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The ACT Reading section is a 35-minute test measuring your ability to comprehend and analyze written texts. Unlike literature tests, it doesn't require memorization of facts or formulas – instead, it assesses skills like identifying main ideas, finding details, and making inferences. The section evaluates your ability to read closely, reason with evidence, and integrate information from multiple sources.
You'll encounter passages similar to first-year college texts, requiring interpretation and synthesis of information. Importantly, ACT Reading questions do not expect outside knowledge or isolated vocabulary definitions – all answers can be found or inferred directly from the passages themselves.
Format and Timing: The ACT Reading section consists of 40 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 35 minutes under the current format. These questions are based on four reading passages, which are divided into four sections. Three sections contain one long passage each, and one section contains two shorter, related passages (often called a "paired passage"). Each passage (or paired set of passages) is followed by a set of questions (10 questions per passage in the current test). The passages are typically around 700–800 words long. You can expect the Reading section to be the third test you take on the ACT (coming after the Math section and before the Science section in a full ACT).
Content: The four passages always cover a range of topics and genres to reflect a broad reading curriculum. In fact, they appear in a consistent order:
Prose Fiction/Literary Narrative: An excerpt from a novel or short story, often focusing on characters and relationships. These passages are narrative in style; elements like setting, character emotions, and tone are important. You may need to infer the author's meaning or the characters' feelings from context.
Social Science: A passage about a topic in the social sciences (e.g. history, anthropology, psychology, economics, political science). This passage is usually informative and fact-based, with a logical structure (clear topic sentences and transitions). The author might present a point of view or simply provide neutral exposition.
Humanities: A passage drawn from personal essays or memoirs and other arts/humanities topics (for example, a first-person essay about literature, music, art, philosophy, or cultural commentary). These often have a more personal or reflective tone, sometimes emotional or opinionated, as the author shares experiences or perspectives.
Natural Science: A passage about a scientific subject such as biology, chemistry, physics, Earth science, or technology. Natural science passages are packed with factual details and technical terms, presented in a fairly straightforward, objective tone.
After each passage (or each pair of shorter passages), you'll answer a set of multiple-choice questions targeting your comprehension of that text. The questions might ask about information directly stated in the passage as well as meanings that are implied or must be inferred. In other words, some questions are literal (testing if you noticed key facts or details), while others are analytical (testing if you understood the subtler implications or the author's purpose).
Pacing: Timing is a critical aspect of ACT Reading. With 35 minutes for 4 passage sets, you have about 8 minutes 45 seconds per passage on the current test, which works out to roughly 52 seconds per question. This tight timeline means you must read and answer efficiently.
Many test-takers find the Reading section challenging because of the time pressure – it's not that the questions themselves are extraordinarily hard, but reading four dense passages and answering 40 questions in the allotted time requires focus and strategy. (The good news: as we'll discuss later, the enhanced ACT starting in 2025 will ease the timing a bit, giving you more time per question.)
Scoring: Like each ACT section, the Reading test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. Your raw score (the number of questions you get correct out of 40) is converted to a scaled score from 1 (low) to 36 (high). There is no penalty for wrong answers – only correct answers count, so it's always better to guess than to leave a question blank.
The Reading section score contributes to your ACT Composite score (which is the average of the four multiple-choice section scores). On score reports you will also see reporting category scores for Reading (more on these categories next), which break down your performance by skill area.
If you take the optional ACT Writing test (essay), ACT will also report an ELA (English Language Arts) score, which is the average of your English, Reading, and Writing scores. (Similarly, if you take the optional Science section – which after 2025 becomes optional – they report a STEM score combining Science and Math.) In short, doing well on Reading not only boosts your Reading score but also factors into your overall ACT success.
