do you have to write an essay for act

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., sample act essay prompt (and how to tackle it).

Are you taking the ACT with Writing? No need to stress! The ACT essay follows a predictable format, which means you can practice and prepare beforehand. Take a look at a sample ACT writing prompt and learn five key steps to penning a high-scoring essay.

Keep in mind: The ACT writing essay is optional. Currently, only 27 colleges and universities require the ACT with Writing. You can see the complete list  here . If there is any chance that you might apply to one of those schools, you should register for the ACT with Writing. Not sure where you will apply? You should strongly consider signing up for the essay and keep your options open.

ACT with Writing: Sample Prompt

This example writing prompt comes straight from our book ACT Prep :

Education and the Workplace

Many colleges and universities have cut their humanities departments, and high schools have started to shift their attention much more definitively toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and away from ELA (English, Language Arts). Representatives from both school boards and government organizations suggest that the move toward STEM is necessary in helping students to participate in a meaningful way in the American workplace. Given the urgency of this debate for the future of education and society as a whole, it is worth examining the potential consequences of this shift in how students are educated in the United States.

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the shift in American education.

Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on the issue of how schools should balance STEM and ELA subjects. In your essay, be sure to:

• analyze and evaluate the perspectives given
• state and develop your own perspective on the issue
• explain the relationship between your perspective and those given

Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Whatever the case, support your ideas with logical reasoning and detailed, persuasive examples.

How to Write the ACT Essay

Your job is to write an essay in which you take some sort of position on the prompt, all while assessing the three perspectives provided in the boxes. Find a way to anchor your essay with a unique perspective of your own that can be defended and debated, and you are already in the upper echelon of scorers.

Step 1: Work the Prompt

What in the prompt requires you to weigh in? Why is this issue still the subject of debate and not a done deal?

Step 2: Work the Perspectives

Typically, the three perspectives will be split: one for , one against , and one in the middle . Your goal in Step 2 is to figure out where each perspective stands and then identify at least one shortcoming of each perspective. For the example above, ask yourself: 

• What does each perspective consider?
• What does each perspective overlook?

Read More: What's a Good ACT Score?

Step 3: Generate Your Own Perspective

Now it's time to come up with your own perspective! If you merely restate one of the three given perspectives, you won’t be able to get into the highest scoring ranges. You’ll draw from each of the perspectives, and you may side with one of them, but your perspective should have something unique about it.

Step 4: Put It All Together

Now that you have your ideas in order, here's a blueprint for how to organize the ACT essay. This blueprint works no matter what your prompt is.

Step 5: (If There's Time): Proofread

Spend one or two minutes on proofreading your essay if you have time. You’re looking for big, glaring errors. If you find one, erase it completely or cross it out neatly. Though neatness doesn’t necessarily affect your grade, it does make for a happy grader.

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New Act Essay Writing Section

The new act essay, your full guide to act writing section.

Since September of 2015, the ACT essay / writing section has gone through a radical change. And that’s amazing news for you.

The ACT essay was always easy to master with a bit of practice and the right techniques. However, the new ACT essay is even easier to perfect than the old one ever could have been . This short guide will teach you exactly what’s changing, how to prepare for the new essay, and how to take full advantage of this new format.

Quick side note: If you’re looking for a proven ACT prep system to help you write a flawless essay check out my ACT prep program . It is built on my proven tactics and methodologies and has an average user score improvement of over +4.66 points.

Why did ACT test change?

The new “CORE-friendly” ACT essay / writing portion just makes this test more beatable than it already was. I’ll leave the rest to the ACT’s PR team. For now, let’s get into what you should do about it.

What is Different?

The old ACT writing / essay section gave you a simple prompt, then asked you to take a side on that prompt and argue your point. The basic format looked something like this:

“Watching TV can be bad for your brain. However, sometimes it’s educational, so some people think it’s good for your brain. So in your opinion, do you think that TV is good or bad?

In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.”

The old format couldn’t have been any simpler. “Here are two opinions on a topic. Pick one and then write about it for a few paragraphs.”

The new ACT writing / essay format is much more complicated. But here’s the funny thing: while the new ACT writing / essay FORMAT is much more complex, the process of WRITING these essays has become VASTLY SIMPLER .

Here’s what it looks like now: https://www.act.org/actnext/pdf/SampleWritingPrompt.pdf

Take the time to read through all of this and really get a feel for what the new ACT writing / essay section looks like. Once you do, we shall move on:

How Do You Write This Thing (and why is it so much easier)?

In the old ACT essay, you only had to do one thing – pick a side and argue it. Now, you have to do so much! You need to evaluate three different arguments, you need to come up with your own argument, and then you have to relate your argument to the three arguments given. Oh, the humanity!

But here’s the thing: in the old version of the ACT essay, you had to both come up with an argument and come up with the reasons why you support it. In the new ACT essay, all of the arguments and reasoning behind them is provided for you!

It’s the difference between being asked to “make lasagna or pizza for dinner tonight” and “grabbing something off the McDonald’s dollar menu.” Sure, there are more options on the McDonald’s menu – but they’re already cooked for you!

