This ACT cheat sheet strips the Enhanced ACT down to the facts examiners lean on most and the formulas worth memorizing cold. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Pair it with the rest of your free ACT toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
ACT exam at a glance
- Sections: English, Mathematics, Reading (core) + optional Science + optional Writing essay
- Questions & time: 131 questions in 125 minutes for the core; 171 questions in 165 minutes with optional Science
- Scoring: Each section 1–36; the 1–36 Composite is the average of English, Math, and Reading
- Score to aim for: No pass/fail — national average Composite ≈19–20; benchmarks E18 / M22 / R22 / Sci23; 24+ is top-quarter
- Cost: $70 base (English + Math + Reading); +$5 Science; +$25 Writing; up to 12 retakes
- Test maker: ACT Education Corp.
What’s on the ACT cheat sheet
- English — 50 Qs / 35 min (core) — Conventions of Standard English (38–43%), Production of Writing (38–43%), and Knowledge of Language (18–23%), with the punctuation and concision rules the test reuses.
- Mathematics — 45 Qs / 50 min (core) — Preparing for Higher Math (≈80%) and Integrating Essential Skills (≈20%), plus the slope, quadratic, Pythagorean, and special-triangle formulas — four answer choices, calculator allowed.
- Reading — 36 Qs / 40 min (core) — Key Ideas & Details (44–52%), Craft & Structure (26–33%), and Integration of Knowledge & Ideas (19–26%), with the paired-passage and vocabulary-in-context moves.
- Science — 40 Qs / 40 min (optional) — Interpretation of Data (40–50%), Scientific Investigation (20–30%), and Evaluation of Results (25–35%) — a reasoning test read straight from the figures; reported separately with a STEM score.
- Scoring map — How the 1–36 Composite averages only English, Math, and Reading, how Science and the 2–12 Writing essay report separately, and how ACT superscores your best core sections.
How to use it in your final week
- Lock in the scoring math first: the 1–36 Composite is just the average of English, Math, and Reading, so a single weak core section drags the whole number — and ACT superscores those three across dates.
- Memorize the Math formulas the sheet lists (slope, quadratic formula, Pythagorean theorem, the 45-45-90 and 30-60-90 ratios, area and circumference); with four answer choices now, clean recall beats guessing.
- Drill the English punctuation rules — comma splices, semicolons vs. colons, its/it's — because Conventions of Standard English is 38–43% of the section and the fastest points to earn.
- Read the sheet the morning of the test, then take one timed section from the practice test to warm up your pacing — the ACT's real challenge is the clock, not the difficulty.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your ACT practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
ACT cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the ACT cheat sheet is 100% free to download as a PDF, with no sign-up required. It sits alongside Career Employer's free ACT practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole prep stack costs nothing.
It condenses the Enhanced ACT into a fast reference: the section breakdown (English 50 Qs, Math 45, Reading 36, optional Science 40), each section's reporting-category weights, the grammar and math formulas the test reuses most, and exactly how the 1–36 Composite is built.
There's no passing score — the ACT reports a scaled 1–36 Composite and colleges set their own targets. The national average Composite runs about 19–20, ACT's readiness benchmarks are English 18, Math 22, Reading 22, and Science 23, and a Composite around 24 or higher lands in roughly the top quarter of test-takers.
Yes. The sheet reflects the current Enhanced format: a shorter core test, four answer choices in Math, Science made optional, and a Composite that averages only English, Math, and Reading. Science, when taken, is reported separately along with a STEM score.
Tap the download button or the preview card at the top of this page and the PDF opens instantly — no email, no account. Bookmark the page so you can pull it back up the morning of your test date.
References
- 1.ACT. “The ACT Test — Sections & Structure.” act.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.ACT. “Enhanced ACT — Test Changes & Enhancements.” act.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.ACT. “Understanding Your ACT Scores.” act.org, 2026. ↑
- 4.ACT. “College and Career Readiness Benchmarks.” act.org, 2026. ↑
- 5.ACT. “ACT Test Fees.” act.org, 2026. ↑
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