Below are fifteen worked practice questions — three from each of the five ACT sections — with the answer and the reasoning for every one. Work through each before reading the explanation.
These follow the same format as the questions in our free trainer. Cover the answer, attempt the question, then check your reasoning against the explanation — that is far more useful than reading the answers straight through.
If a section here feels slow or uncertain, that is the one to spend your practice time on. For an explanation of what each section is measuring and why, see what the Army Cognitive Test is.
Count how many characters in the second string differ from the first. 0 means they are identical.
Answer: 2 differences
Comparing character by character: S → B in position 2, and 9 → 6 in position 6. Everything else matches.
Answer: 2 differences
Both traps are letter-for-number substitutions: the letter O becomes a zero 0, and B becomes 8. These are the most commonly missed, because they look almost identical at speed.
Answer: 0 differences
They are identical. Candidates lose marks here by assuming there must be a difference and talking themselves into one. If you reach the end and have found nothing, the answer is 0.
Work out both calculations, then decide which produced the greater answer — or whether they are equal.
Answer: Step One
Step One gives 10, Step Two gives 8. Step One is greater.
Answer: Step Two
Step One gives 28, Step Two gives 30. Close enough that estimating alone will not separate them — this is one you have to actually calculate.
Answer: Same
Both give 9. "Same" is a real answer and appears regularly — do not assume one must be larger and pick at random.
Rule One gives three categories. Rule Two gives three words. How many words belong to the category in the same position?
Answer: 2
Position 1: Maple is a tree ✓. Position 2 needs an item of clothing, but Willow is a tree ✗. Position 3: Ash is a tree ✓. Position is what matters — Willow being a perfectly good tree does not help when that slot asked for clothing.
Answer: 3
Copper is a metal ✓, Badger is an animal ✓, Zinc is a metal ✓. All three positions match.
Answer: 1
Only Amber matches, in position 2, as a colour ✓. Scarlet and Crimson are both colours but sit in positions asking for fruit ✗✗. A tempting set, because all three words are the right type — just in the wrong places.
Use the two ordering rules to build the full sequence, then answer the question.
Answer: Reservation
Rule 1 gives Reservation → Reference. Rule 2 adds Reference → Confirmation. Chained: Reservation → Reference → Confirmation. Nothing comes before Reservation, so it is first.
Answer: Briefing
The rules arrive out of order, which is the difficulty. Rule 2 gives Parade → Inspection; Rule 1 gives Inspection → Briefing. Chained: Parade → Inspection → Briefing.
Answer: Bravo
Alpha → Bravo → Delta. Bravo sits in the middle. Remember that "X after Y" means Y comes first — reading it the other way round is the single most common error in this section.
Two rules describe a pair of arrows — one about colour, one about direction. Identify the pair that satisfies both.
Answer: Black ↖ on top, White ↘ beneath
Both rules point the same way: the top arrow must be black and pointing up-left, so the bottom one is white and pointing down-right.
Answer: Black ↖ on top, White ↘ beneath
This is the same answer as the previous question, written with BELOW instead of ABOVE. "White BELOW Black" and "Black ABOVE White" describe an identical pair. Flip any BELOW rule into an ABOVE rule before you look at the tiles.
Answer: White ↗ on top, Black ↙ beneath
Colour and direction are reversed from the first example. Settle which colour is on top first, then match the directions — trying to do both at once is what causes mistakes here.
Doing questions slowly until you get them right builds the wrong habit. The ACT is timed, so accuracy without speed is not worth much.
A more effective progression is to build in stages: first understand the question type with no timer at all, then practise with a generous timer to build accuracy, then drill against a tight timer to build speed, and only then attempt full timed conditions.
That is exactly how our free trainer is structured — Learn, Practice, Drill, then Test — because moving straight to timed conditions tends to reinforce mistakes rather than fix them.
You can practise five questions in every section free, with no account and no sign up. That is enough to see all five question types and find out which one you are weakest at.
Start practising free →Five free questions per section. No account, no sign up.
Army ACT Prep