At first, it seems like there’s a ton more to do. In reality, the ACT is doing all of the hard work for you! All you need to do is read carefully, pick what you like, and then follow a simple process to “plug in your opinion.”

A reminder: If you’re eager to succeed with a proven ACT prep system to help you write a flawless essay check out my ACT prep program . It is built on my proven tactics and methodologies and has an average user score improvement of over +4.66 points .

• EXPLORE Random Article

How to Write an ACT Essay

Last Updated: October 11, 2022 References

This article was co-authored by Arash Fayz . Arash Fayz is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LA Tutors 123, an academic consulting and private tutoring company based in Los Angeles, California. Arash has over 10 years of educational consulting experience, managing the tutoring of students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to score higher on standardized tests and gain admission to their target schools. He has a BA in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 3,668 times.

The ACT may seem a bit daunting, particularly the writing section, and if you're feeling that way, don't worry. While no one can guarantee you a perfect store, you can do well on the essay section as long as you practice a little first. When writing the essay, take 5-10 minutes to organize your thoughts, then write your essay in a standard 5-paragraph format with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. If you have time in the end, spend a few minutes reading over what you wrote to correct any mistakes.

Organizing Your Thoughts

• When reading through them, analyze them. Think about what each perspective assumes and what each perspective leaves out.
• For instance, if one perspective is "The electoral college is beneficial because it makes it easier for a state to vote together," that assumes a state should vote together, and it may leave off the individual's vote.
• Repeat for each perspective.

• You will have space to plan in your notebook, so write down the perspective you choose to take.

• For example, if the perspective is "The electoral college is beneficial," you might write, "The electoral college is beneficial to states with smaller populations, which gives farming areas a much-needed advantage."

• For instance, you might write, "While the electoral college does have pitfalls due to the way it distributes electoral votes, that very distribution gives rural voters the advantage they need to be on an even playing field with urban voters, as it places a slightly higher weight on the votes of people in small states with high rural populations."

• For instance, one example might be that the electoral college helps protect farmers by giving slightly more power to rural voters.
• Whatever example you use, try to get as specific as possible with it. [6] X Research source

Writing the Essay

• When giving an overview, present what examples you plan to use, in order, such as "The electoral college gives farmers a voice, allows for rural voices to be heard in Washington D.C., and helps elect a president that represents all citizens."

• You can use 4-6 paragraphs, but make sure you stick to the format of an introductory paragraph, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion paragraph.

• For instance, you might write, "Farmers' perspectives are important, but they aren't the only ones who benefit from the electoral college. It also gives rural people a voice in Midwestern and Southern states where all electoral votes must go to one candidate."
• Another example might be, "Rural people deserve to have their voices heard, as a president should represent all people, not just those in large cities."

• For example, you may write, "All in all, the electoral college does more good than harm. It gives farmers and rural voters the opportunity to elect a candidate that also considers their needs, along with those in the urban centers of the country. After all, a president should be for all citizens, not just those who have a pretty house in a big city."

Correcting Your Essay

• However, even 5 minutes spent on proofreading can be helpful.

• Avoid writing in the margins. Only write neatly between the lines.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/act-writing-prompt
• ↑ https://magoosh.com/hs/act/act-writing/2016/how-i-got-a-perfect-36-on-the-new-act-essay/
• ↑ https://writewellapp.com/how-write-act-essay
• ↑ http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/writing-test-prep.html#scrollNav-1-5

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How to Write an ACT Exam?

Your high school GPA may play an important role in your college admission, but the ACT exam may have the final say. What is an ACT exam? The ACT is an entrance exam that most colleges utilize to decide on a candidate's admission. The main purpose of the writing test is to disclose and measure the applicants' readiness for college studies. 

The admission officers review the test score along with your high school GPA to make their final decision. Of course, the classes that you took, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation from your teachers, and your application, where you discuss the high school experience from your own perspective, will be reviewed as well. While the importance of the ACT scores may vary from college to college, the higher the score, the more options for the college enrollment you have. 

The ACT exam consists of four sections that include English, Reading, Math, and Science. Aside from that, the prospective candidates are given forty minutes to do the writing test. Writing an essay can be quite difficult; that's why you need to prepare for it. The good news is that ACT essay examples are available online, and you can view sample in this article as well. So, basically, that's what the ACT exam is about. But let's dive into the details with our dissertation help services team. 

What is the ACT Exam?

The ACT exam 2022 consists of several sections that reveal your knowledge of various school subjects. The ACT exam stands for “American College Test”. It's a multiple-choice test where you have a number of questions and several options of answers. And you need to be ready to give it almost four hours. 

How long is the ACT exam exactly? You have two hours and fifty-five minutes for the multiple-choice test and forty minutes for the writing section. The ACT exam 2022 length gives you enough time to choose the correct answers and dive into your essay, which is quite complex. Basically, in the writing test, you will have to expand on the provided important topic and three different perspectives on it. 

