Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
June 5, 2020 by Mike Bergin

What ACT Reporting Categories Tell Us About Reading

While most people focus on the big numbers on the ACT score report–section scores and Composite–there’s more to learn by digging deeper. ACT included three reporting categories each for English, reading, and science, as well as eight reporting categories for mathematics. These subscores provide more granular insight into test performance by sorting test questions into smaller categories that can be used to evaluate relative strength in specific subject areas.

Why don’t we spend much time on ACT Reporting Categories? Basically, these subscores are worthless from an admissions perspective; colleges don’t care about them. However, Reporting Categories have value in terms of identifying key skills test takers should master for ACT success. In this, ACT Reading Reporting Categories can be particularly helpful.

The ACT Reporting Category Interpretation Guide provides valuable insight into all of the subscores on the test. The Reading Reporting Categories fall into three large proficiencies:

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
More than half of the questions on the ACT Reading Test focus on the core skill of understanding what an author wrote a passage to say. To earn these points, test takers need to understand the main idea of a passage, understand the role of explicit detail in supporting that thesis, and accurately infer what an author is implying. Easy, right?

CRAFT AND STRUCTURE
This reporting category gets into areas students spend a lot of time on in Literature classes. Sensitivity to mood, tone, and connotation makes a difference, as long as students also have the vocabulary to recognize correct answer choices. Test takers must also pay attention to structure, primarily the rhetorical devices and literary constructs authors employ in their writing. Craft and Structure questions focus more on the choices authors make than what a passage says.

INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS
The skills evaluated in this reporting category seem similar to those in Craft and Structure. However, this category encompasses questions on ACT Paired Passages, which share a topic or relationship even though they have different main ideas. Test takers should also understand the fundamentals of persuasive writing.
 
Taken in aggregate, ACT Reading Reporting Categories may seem obvious. However, each identified proficiency area supports a holistic approach to reading that will carry a test taker to success in school and life . Every one of these reading skills makes a person a more insightful, discerning, and effective consumer of information. Master them and you’ll excel well beyond the ACT!

(Interested in learning more? Hear what several experts have to say on the topic in this podcast on ACT Reading Reporting Categories.)

ACT reading subscores

Previous articleFor Best Results, Operate From LoveNext article SUNY, Don't Make the Same Mistake UC Did
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • What Does ‘Smart’ Mean in the 21st Century
  • How to Read Percentiles
  • Do SAT & ACT Subscores Matter?
  • Evaluating College ROI
  • What to Read This Summer

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

  • Be patient when becoming someone you haven
    by chariotlearning 1 week ago
    Be patient when becoming someone you haven't been before.
  • When someone says you can
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    When someone says you can't do it, do it twice and take pictures!
  • Life is about
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    Life is about 'not knowing' and then doing something anyway. Get good at it!
  • Get up and try again.
    by chariotlearning 3 days ago
    Get up and try again.
  • Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
    by chariotlearning 5 days ago
    Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
  • Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
  • Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
  • You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Upcoming Events

  1. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Mornings 2022

    July 6 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
  2. SAT/ACT Online Flipped Class – July 2022

    July 6 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  3. Practice SAT – Brighton (7/8/22)

    July 8 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  4. Practice ACT – Pittsford Library (7/12/22)

    July 12 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  5. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Evenings 2022

    July 12 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

View All Events

Testimonials

It was great learning his secret tricks on how to score better – and the not so secret trick of practice, practice, practice! He improved our scores by 3-4 points, and we were very satisfied and happy with the final result.

Emma & Sara, Pittsford students

Read more testimonials...
© 2022 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.