A.c.T ?

It depends on where you're going. If you're going to a community college they'll have an admission exam and place you in classes accordingly. To be honest, I kind of felt that it was a waste of time, but basically, it covers everything you should have learned in high school: english, biology, history, reading, basic math, algebra, trigonometry, chemistry, and physics. So, if you have a weak spot in any of those, that's the area to study.

Mind you, I took it about 5 or 6 years ago so it might have changed a bit.

 

You can probably take it after you graduate, you just have to figure out where the closest one is being held. I suggest determining what all is going to be covered and make sure that you are confident in your abilities in those areas.

There are also guides/practice books published by a variety of sources.

 

I got a 24 on mine, and that was what got me into college.

 

You can take the ACT after you graduate from high school. However, I'd recommend calling the college you want to attend first. Some colleges prefer that you take their placement tests instead of the ACT or SAT especially if you've been out of school for more than a few years

 

For me, the hardest part was the science. I never studied for it and got confused about reading the charts. I made a 22 on the science and that brought my composite score to a 28. Make sure you get acquainted with the format or it'll screw you up; at least it did to me.

 

I really don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I did get a 35, so I know what to do.
The first thing to mention is that YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SMART. I got a mid-1600's on the SATand I still got my ACT score. That's because the ACT actually tests knowledge. If you got higher homework grades than test grades in high school, you'll do better on the ACT, if you didn't do homework but did well on tests, the SAT is for you.
For example, an SAT question might be something like:

Farmer John has 9 sheep. All but 21 are taken away after 89 sheep are added to the flock, a cardinality represented by the variable x. Y is equal to z, which is equal to A. B is equal to the number of sheep. Z equals B. What is the value of Y?

Here, the answer is just y=21. Because he added 89 sheep and then took away ALL BUT 21, so there are 21 left. The variables all equal each other, so the question is basically asking how many sheep are left. There's no math involved.

An ACT math question has slightly harder material, but is phrased reasonably.

Farmer John has 9 sheep. Over a period of 3 years, the number of sheep doubles every year. How many sheep does he have after year 3?



Just make sure you know your stuff, and you should be fine.

 

It doesn't matter at all if you've graduated from high school. You are still eligible to take the exam. All the colleges have websites with information on admission requirements, including tests. Also, if you go to actstudent.org, you can see when and where the test is being given. You can also take a diagnostic test to identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you want to, they even have an online study program, if you feel it would benefit you. Hope that helps.

 

I got a 20 on mine. Then I found out that the school I was applying to didn't require most students to even take it. It depended on what program the student was going into, and I was going for fine art, so I wouldn't even have had to take it.