When writing a coherent essay, make sure that you show your abilities in several core aspects. You need to be capable of generating ideas and analyzing them from various perspectives. It's also crucial that you provide pieces of evidence that support your viewpoint. The essay must be organized logically, so the reader can easily slide through the narrative. Finally, proper written language use and conventions are also extremely important. 

The Structure of the ACT Writing Test

If you are planning to pass the ACT exam 2022, you need to know the structure of the exam. First, let's look at the time you're given for completing each section, as well as the number of questions each ACT section has. What is the ACT exam, if not an exercise on time management? You have to plan basically every minute while you're taking it. Let's divide the ACT exam length for every section:

How to Write an Act Exam

All in all, you have 3 hours and 35 minutes for the ACT exam, meaning that you have just enough time to go through the test once and mark all of the right answers. Aside from it, students have a ten-minute break after the Math section and five minutes rest before they start writing the essay. Try doing an ACT practice exam and actually see when you might need breaks. You've already learned the most important aspects of the written ACT exam scoring. Now, let's take a look at each section of the multiple-choice test. 

English Test

The ACT English test consists of 75 questions, and the 45 minutes given for it means that you'll have between 30 and 40 seconds for each writing. This section can be divided into three parts in terms of content:

Conventions of Standard English 

This is by far the largest part of the test, as more than 50% of the test is devoted to the conventions. The questions focus on grammar, syntax, punctuation, and the correct use of words. Here you may be asked to choose the correct verb or tense. This part focuses on the general rules of English, so you don't have to write essays, sharing your own perspective on world problems or books.

Production of Writing

Around 30% of the test is devoted to the production of writing. Here, students are given passages from the various texts to check how good they are at seeing the big picture. You must choose the correct answer based on the tone or purpose of the passage. Questions in this section also concern the literary style and strategies used by the author. 

You may need to also know what is diversity essay while preparing for the exams.

Knowledge of Language

This is the smallest part of the English test, as its share ranges between 10% and 20%. This segment focuses on style, tone, and precision. 

The Math test may seem to be a bit too easy at the beginning. But that's because it's arranged in order of difficulty. Basically, you can say that out of sixty questions; the first twenty are quite easy. The next twenty questions are of medium difficulty, while the last twenty questions are the most difficult ones. Check an ACT practice exam to see at what point you really start to struggle with the questions so that you have an idea of what to review. Now, let's see the percentages that each math topic has in the test:

• Pre-algebra - accounts for 20%-25% of questions;
• Elementary algebra - ranges between 15% to 20% of questions;
• Intermediate algebra - up to 20% of questions;
• Coordinate geometry - takes 15%-20% of questions;
• Plane geometry - around 25% of questions;
• Trigonometry - ranges between 5% to 10% of questions;

The good thing is that the ACT exam allows using a calculator, so you don't have to waste a lot of time if you are not the brightest in terms of calculation. 

Reading Test

The reading test has a lot in common with the production of writing questions in the English test. In this section, students are given passages from texts and questions about the passages. You may be asked to identify the author's attitude toward the main subject of the passage. The meaning of this or that word in the context of the passage. The main idea of the body paragraphs. The meaning of the phrase or the function this or that sentence serves within the text. The important part is that you don't have to develop your unique perspective of the text - this is the part of the test that measures your ability to analyze given information without adding your own perspective on the issue.

Science Test

The Science section includes topics like biology, chemistry, space and earth sciences, and physics. You may be asked to pick the right conclusion from the options you have for graphs and diagrams. The section includes questions on conflicting viewpoints. Here, students are provided with a description of a certain phenomenon with several hypotheses on its explanation. Then you need to choose which assumption reflects the notion provided in the questions. 

How to Improve Your Writing Skills?

Considering the ACT exam dates 2022, you still have time to practice the ability to discuss ideas and convey arguments with clarity - improve your writing skills for the essay. You don't know the topic you’ll get, so deciding to buy an essay paper won't be that helpful. But there are a few things that you can do to improve your writing for the ACT exam. 

• Read and write - if you do it frequently, you won't have problems with the test;
• Get familiar with current social issues and various opinions on them;
• Taking debate classes will prepare you for the essay;
• Try writing extracurricular activities, like creative writing clubs;
• Share your writing with others;

Basically, improving your writing can be shaped into a simple formula: read-write-repeat. Read how other people write and try writing yourself. That will master the style and improve your ACT exam scoring. You can try blogging to master your skills. As for the organization of your writing, you can always seek advice from your English teachers and generate productive ideas. Asking your classmates and friends what they think of your writing can also help greatly. Just remember that no one is born with perfect writing skills. You can achieve it only through practice. 

Use our free Plagiarism Checker!

How to Write an ACT Essay?

After all, despite the complexity of the ACT exam 2022 multiple-choice tests, the essay task remains the most difficult part of it. You might have checked ACT essay examples, but writing one yourself in a short time of 40 minutes can be quite stressful. You need to have a strategy for writing. So, here are the steps that can help you. 

