Looking for resume writing and tutoring services that actually make a difference? We help professionals and students stand out with personalized support and strong communication skills. There’s an art and science to resume writing. HR departments receive hundreds of applications per job, and many are reviewed in under 30 seconds.
It is important to understand when taking either test that the score is a mark of your best effort on a specific day and has nothing to do with your ‘intelligence’. Many students take the test more than once to achieve their desired score.
Now that we have cleared up these common misunderstandings, let’s talk about the ACT and dSAT tests!
General Test Taking Skills
Preparing 3 – 4 months prior to the test date including taking multiple, timed practice tests is advised. Students score higher when they have learned the test context and format prior to test day. You aren’t well prepared if you are reading the directions on test day. It is a test taking best practice to be generally aware of time, but to not fixate on the clock as it only creates feelings of stress. Generally, only students applying to military schools are taking the essay portion of the test. You are being tested on your ability to answer questions on Math, Reading Comprehension, Grammar/Usage, and Science on a standardized test format.
Only correctly answered questions are scored for both exams.
dSAT Test
The dSAT test Is now offered digitally only.
2.14 hours total time
800 total points for both Reading & Writing sections
800 total points for both Math sections
2 questions do NOT count towards or against your score from EACH section
50 questions from the 4 Reading & Writing and Math sections count towards the total score – 100 total possible correct answers are scored
2 Reading & Writing sections: 27 questions each in 32 minutes
2 Math sections: 22 questions each in 35 minutes
Calculator use is allowed for all math questions.
The dSAT is now an adaptive test. If you correctly answer hard questions at the beginning, the questions will get harder such that your total potential score is higher. If you incorrectly answer (some) hard questions at the beginning, the questions will get easier such that your total potential score is lower. It is possible to answer hard questions well in one of the 2 Math/Reading & Writing sections and score high(er), maybe not answer (enough) hard questions in the 2nd section and score lower, and still get a high(er) total score.
The essay will continue to be available.
ACT Test
The ACT test Is offered digitally and on paper.
2.05 hours total time without the Science section
2.45 hours total time with the Science section
Total Points: 108 without the Science section / 144 with the Science section
Total possible points for each section: 36
Math, English, Reading sections are required. Science section is optional.
Reading section: 50 questions in 35 minutes, 27 questions are scored, 9 unknown field questions are not scored
English section: 50 questions in 35 minutes, 40 are scored, 10 unknown field questions are not scored
Math section: 45 questions in 50 minutes, 41 are scored, 4 unknown field questions are not scored
Science section: 40 questions in 40 minutes, 34 are scored, 6 unknown field questions are not scored
The reading passages in the Reading section are shorter with fewer questions per passage.
New Desmos, online calculator was added for the Math section.
The ACT test makers removed the essay in Spring 2025.
Answering the questions
A half right answer is NEVER the correct answer.
ALL answer parts must be accurate to be the correct answer.
Make your best guess on questions where you have no idea of the correct answer.
If you guess correctly the point will count.
If you guessed incorrectly, the point doesn’t count against you.
Take the time to understand what each question is asking.
ALWAYS read ALL answer choices before making a selection.
You can choose the correct answer if it looks obvious.
OR use Process of Elimination to rule out as many wrong answers as possible.
Try to rule out at least two answers to have a 50/50 shot at the correct answer.
Some answers in a reading comprehension summary question contain a detail, so can’t be the correct answer.
Some answers in a reading comprehension detail question contain a summary, so can’t be the correct answer.
dSAT Test
It sometimes seems that 2 answer options look feasible – only 1 can be the correct answer.
Skip questions when you don’t know an answer. The test will make all unanswered questions viewable in an overview screen available for later review.
ACT Test
Appears to have many more obviously right or wrong answer options.
Vocabulary
Though vocabulary is not being directly tested, it will be easier to figure out unknown words’ meaning in context with a strong vocabulary.
Learning vocabulary can be accomplished by either memorization or learning etymons (prefix, suffix, roots) through familiarization.
Math and Science Sections
Some math questions don’t require complicated solutions.
Understanding information in the charts, graphs and passages leading to the correct answers of questions in the Science section involves understanding science and math along with good reading comprehension skills.
Learn about the New ACT and dSAT Exams
By Jennifer Joseph
Looking for resume writing and tutoring services that actually make a difference? We help professionals and students stand out with personalized support and strong communication skills. There’s an art and science to resume writing. HR departments receive hundreds of applications per job, and many are reviewed in under 30 seconds.
It is important to understand when taking either test that the score is a mark of your best effort on a specific day and has nothing to do with your ‘intelligence’. Many students take the test more than once to achieve their desired score.
Now that we have cleared up these common misunderstandings, let’s talk about the ACT and dSAT tests!
General Test Taking Skills
Preparing 3 – 4 months prior to the test date including taking multiple, timed practice tests is advised. Students score higher when they have learned the test context and format prior to test day. You aren’t well prepared if you are reading the directions on test day. It is a test taking best practice to be generally aware of time, but to not fixate on the clock as it only creates feelings of stress. Generally, only students applying to military schools are taking the essay portion of the test. You are being tested on your ability to answer questions on Math, Reading Comprehension, Grammar/Usage, and Science on a standardized test format.
Only correctly answered questions are scored for both exams.
dSAT Test
The dSAT test Is now offered digitally only.
The dSAT is now an adaptive test. If you correctly answer hard questions at the beginning, the questions will get harder such that your total potential score is higher. If you incorrectly answer (some) hard questions at the beginning, the questions will get easier such that your total potential score is lower. It is possible to answer hard questions well in one of the 2 Math/Reading & Writing sections and score high(er), maybe not answer (enough) hard questions in the 2nd section and score lower, and still get a high(er) total score.
The essay will continue to be available.
ACT Test
The ACT test Is offered digitally and on paper.
Answering the questions
dSAT Test
It sometimes seems that 2 answer options look feasible – only 1 can be the correct answer.
Skip questions when you don’t know an answer. The test will make all unanswered questions viewable in an overview screen available for later review.
ACT Test
Appears to have many more obviously right or wrong answer options.
Vocabulary
Though vocabulary is not being directly tested, it will be easier to figure out unknown words’ meaning in context with a strong vocabulary.
Learning vocabulary can be accomplished by either memorization or learning etymons (prefix, suffix, roots) through familiarization.
Math and Science Sections
Some math questions don’t require complicated solutions.
Understanding information in the charts, graphs and passages leading to the correct answers of questions in the Science section involves understanding science and math along with good reading comprehension skills.
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