The table below summarizes the key features of the ACT Reading section under the current format:
| ACT Reading (Current Format) | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of Passages | 4 passages (3 single passages + 1 paired passage) covering Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, Natural Science. |
| Number of Questions | 40 multiple-choice questions (10 per passage). |
| Time Allotted | 35 minutes total (~8:45 per passage, ~52 seconds per question). |
| Question Content | Reading comprehension (no outside knowledge needed), focusing on finding main ideas, details, inferences, vocabulary in context, author's purpose, etc. All answers are based on evidence in the passage. |
| Score Range | 1–36 (scaled). Contributes 1/4 of Composite score (currently). Three category subscores reported (Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas). No guessing penalty. |
The ACT Reading section measures specific reading skills organized into three reporting categories:
Key Ideas and Details (52-60%): These questions test your ability to identify central themes, summarize information, and understand relationships in the text. They focus on the what of the passage - asking about main points, specific details, or why events occurred. For example: "What is the main point of the passage?" or "According to the passage, why did Event X happen?"
Craft and Structure (25-30%): These questions examine how the passage is written - including word meanings in context, author's tone or purpose, perspective, and rhetorical organization. You might be asked to interpret a phrase's meaning, analyze the author's attitude, or explain why certain details were included.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (13-23%): These analytical questions require you to integrate information across paragraphs or passages. They may ask you to compare viewpoints between paired passages, distinguish facts from opinions, or evaluate arguments. Some questions might involve interpreting visual elements like graphs or charts that accompany passages.
ACT also classifies questions as either "referring" (answer directly stated in the passage) or "reasoning" (requiring inference from textual clues). One passage may include visual elements like graphs or charts, with questions asking you to interpret the data in relation to the text.
The ACT sometimes includes experimental questions (about 25% in the enhanced format) that don't count toward your score but are being tested for future exams. Since you can't identify which questions are experimental, approach all questions with equal effort.
| Question Category | Percentage | Example Question Types |
|---|---|---|
| Key Ideas and Details | ~55% (21/40 questions) | "What is the main idea of paragraph 3?" "According to the passage, what caused the conflict?" "Which event occurred first in the narrative?" |
| Craft and Structure | ~25-30% (10-12/40 questions) | "As used in line 24, the word 'charge' most nearly means..." "What is the author's attitude toward the subject?" "Why does the author include the anecdote in paragraph 2?" |
| Integration of Knowledge and Ideas | ~15-20% (5-8/40 questions) | "How would the author of Passage A likely respond to the argument in Passage B?" "Which claim is supported by the data in Figure 1?" "What evidence does the author provide to support the conclusion that...?" |
Let's demystify how your ACT Reading score is determined and how it factors into your overall ACT score profile:
Raw vs. Scaled Score: Your raw score on ACT Reading is simply the number of questions you got correct out of the total. If you answer 30 of the 40 questions correctly, your raw score is 30. There is no deduction for wrong answers, so incorrect or blank answers count as 0.
ACT converts your raw score to a scaled score from 1 to 36. This scaling process (called equating) adjusts for differences in difficulty between test forms. For example, a raw 30 might translate to a scaled 27 on one test, but a 26 on an easier test.
Generally, to score in the 30s, you can only miss a few questions. A perfect 36 usually requires all 40 correct (occasionally you can miss 1 on harder tests). The average ACT Reading score nationally is around 20-21, which corresponds to getting about half the questions right.
Composite Score Contribution: On the current ACT, the Reading score is one of four that are averaged to create your Composite score. The Composite is the simple average of English, Math, Reading, and Science scaled scores (rounded to the nearest whole number).
Each section currently carries equal weight (25%) in the composite. A strong Reading score can compensate for a weaker Science or Math score, and vice versa.
With the enhanced ACT from 2025 onward, the Composite will be the average of just English, Math, and Reading. In this new format, Reading will count for one-third of the composite, making it even more important for your overall score.
ELA and STEM Scores: ACT also reports two interdisciplinary scores: ELA (English Language Arts) and STEM. The ELA score is the average of English, Reading, and (optional) Writing essay scores, rounded to the nearest whole number.
The ELA score is only reported if you take the ACT with Writing. For example, with scores of 30 in English, 32 in Reading, and a Writing score that scales to 28, your ELA would be 30.
The STEM score is the average of Math and Science scores. Post-2025, if you take Science, you'll get a STEM score separate from your Composite. These supplementary scores help colleges evaluate your strengths in specific academic areas.