• Devote around ten minutes to planning your essay. 
• Think of the way you're going to organize it. 
• Read the one writing prompt and the multiple perspectives, and choose the one you're going to work on. If you check an example ACT essay, you know what to do. 
• Brainstorm the ideas and analysis, as well as supporting pieces of evidence you can provide. 
• Picture the structure of your essay, and then devote 30 minutes to writing it so that you will have just enough time on the test day. 

You want to know how to write Common App Essay Prompts 2022-2023? We encourage you to check out the fresh topics in our article.

ACT Essay Sample

Finally, we are getting to something you can build your essay on. So, you are to get a prompt with three different perspectives on it, and you need to choose which one of them you're going to write your essay, just like the example ACT essay. Let's imagine that the writing prompt you get will be on cancel culture, as shown in many of last year's ACT essay examples.

"Cancel or callout culture is a tradition of removing the support for certain individuals or their work based on their actions or opinions that can be considered objectionable. Traditionally, individuals are called out on social media, which leads to the general awareness of their perceived offense. In most cases, canceling takes the form of pressuring organizations to prevent the subject of the canceling from public appearances. When it comes to business, it can include boycotting their products" — that's what the writing prompt may look like. 

So Much Homework That You Don't Have Time to Prepare for the ACT?

Delegate the part of your homework to our paper writers for hire , and spend your time preparing for the ACT exam. Let the professionals do the paperwork while focusing on important things!

Now, let's check the three perspectives that you can be provided to defeat the ACT exam scoring system:

Perspective 1:

Cancel culture allows marginalized people to hold their tormentors accountable via public opinion when the justice system fails them. Movements like #metoo allowed numerous women and men to call out their abusers. The cancel culture leads to a safer world, free from abuse of various forms. 

Perspective 2:

While the cancel culture allows people to call out their abusers, we cannot disregard the fact that certain people can use it for their own benefit. The culture leads to people being canceled based on proofless claims, which turns the anti-abuse campaign into witch-hunting. 

Perspective 3:

Cancel culture may lead to a change in power but is ultimately unproductive when it comes to social change. As soon as it became big, it turned into simply casting stones at each other. While we may think that it leads to social justice, it's just engaging in the social media frenzy that doesn't affect real life. 

So, here you have the complex issue and three perspectives on it. First, you need to analyze and organize ideas of everything you know about the cancel culture. Think about the examples that you are acquainted with well. Then, examine each of the perspectives presented to you. Think which one is closest to your own thoughts about the issue. Alternatively, you can choose the perspective that you can support with more pieces of evidence. 

You start your essay with an analysis of the cancel culture as a whole. Then you should move to one of the perspectives given. There, you can expand and convey arguments on the topic by providing your own viewpoint. Your viewpoint must be supported by pieces of evidence. Regardless of the perspective you've chosen, in the case of cancel culture, the Harvey Weinstein and Depp vs. Heard cases will surely have something to do with it. Then you finish your essay with a logical conclusion. 

Don't forget that there must be a logical transition between the passages of your essay. The next passage must expand on the information provided in the preceding one. Your viewpoint must be followed by the supporting evidence. Here’s a sample of an essay that uses perspective two as the foundation: Here you go the ACT exam sample:

Is the ACT Essay Optional?

If you checked the ACT exam dates 2022, you have several months to prepare yourself. The first exam will occur on September 10, 2022, while the last one in the calendar year will be held on December 10, 2022. The biggest question that bugs students is whether the essay is optional. Yes, it is.  Moreover, not every college requires applicants to write an optional ACT essay.

Another important thing is that the total ACT exam scoring is not affected by your essay score. Some colleges think writing the ACT test gives candidates a more rounded score. So, all in all, the essay score matters only together with your multiple-choice results. So, why bother writing the essay at all? 

If you are highly competitive, you should try your hand in the ACT writing section. To prepare for it, you can follow the instructions given in this article and read through the ACT essay examples. If you are a mid-range student, you can opt for the writing test, but you should stress out about it, considering that many colleges do not require completing this section. Less competitive students should avoid the ACT writing test and stick to the multiple-choice test. The only reason they should take it is if the college board requires the essay for admission. 

How to Pass ACT with Flying Colors?

Now that we have discussed the ACT exam meaning, you can realize that it is not an easy task, but it's not that difficult either. Given all the information provided here, you know what to expect from the multiple-choice test and the writing portion, and you already know the ACT exam scoring system. ACT exam dates 2022 are approaching, but there is nothing to be scared of. Check the ACT essay examples , read through test tips once again, solve a few training tests, think about the logical structure of your essay, and keep the scoring rubric in mind- now you are ready to go and take the test without fearing the final score!

Let the experts do the work while preparing for the ACT!

You just can't get it all, so don't compromise and get the best of your last few months of school! Graduate with a great GPA by delegating some of the tasks to our experts while you'll be spending time getting ready for the big test! If you need essay help , just give us your requirements and we'll give you a hand asap.

Perhaps you need some nursing or psychology essay writing service ? Do not hesitate to contact us! Our team is always ready to help.

Pass Your Exams with Flying Colors!

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Reproductive rights in America

What abortion politics has to do with new rights for pregnant workers.

