The ACT is 3 hours long (technically 2 hours and 55 minutes). Including breaks, the exam takes 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete. If you sign up for the optional essay (the ACT Plus Writing ), the test clocks in at 3 hours and 40 minutes or just over 4 hours with breaks. Here’s how your time is broken up by section:
Other Question and Answers that can be helpful for you
1. How long does it take to write an act essay?
Practice and work lead to achievement. The ACT writing test contains one question to be completed in 40 minutes. When asked to write a timed essay, most writers find it useful to do some planning before they write the essay and to do a final check of the essay when it is finished.
2. How long does the Act take?
If you take the ACT with Writing, the time for each section (English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing) adds up to a total of three hours and 35 minutes of test sections (excluding breaks ). By contrast, the total time of the ACT without Writing is only two hours and 55 minutes.
3. How long should I study for the ACT Math section?
Similar to the English section, if that speed is difficult for you, start by giving yourself unlimited time to get used to the type of Math questions the ACT asks, then decrease that to 75 minutes, and finally 60.
4. How long is the Act plus writing?
**Only for students taking the ACT Plus Writing; all other students are free to leave. When breaks are included, the ACT Plus Writing takes a total of three hours and 50 minutes. With breaks but without Writing, the ACT is only three hours and five minutes long (or three hours and 25 minutes long if you have to take the experimental section).