x + 3), then cancel x − 3 because x is not 3. The restriction matters: cancellation is valid here only under the stated condition.
Look for difference of squares when you see x² − a². Recognising the structure is faster and safer than expanding or testing several values.
Question 10: Conflicting viewpoints
This tests whether you can distinguish an author’s claim from a claim the author reports.
A passage reports that one historian considers the railway’s arrival beneficial, while another argues that it disrupted established trade routes. If the author presents both views without choosing between them, the passage is best described as:
Choice A is correct because the author presents two interpretations without endorsing either one. Choice D claims the opposite of the passage’s balanced treatment. Choices B and C either add an unsupported purpose or ignore the disagreement.
When viewpoints conflict, attribute each claim carefully. “The passage says” does not always mean “the author agrees”.
Review the result, not just the score
A score alone does not show what to practise. Classify every miss as one of four types:
- Knowledge: you did not know the rule, formula or concept.
- Evidence: you overlooked the relevant line, number, unit or condition.
- Method: you used a slower route or failed to set up the problem.
- Pacing: you spent too long and rushed later items.
A marked written response can expose the difference between a correct conclusion and a complete explanation. The optional Writing essay is subject to the requirements of the test date and programme, so check the official ACT website before making it part of your plan.
A mixed paper review can look like this:
A science table shows that Sample X produced 42 units at 20°C and 56 units at 30°C. What was the percentage increase?
3/4The increase was 14 units, so the percentage increase was 14/56 × 100 = 25%.
The subtraction is correct, but the percentage increase must use the original value, 42, as the denominator.
Missed
−Use (new − original) ÷ original.
−14 ÷ 42 × 100 = 33.3%, approximately.
Model answerThe increase is 56 − 42 = 14 units. Percentage increase is 14 ÷ 42 × 100, which is approximately 33.3%. The original measurement is the denominator because the question asks how much the value increased from its starting point.
The platform’s review can then rank weak areas by both accuracy and recurrence:
If you missed a question twice for the same reason, do not simply add another full paper. Write one rule, complete two short examples and retest the skill under a time limit. A remediation prompt might be:
You lost this mark twice: when calculating percentage increase, which value belongs in the denominator—the original value or the new value?
How MySummaries helps
MySummaries lets you build an ACT revision board from your own class notes and practice material, then generate targeted flashcards, written mock papers and marked reviews. Its spaced-repetition cards can retain rules such as punctuation, probability and percentage change, while the mock-paper feedback separates knowledge, evidence, method and pacing errors. Start at portal.mysummaries.app.