Selena Simmons-Duffin

Employers are required to make accommodations for pregnant women and new moms like time off for doctor's appointments. Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images hide caption

Employers are required to make accommodations for pregnant women and new moms like time off for doctor's appointments.

This week, attorneys general from 17 Republican-led states sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over something they say is an "abortion accommodation mandate."

Here are four things to know about the latest battle in the war over abortion between Republican-led states and the Biden administration.

1. The law in question is about protections for pregnant workers.

First, a little background: In 2015, a survey found that nearly 1 in 4 women went back to work just two weeks after giving birth.

It took about ten years for a bill protecting pregnant workers to get through Congress, and in 2022, not long after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act passed with bipartisan support. The law requires employers with at least 15 employees to accommodate workers who are pregnant with things like extra bathroom breaks, time off for prenatal appointments, a chair for sitting during a shift. It also says employers have to accommodate workers after they give birth.

Even though lawmakers from both parties think pregnancy protections are a good thing, abortion politics have overshadowed the news of those new rights. It all comes down to one line in the law and the word "abortion" in the regulation.

The law says employers should make "reasonable accommodations" for pregnant workers during and after "pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions." The new rule EEOC put out to implement the law includes abortion in a lengthy list of "related medical conditions," along with everything from ectopic pregnancy to anxiety to varicose veins.

2. Abortion entered the chat and about 100,000 people chimed in on the regulations.

Political and religious groups that oppose abortion rights took notice of the inclusion of "abortion" in the list of related medical conditions, as did the lead Republican co-sponsor of the law , Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Some 54,000 people commented on the proposed rule objecting to the inclusion of abortion, according to the EEOC's analysis in the final rule, while 40,000 people commented in support of abortion's inclusion. (The agency noted that most of these were nearly identical "form comments" driven by advocacy groups).

In the end, "abortion" remained on the list. In its analysis, the agency explained that abortion's inclusion is consistent with longstanding interpretation of civil rights laws and courts' rulings. In the final rule, the EEOC says the law "does not require any employee to have – or not to have – an abortion, does not require taxpayers to pay for any abortions, and does not compel health care providers to provide any abortions." The rule also notes that unpaid time off for appointments is the most likely accommodation that would be sought by workers having abortions.

3. The lawsuit + the politics of the lawsuit

Within days of the rule being published in the Federal Register , a coalition of 17 Republican-led states filed suit. "The implications of mandating abortion accommodations are immense: covered employers would be required to support and devote resources, including by providing extra leave time, to assist employees' decision to terminate fetal life," the lawsuit reads .

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in federal court in Eastern Arkansas. The plaintiffs ask the court to put a hold on the effective date of the final rule pending judicial review, and to temporarily block the enforcement of – and ultimately vacate – the rule's "abortion-accommodation mandate."

Arkansas and Tennessee are the two states leading the lawsuit. In a statement , Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said: "This is yet another attempt by the Biden administration to force through administrative fiat what it cannot get passed through Congress."

Griffin said the rule is a "radical interpretation" of the new pregnancy protection law that would leave employers subject to federal lawsuits if they don't give employees time off for abortions, even if abortions are illegal in those states. "The PWFA was meant to protect pregnancies, not end them," he said.

Women's advocates see the politics of the lawsuit as well. "It's no coincidence that this organized, partisan effort is occurring in states that have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country," Jocelyn Frye of the National Partnership for Women & Families wrote in a statement . "Any attempt to dismantle these protections will have serious consequences for women's health, working families, and the ability for women to thrive in the workplace."

Greer Donley is a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh who submitted a comment on the proposed regulation defending the inclusion of abortion. She points out that this is the latest in a string of legal challenges from anti-abortion groups fighting the Biden administration's efforts to protect abortion using federal agencies.

"You can really see this in a suite of [abortion] lawsuits – including the two that were heard in the Supreme Court this term, one involving the FDA's regulation of mifepristone and one involving the Biden administration's interpretation of EMTALA ," she observes, and guesses a legal challenge will also come in response to the newly announced privacy protections for patients who've had abortions. "You have a Supreme Court that is overwhelmingly anti-abortion and overwhelmingly anti-administrative state – those two things in tandem are not a good thing for the Biden administration."

4. In the meantime, pregnant workers have new rights.

At the moment, until a judge says otherwise, the new protections for pregnant workers are already in effect. The EEOC has a guide for pregnant workers about their new rights under the law and how to file charges against their employers. It's also holding trainings for human resource professionals on how to comply with the law.

Complaints have already started to roll in. In a statement to NPR, EEOC spokesperson Victor Chen wrote that in the first three months that the law was in effect, the agency received nearly 200 charges alleging a violation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which works out to nearly two a day.

• pregnancy discrimination
• Abortion rights

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, should you take the act with or without writing.

ACT General Info , ACT Writing

Because ACT Writing is optional, many students are unsure whether they need to add the extra 40 minutes to the test. However, there's a simple answer to whether you should take the ACT with writing or without writing: it depends on whether the colleges you want to apply to require a writing score.

