Testing

Software Entry: The publisher of the second-largest college-entrance exam is catching up with the crush to create software to help students prepare for the ACT, which about 1 million students take each year.

Starting in May, ACT Inc. will market a two-CD-rom set that creates individualized study plans and offers practice tests to high school students who plan to take the four-subject test required by 175 colleges, most of them in the Midwest. The Iowa City, Iowa, nonprofit organization will sell the set to schools, which can buy 10 copies for $495, or to individuals for $32.

After publishing two editions of a book to assist test-takers, ACT Inc. now believes there is a need for ACTive Prep,...