Timed sectional practice

ACT Reading Practice Tests

4 passages and 36 questions in 40 minutes. Practice finding evidence fast in literary narrative, social science, humanities and natural science passages, with every answer tied back to the lines that support it.

Start Test 1All 20 tests
  • 4 passagesFour genres
  • 36 questions40 minutes
  • Evidence shownLines cited in explanations
  • 6 topics taggedPractice what you missed

About the ACT Reading section

ACT Reading gives you 4 passages, each followed by its own set of questions, for 36 questions in 40 minutes. Questions ask for main ideas and details, how words and structure work in context, and how ideas connect, including across paired passages. Nothing requires outside knowledge: the right answer is always supported by the text.

Every test is free to take online, with explanations for all of its ACT Reading practice questions.

Skills on this section

Main Ideas and DetailsInferenceVocabulary in ContextAuthor's PurposeText StructureComparing Perspectives
Practice these topics first

All 20 Reading sectional tests

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 1

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 2

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 3

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 4

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 5

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 6

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 7

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 8

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 9

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 10

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 11

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 12

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 13

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 14

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 15

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 16

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 17

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 18

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 19

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

  • Reading section

    ACT Reading Test 20

    1. Easy13 Ques.
    2. Medium14 Ques.
    3. Hard9 Ques.
    • 36 questions
    • 40 min
    Start Test

How to approach it

Three habits that raise Reading scores

  1. Skim for structure, not detail

    Note what each paragraph does on a first pass. You will come back for details when a question asks for them.

  2. Find the lines, then the answer

    Locate the part of the passage the question points to and decide the answer in your own words before reading the choices.

  3. Reject the plausible

    Cross out choices that are too extreme, too broad or that reuse the passage's words with a twisted meaning. The correct one is supported, not just reasonable.

Warm up with untimed Reading topic practice, then take a test here. When sections feel steady, move up to a full-length test.

Keep going

The other sections

English50 questions, 35 minMath45 questions, 50 minScience Optional40 questions, 40 minWriting Optional1 essay, 40 minFull-length testsAll sections, real timing

Reading questions

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Short, direct answers about this part of the site and the ACT itself.

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What kinds of passages are on ACT Reading?

Literary narrative, social science, humanities and natural science, one of each. One of them may be a pair of shorter passages on the same subject. Our sectional tests follow this structure with 4 passages.

Should I read the passage or the questions first?

Most students do best with a quick structural read of the passage first, then the questions. Whichever you choose, go back to the text for every answer; ACT Reading is a test of finding and using evidence, not memory.

How is ACT Reading scored?

Officially from 1 to 36, and it counts toward your Composite. Here you get your raw score, accuracy by reporting category and topic, time per question and explanations that cite the supporting lines.

How much time do I have per question?

36 questions in 40 minutes is about 67 seconds each, including the reading. Plan on roughly 10 minutes per passage and do not let one question use three.