This guide will walk you through how the ACT writing section got started, how to determine whether you should take the ACT with or without Writing, and some other considerations you may want to keep in mind.

What Is ACT Writing?

Since 2005, students have had the choice between two different versions of the ACT: the ACT and the ACT with Writing. The writing test is an optional 40-minute essay task that students can elect to take at the end of the multiple choice test.

ACT, Inc. added the Writing section in response to the 2005 SAT overhaul, which added a Writing section that included both grammar multiple-choice questions and an essay. The addition of the writing task to the ACT was meant to keep the two tests equivalent and easily comparable. Nonetheless, the SAT's essay was required and the ACT's was optional .

This discrepancy between how the two tests incorporated their essay portions caused a fair amount of confusion for students and colleges. Ultimately, each college set its own policy about the two tests' Writing sections : some simply ignored SAT Writing scores and didn't require the ACT Writing, others considered SAT Writing but didn't require Writing with the ACT, and a third group considered SAT Writing and required the Writing with the ACT.

To complicate the situation further, the SAT's essay has now been discontinued . This caused many schools to change their policy about ACT Writing as well. Very few schools now require ACT Writing. Nonetheless, the basic facts remain the same: whether you take the ACT with or without Writing depends on whether the schools you're applying to require it.

The Key Consideration: Which Colleges Require ACT Writing?

With the trend of more schools becoming test optional (especially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic), more and more schools were already not requiring SAT or ACT Writing. When the SAT ended its essay, nearly all schools that required or recommended ACT Writing changed their policies.

Currently, most schools either don't look at your ACT Writing scores at all, or they'll consider them, but they won't have a large impact on your application (and not doing ACT Writing won't hurt your application). Check out our updated list of the schools that require or recommend ACT Writing for the most up-to-date information.

You can also look up schools' most up-to-date standardized testing policies on their individual websites: just search for "[school name] ACT writing requirement" online.

A Few Other Things to Keep in Mind

Although whether the schools you're interested in require you to submit the ACT with Writing should be the primary factor in your decision about which version of the test to take, there are a couple of other pros and cons worth taking into account.

A Good ACT Writing Score Can Boost Your Chances of Admission—Slightly

Even if a school doesn't require the test, a high score on the ACT Writing may give your application a slight boost , since it serves as an indication of strong writing and analysis abilities. This is basically just a way of providing some extra information and will generally have only a minor benefit (similar to submitting both ACT and SAT scores ).

The main circumstances in which it would be worth submitting the ACT with Writing even if it isn't required would be if you're applying to especially competitive schools or schools that recommend the Writing section .

Also be aware that some schools simply won't look at your Writing score, even if you send it. Make sure to read each school's policy carefully so you know what's worth spending time on.

Costs of Taking the ACT With Writing

So far I've focused on reasons you would want to take the Writing section, but there are also some costs associated with doing so.

Registration Fee

There is an extra fee ($25) to take the writing portion of the test.

Extra Study Time

If you take the Writing section you will need to study for the Writing section, which means investing extra hours into ACT prep .

However, ACT Writing is relatively straightforward once you know how it works, so even just a few hours of prep (say, reading through the rubric and some examples and trying a practice essay ) can be very helpful.

Both of these costs are relatively minor and neither should prevent you from applying to schools that do require ACT Writing . If the added fee is a serious issue, you may qualify for a fee waiver , which covers the writing section as well as the general registration.

Final Verdict

Let's go through each possible situation you might be in and whether you should take the ACT Writing.

If even one of the schools you want to apply to requires the ACT with Writing...

...take the ACT with Writing. You won't be able to get in without it, so it's worth the slightly higher fee and extra time commitment.

If you're applying only to schools that won't consider ACT Writing scores...

...skip taking the ACT with Writing. If schools won't even consider it, it's just a waste of time and money.

If you're looking at schools that don't require ACT Writing and aren't very competitive...

...only take the ACT with Writing if your application shows major weaknesses in English language skills.

If you're applying to more competitive schools or schools that recommend ACT Writing...

...take the ACT with Writing, unless the cost and stress profoundly outweigh the potential benefit of more information for colleges.

If you're not sure where you want to apply...

...take the ACT with Writing. It will save you from having to retake the test if you realize you need to submit ACT Writing scores later.

No matter what your situation, make sure to double check whether the schools you're applying to require you to submit ACT Writing scores . There's nothing worse than thinking you're completely finished with standardized testing, only to realize that you have to take the test all over again.

What's Next?

Just realized you need to take ACT Writing ? Check out our complete guide to the new Enhanced Writing test and tips on how to get a 12 on the essay .

If you're more focused on other sections of the test , check out our ultimate prep guides for ACT Reading , English , and Science .

Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Alex is an experienced tutor and writer. Over the past five years, she has worked with almost a hundred students and written about pop culture for a wide range of publications. She graduated with honors from University of Chicago, receiving a BA in English and Anthropology, and then went on to earn an MA at NYU in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. In high school, she was a National Merit Scholar, took 12 AP tests and scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and ACT.

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About The ACT Test

About the act test.

