At-home practice tests

Do not begin unless you are certain you have the full block of uninterrupted time. With the optional Science section, an ACT in standard time runs about 3 hours 15 minutes including setup; without Science, about 2 hours 30 minutes. If you have been approved for extended time, contact us for your timing — do not use the standard tables.

Testing conditions

Take the test in one continuous sitting, at a time when you can actually focus. Early morning after breakfast is ideal. Late at night is not.
Work at a clean desk or table, cleared of all other books and papers, in a quiet room with no interruptions.
Power your phone completely off. Off, not silent.
On the desk: your bubble sheet, the test book, non-mechanical pencils (no pens, no highlighters), a simple non-smart digital watch, and — during Math only — a calculator. Scratch paper is prohibited. Do your work in the test book.
If you can, ask a parent or sibling to proctor: keep time and give you a five-minute warning before the end of each section. Ask us and we will send them a script to read so it feels closer to the real thing.
Track time with a stopwatch on a simple digital watch placed in front of you, with a separate clock or timer as backup — not your phone. If you truly must use your phone, put it in airplane mode (and off Wi-Fi) and do-not-disturb, and set the display to stay on so you are not touching it to check the time.
Devices are prohibited at all times during testing, including during the break.

Before you start

Write your name at the top of the front cover of the test book, and read everything on that cover carefully.
You do not need to complete the certification statement on the answer document or on the test book cover.
Complete all information in boxes A, B, and D of the answer document.
In box C, copy the Form Code exactly as it appears at the top of the front cover of your test book. We need this to score the test against the right key.

Timing

Section	Standard time
1. English	35 minutes
2. Math (calculator allowed)	50 minutes
Break — no phones or devices	10 minutes
3. Reading	40 minutes
4. Science (optional, no calculator)	40 minutes
Total with Science, including break	2 hours 55 minutes
Total without Science, including break	2 hours 15 minutes

Totals exclude setup and administrative tasks, which add roughly 15–20 minutes — and more on the real test.

Is Science optional for you? As of September 2025 the ACT Science section is optional, but some colleges still require it. If you do not know whether you should take Science on this practice test, contact your tutor before you start.

A useful habit: just before each section, write down your projected start time, then write down the five-minute-warning time and the stop time. The timing tables that came with your test book do that arithmetic for you.

Bubbling

Check that you are entering answers for a section in that section's block on the bubble sheet.
Bubble darkly and completely. Erase stray marks and changed answers as completely as you can.
Never leave a bubble empty. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so always guess, even at random.
Circle your answers in the test book as well. It is not required, but if you make a bubbling error it is the only record of what you actually chose.
If you finish a section early, check your work on that section only. Do not look ahead. On the real test you will not be allowed to.
Use the break properly: stand up, stretch, walk around, eat a quick snack.

After the test

Unless you have been told otherwise, scan both pages of the bubble sheet and every page of the test book into a single PDF — black and white, full page, portrait orientation.
Upload it to your Google Drive upload folder. If you have not been assigned one yet, email the whole document to admin@uniqueprep.com.
Keep your test book and bubble sheet. We review them together later. If you have a materials binder, the test book goes in the binder. Do not discard or misplace anything.