100+ Free AST Practice Questions
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A study concludes: 'Teenagers who use social media more report lower mood. Therefore social media use causes low mood in teenagers.' Which possibility most directly challenges this causal conclusion?
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Key Facts: AST Exam
A three-paper ACT aptitude test (80-question Multiple Choice, Short Response and a 600-word argumentative Writing Task) sat by Year 12 ATAR students; it scales course scores across colleges rather than passing or failing anyone.
Sample AST Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your AST exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1Read this passage from a memoir: 'I've been at this halfway house for about eighteen months. Before that I was in the hospital for several years. My family always called it non-descriptively "the hospital," though the telephone book listed it as a "mental hospital." Nobody in my family would dare whisper the word "mental."' The writer's family attitude toward his condition is best described as one of
2A speaker recalls: 'I, along with two or three other patients, or inmates, as we were called in the old days before we became residents and clients, used to leave the hospital each Thursday night.' By listing 'patients', 'inmates', 'residents' and 'clients', the speaker is most clearly drawing attention to
3In a study, two groups were told a suspect's DNA matched crime-scene DNA. Group I heard: 'There is a 0.1% chance the crime-scene DNA is not the suspect's.' Group II heard: 'The frequency of people whose DNA matches is 1 in 1000.' These two statements describe the same probability. The value 0.1% is equal to
4A jury study found that when DNA match evidence was given as a frequency ('1 in 1000 people match'), 74% answered a follow-up question correctly, versus only 26% when given as a percentage ('0.1% chance it is not the suspect'). Out of 500 000 people, how many would be expected to have DNA matching the suspect's, using the 1-in-1000 frequency?
5The same jury study reported that 28% of the 'percentage method' group, but only 8% of the 'frequency method' group, said the crime-scene DNA was almost certainly the suspect's. This suggests that presenting DNA evidence by frequency rather than percentage makes a jury more likely to
6A 13-digit product code uses a check digit. To find it: add the digits in odd positions to get X; add the digits in even positions and multiply by 3 to get Y; let Z = X + Y; the check digit is the smallest number added to Z to make it divisible by 10. If Z = 96, the check digit is
7Using the check-digit rule (X = sum of odd-position digits; Y = 3 x sum of even-position digits; check digit makes X + Y end in 0), Roger by mistake multiplies the even-position sum by 2 instead of 3. His check digit will be unchanged only when the sum of the even-position digits is
8The Nolan Chart maps political views on two axes: Personal Freedom and Economic Freedom, each scored out of 100. Libertarians score high on both; Authoritarians score low on both; Conservatives favour economic freedom but accept limits on personal freedom. On this chart, a Conservative is best placed as
9On the Nolan Chart (axes: Personal Freedom and Economic Freedom, each out of 100), the libertarian corner is where both scores are highest. Of the following score pairs (Personal, Economic), which is closest to libertarianism?
10The Rorschach inkblot test asks people to respond to 10 inkblots. Exner's scoring method rates responses by: the mental activity involved, the location and specificity of the response, its accuracy to the actual blot, and the content of what is seen. Compared with this, Rorschach's original scoring was described as 'pegs on which therapists hang their knowledge of personality.' Rorschach's original method was therefore
About the AST Exam
The ACT Scaling Test (AST) is an external test of general academic aptitude sat by final-year (Year 12) students in the Australian Capital Territory who are seeking an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Set by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS) and developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), it deliberately tests higher-order thinking, reasoning, reading and writing rather than subject-based knowledge. The AST has three papers: an 80-question Multiple Choice Test (2 hours 15 minutes) grouped into units of stimulus material from mathematics, science, social science and the humanities; a Short Response Test (1 hour 45 minutes) requiring written interpretations and justifications; and an argumentative Writing Task (2 hours 30 minutes) of about 600 words responding to supplied stimulus. AST results are used to place students' T-course scores on a common scale across all ACT colleges so that they can be aggregated fairly toward the ATAR; there is no pass or fail. The first sitting is held in early September, with a backup sitting in October for students who miss it through illness or misadventure.
Questions
100 scored questions
Time Limit
Three papers over two days: Multiple Choice 2h15m, Short Response 1h45m, Writing Task 2h30m
Passing Score
No pass mark; results scale and aggregate T-course scores across ACT colleges to help calculate the ATAR.
Exam Fee
No fee to candidates; provided through ACT colleges within the ACT senior secondary system. (ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS); test developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER))
AST Exam Content Outline
Reading Comprehension and Humanities
Inference, tone, authorial purpose, poetry and art interpretation, vocabulary in context, comparing passages and source analysis.
Quantitative and Mathematical Reasoning
Percentages, ratios, rates, scale, sequences and patterns, weighted scoring, formula and inequality application, and spatial reasoning.
Scientific Reasoning and Data Interpretation
Tables, graphs and models, experimental design and controls, hypothesis evaluation, cause and effect, and evidence-based conclusions.
Logical and Critical Reasoning
Deduction, syllogisms, ordering puzzles, analogies, rule application, fallacies and alternative explanations.
Social Science Reasoning
Political, economic and anthropological stimulus, concept classification, diagram reading and argument evaluation.
Writing and Argument Analysis
Thesis, evidence versus opinion, counter-arguments, essay structure and the argumentative Writing Task conventions.
How to Pass the AST Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: No pass mark; results scale and aggregate T-course scores across ACT colleges to help calculate the ATAR.
- Exam length: 100 questions
- Time limit: Three papers over two days: Multiple Choice 2h15m, Short Response 1h45m, Writing Task 2h30m
- Exam fee: No fee to candidates; provided through ACT colleges within the ACT senior secondary system.
Keys to Passing
- Complete 500+ practice questions
- Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
- Focus on highest-weighted sections
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
AST Study Tips from Top Performers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ACT Scaling Test (AST)?
The AST is an external test of general academic aptitude sat by Year 12 students in the Australian Capital Territory who want an ATAR. It is set by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS) and developed by ACER, and tests reasoning, reading and writing rather than memorised course content.
How is the AST structured?
It has three papers: an 80-question Multiple Choice Test (2 hours 15 minutes) with units of stimulus from maths, science, social science and humanities; a Short Response Test (1 hour 45 minutes) of about 19-25 units needing written justifications; and an argumentative Writing Task (2 hours 30 minutes) of about 600 words.
Is there a pass mark for the AST?
No. The AST is not pass or fail. Its results are used to scale and aggregate students' T-course scores onto a common scale across all ACT colleges, which feeds into the calculation of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
Does the AST cost anything?
There is no separate fee for candidates. The AST is provided through ACT colleges as part of the ACT senior secondary system for Year 12 students pursuing an ATAR.
What subjects do I need to revise for the AST?
None specifically. The AST deliberately does not test subject-based knowledge; every multiple-choice unit supplies its own stimulus, and questions assess how well you reason, read, interpret data and write. Familiarity with broad concepts helps, but the focus is generic thinking skills.
When is the AST held?
The first sitting is held early in September, on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the month. A second sitting is offered in October for students who miss the first because of illness or misadventure.
How should I prepare for the AST?
Practise reading unfamiliar passages closely, interpreting tables and graphs, doing numeracy in applied contexts, and writing a clear, structured argument to time. Working through past AST papers and timed reasoning tasks is the most useful preparation.