The ACT ® test motivates students to perform to their best ability. Test scores reflect what students have learned throughout high school and provide colleges and universities with excellent information for recruiting, advising, placement, and retention.

Many times, students who are not considering higher education rethink their plans when they see their ACT test results. This is especially true for underrepresented students. To support college and career planning, the ACT also offers a career exploration component to help students identify career options.

Who Typically Takes the ACT

The ACT test is designed for the 10th, 11th, and/or 12th grade levels to provide schools and districts with the data necessary to position students for success after high school.

Did You Know?

• More than 1.34 million students in the 2022 high school graduating class took the ACT test. 
• ACT test scores are accepted by all four-year US colleges and universities, including highly selective institutions.
• The ACT is not an aptitude or an IQ test. Questions are directly related to what students have learned in high school courses.
• The ACT is administered both nationally and internationally each year, with additional state and district test dates. 
• The ACT is approved for use in state models for federal and state accountability.

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

The standards are empirically derived descriptions of the essential skills and knowledge students need to become ready for college and career, giving clear meaning to test scores and serving as a link between what students have learned and what they are ready to learn next.

When students take the ACT test, high school educators and counselors receive valuable information for guidance and curriculum development. K-12 professionals use ACT reports to:

• Guide students toward college and career readiness
• Assist students with college and career planning
• Evaluate the effectiveness of instruction
• Plan changes and improvements in curriculum

The ACT Test User Handbook

This handbook offers educators the most comprehensive information for K-12 professionals about the ACT test. In addition to detailed information about updates to the test, accommodations, and reports, the handbook offers helpful tips about:

• Preparing for and Taking the ACT
• ACT Reports and Services
• Uses of ACT Data

ACT Scores 

What the act measures .

The ACT contains four multiple-choice tests—English, mathematics, reading, and science—and an optional writing test. These tests are designed to measure skills that are most important for success in postsecondary education and that are acquired in secondary education. The score range for each of the four multiple-choice tests is 1–36. The Composite score is the average of the four test scores rounded to the nearest whole number.

The ACT English test puts an examinee in the position of a writer who makes decisions to revise and edit a text. Short texts and essays in different genres provide a variety of rhetorical situations. Passages are chosen for their appropriateness in assessing writing and language skills and to reflect students’ interests and experiences.

The ACT mathematics test assesses the skills students typically acquire in courses taken through grade 11. The material covered on the test emphasizes the major content areas that are prerequisites to successful performance in entry-level courses in college mathematics. Knowledge of basic formulas and computational skills are assumed as background for the problems, but recall of complex formulas and extensive computation are not required.

The ACT reading test measures the ability to read closely, reason logically about texts using evidence, and integrate information from multiple sources. The test questions focus on the mutually supportive skills that readers must bring to bear in studying written materials across a range of subject areas. Specifically, questions will ask you to determine main ideas; locate and interpret significant details; understand sequences of events; make comparisons; comprehend cause-effect relationships; determine the meaning of context-dependent words, phrases, and statements; draw generalizations; analyze the author’s or narrator’s voice and method; analyze claims and evidence in arguments; and integrate information from multiple texts.

The ACT science test measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences. The test presents several authentic scientific scenarios, each followed by a number of multiple-choice test questions. The content of the test includes biology, chemistry, Earth/space sciences (e.g., geology, astronomy, and meteorology), and physics. The questions require you to recognize and understand the basic features of, and concepts related to, the provided information; to examine critically the relationship between the information provided and the conclusions drawn or hypotheses developed; and to generalize from given information to gain new information, draw conclusions, or make predictions.

The optional ACT writing test is an essay test that measures writing skills taught in high school English classes and entry level college composition courses. The test consists of one writing prompt that describes a complex issue and provides three different perspectives on the issue. You are asked to read the prompt and write an essay in which you develop your own perspective on the issue. Your essay must analyze the relationship between your own perspective and one or more other perspectives. You may adopt one of the perspectives given in the prompt as your own, or you may introduce one that is completely different from those given. 

Complete information about the ACT test is available in the technical manual.

ACT High School Report

The ACT High School Report provides comprehensive information about a student's needs, interests, background, and abilities. The report includes the following sections:

• Identifying Information
• Scores and Predictive Data
• College Readiness
• Information about Colleges
• College Selection Items
• Educational and Vocational Plans
• Educational Needs and Interests
• Interest Inventory Scores and Map Regions

You can also see the questions that students answer when they register to take the ACT test:

For training on how to use data from the ACT test for advising and curriculum development, see the list of available videos, webinars, and workshops that ACT offers.

Electronic Score Reporting

Data from the ACT High School Report are available in ASCII flat file format, delivered online for high schools and districts to import into any system set up to receive the data. Records are available on demand as scores are released. Data is also provided for the current testing year as well as three previous testing years.

The current  High School Record Layout (xlsx) is the key to interpreting the file you receive from ACT. It identifies location, field name, and field content for each data element. 

Help your students do their best on test day!

ACT offers numerous ways for students to prepare for test day, including: 

• The Official ACT Self-Paced Course, Powered by Kaplan  — Bite-sized, on-demand lessons offer the perfect mix of structure and flexibility.
• The Official ACT Live Online Class, Powered by Kaplan —A whole team of expert teachers keeps you engaged in a virtual classroom.
• The Official ACT Subject Guides -  Individual prep books perfect for students who want to practice a specific subject to improve their test scores.
• The Official ACT Prep Guide —An ACT-authorized prep book, with three practice tests, each with an optional writing test, plus access to hundreds of additional questions online.
• Preparing for the ACT —This free booklet includes helpful test information, a complete practice test, and a sample writing prompt. 
• Sample Test Questions —Practice questions to give you a taste of what to expect on the ACT test. 
• Live and On-Demand Webinars - Choose from live and recorded webinars to help make the most of your ACT test prep options.

ACT Online Prep

Help your students prepare for the ACT test.  The same research and expertise that has made the ACT test the most widely used college entrance exam in the nation was used to develop ACT Online Prep. Benefits of the program for schools and districts include: 

• Ability to monitor performance with the Administrator’s Dashboard—See how long your students are spending in the system, how they’re performing on the practice questions and tests, and the areas in which a whole class may need targeted help.  
• Flexible, personalized learning paths—The ACT Online Prep system drives students through the courses so they can review independently, at their own pace, without falling behind.  
• Confidence-building experiences—Using the practice questions and tests, students will familiarize themselves with the structure of the actual ACT test. There will be no surprises on test day for your students.  
• A free mobile app for students so that they can review for the ACT anytime, anywhere.  

Please note that ACT test preparation materials are copyrighted and may not be copied or distributed without ACT's prior written permission. 

Purchase ACT Online Prep annual licenses for students in your school or district. Discounts are available for GEAR UP organizations and schools with more than 50% free and reduced lunch students.  

After your order is processed, each school-level administrator will receive an email from ACT that includes a quick-start guide and instructions for activating their account. The administrator can then upload students, assign instructors, and create classrooms. 

Administration User Guide

The  ACT Online Prep Administration User Guide (PDF)  provides all the information you need to set up classrooms, instructors, and students as well as to monitor performance.

Order ACT Fee Waivers  

ACT provides a variety of materials you can use to help your students learn about and prepare for the test.

Use ACT's account-based ordering platform to request fee waivers.

Additional Support Items:

• How to Order Fee Waivers
• Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures
• Prebilled Voucher Order Form
• Alternate Format Practice Test Materials Order Form

High School Codes 

An ACT/SAT Common High School Code allows students attending your school to send official ACT and SAT scores directly and automatically to your school. Forms are available to apply for a code, to request name or address changes, or to indicate a school is no longer in operation. No payment is required for these services. 

• Apply for a High School Code
• Make Changes to an Existing High School Code or Deactivate a High School Code

Become an ACT Test Center 

Help students remove the guesswork in finding a test center.  Your school can request to be a test center for students taking the ACT on a national test date.  As a test center, your school provides: 

• A staff member to serve as the Test Supervisor 
• Other school staff willing to serve as room supervisors and proctors 
• Space for testing on ACT National Testing dates 
• Quiet areas—free from distractions and other events 
• Classrooms, preferably, with full-sized desks 
• Plenty of space between examinees, for security purposes 
• A secure location to store test materials 

Complete the ACT Test Center Request form if you would like your institution to become an ACT Test Center. 

Test Security

More than three thousand colleges, universities, and scholarship agencies use ACT test scores to make decisions about admission, scholarship awards, and course placement. Because these institutions, as well as the examinees, rely on the integrity of ACT test scores, ACT takes seriously the importance of reporting valid test scores. 

In addition to conducting our own internal score reviews, ACT regularly receives inquiries from college admissions officers, high school counselors, and others who have concerns about an individual examinee's score. 

Score Inquiry 

You can report concerns using ACT's  Score Inquiry form . ACT will review the inquiry and investigate the validity of the scores. If you prefer, you may submit an inquiry  anonymously online  or by calling 855.382.2645 to use our dedicated Test Security Hotline. 

If ACT initiates a score review, ACT will notify the examinee directly.  For privacy reasons, ACT generally does not discuss the details of a score review with anyone other than the examinee unless the examinee expressly authorizes us to do so by executing an Authorization to Release Personal Information form.  

Only official score recipients will receive notice of ACT’s decision regarding the validity of the scores. For your institution to be an official score recipient, the examinee must request that ACT send the score report to your institution. An examinee can send official scores by logging into his/her  ACT web account  and choosing "Send Your Scores." 

For complete details of ACT's score review process, please see  Procedures for Investigating Testing Irregularities and Questioned Test Scores (PDF).

Additional Information

• Authorization to Release Information (PDF)
• Procedures for Investigating Testing Irregularities and Questioned Test Scores (PDF)

Contact Test Security 

• Email:  [email protected] 
• Test Security Phone:  319.337.1371 
• Mail: ACT Test Security (53) P.O. Box 168 Iowa City, IA 52243-0168 

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