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- M aking Changes to Your Registration
If you must change your test date or location, you should call ACT at 319-337-1270 (between 8:00 A.M.
and 8:00 P.M. Central time, Monday through Friday) before the late deadline for the test you are taking.
You will need to provide your Social Security Number, test date, and code number for the test center you
are choosing.
ACT will charge you $15 to change your test location or date (plus an additional $15 if you make a
change after the registration deadline of the new date you are choosing), so be sure to have a VISA® or
MasterCard® handy when you make the call.
If you are registered to take the test and miss all the deadlines to change your test date or location,
you can try your luck by just showing up. If there is still space once all the registered students have been
seated, you will be given a spot before the standby students. ACT will charge you $15 to change loca-
tion and $30 to take the test on a different date. Remember to bring your admission ticket with you.
You would like to request a fee waiver or are using a state-funded voucher to cover the basic fee or
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You are currently enrolled in grades 6, 7, 8, or 9
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If you are taking the ACT outside the United States, you should contact ACT directly for the appro-
priate registration materials. In general, the testing dates remain the same, but fees are higher. You
must register with the supervisor of the test center where you choose to take the ACT on or before the
Friday two weeks before the test date you choose.
2. Online Registration
You can register online to take the test by going to the ACT website (www.act.org). The whole process
should take about an hour or an hour and a half, but you do not have to do it all in one sitting. Once
you log on to the site, you get a password and you will be able to work on your registration as often as
you need to for the next 72 hours. Registering online for the ACT costs the same, and the process is
shortened by the time your registration would spend going through the mail.
To register online you must pay with a VISA® or MasterCard®, and your online registration still has
to be completed by midnight of the registration deadline. It is a good idea to print out a copy of your
online registration for your own records since the only thing you will receive from ACT is your admis-
sion ticket (which should arrive in one or two weeks).
P art 2: About the ACT Assessment ®
What’s On the Test
The simple answer to the question of what is tested on the ACT is: reading comprehension, English, math,
and science reasoning (see the overview of the four sections on page 10 for a detailed description of the sub-
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- – INTRODUCTION –
jects covered). This does not mean that you will ace the test if you have somehow managed to memorize every
grammar rule, math equation, and scientific formula you were ever taught in school.
The ACT also tests how well you are able to infer the answer to a given question from the information
presented on the test. This requires you to think about a question in a specific way, rather than simply regur-
gitate facts. You will learn how to do this through practice questions and specific pointers presented later in
the book. On the bright side, if you did manage to get through your classes without memorizing every fact
you were taught, that will not keep you from doing well on the ACT.
Length
Be prepared for about three hours of total testing time, not including short breaks between sections. The
entire test is made up of 215 questions broken down as follows:
English test: 75 questions in 45 minutes
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Math test: 60 questions in 60 minutes
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Reading test: 40 questions in 35 minutes
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Science Reasoning test: 40 questions in 35 minutes
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Format
The ACT is broken into four different tests that, while taken on the same day, are totally separate. You are given
a specified amount of time to complete each test, and you cannot return to other tests once the time for that
specific test is up. The format of the reading, math, and science reasoning tests is very straightforward: a prob-
lem or a piece of information is presented and followed by a multiple-choice question. The English test may
look a little more complicated, with its underlined passages and boxed numbers, but once you are used to the
types of questions you will encounter (through practice questions in this book), you will realize they are just
as straightforward. The format of the ACT never varies. Once you familiarize yourself with the question types,
you will know exactly what to expect.
M ULTIPLE - CHOICE
The ACT Assessment Test is made up entirely of multiple-choice questions. Each question on the English,
reading, and science reasoning tests has four possible answers; the questions on the math test have five pos-
sible answers.
E NGLISH
Five prose passages of varying lengths make up the ACT English Test. The format of the questions that fol-
low each passage are a bit more complicated than the Reading Test questions, although they are still multi-
ple-choice. Each question is numbered and refers to the corresponding numbered section in the text. Most
questions correspond to an underlined or numbered portion of the text, and you are asked to choose the best
answer from the group, including the option “no change.” Some questions, however, refer to the text as a whole
and are clearly noted as such.
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- – INTRODUCTION –
M ATH
The ACT Math Test is made up of 60 multiple-choice questions, each of which refers to a graph, chart, word
problem, or straight equation. In some instances, more than one question may be asked about the same
problem.
R EADING
The ACT Reading Test consists of four prose passages that are about 800 words long, and each passage is fol-
lowed by ten multiple-choice test questions. The passages are identified by a heading that will tell you what
type of text you are about to read (fiction, for example), who the author is, and might also give you more
information to help you understand the passage. The lines of the passage are numbered to identify sections
of the text in the questions that follow.
S CIENCE R EASONING
The 40 multiple-choice questions on the ACT Science Reasoning Test refer to seven sets of scientific infor-
mation. This information appears in three different formats: data representation (graphs, tables, and other
diagrams), research summaries (descriptions of scientific experiments), and conflicting viewpoints (differ-
ing scientific hypotheses or opinions).
Strategy Overview
The best way to attack the different sections of the ACT depends on both your own test-taking style and the
subject section of the ACT itself. Detailed strategies for each part of the ACT will be covered later in this book,
but some basic points can be applied to the test as a whole (see more specific strategies in Chapter 2 of this
book).
Take notes on the test.
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Mark up the test booklet as much as you need to as you take the ACT. If you find something that looks
important, underline it, make notes in the margins, circle facts, cross out answers you know are wrong,
and draw diagrams. Even if you use a calculator on the math test, you should still work out the problem
on the test itself. This will help you spot careless errors.
Answer questions on the test booklet.
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Circle the answers for all the questions in one section of the test before you transfer them to the answer
sheet (for the English and reading tests, transfer your answers after each passage, and for the math trans-
fer them at the end of each page). This serves two purposes: first, it allows you to concentrate on choos-
ing the right answer and not filling in ovals. Second, it will keep you from skipping an oval and
misnumbering your entire test if you decide to come back to a difficult question later.
Never leave an answer blank.
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ACT does not deduct points for wrong answers. This means there is no penalty for guessing. With this in
mind, you should absolutely answer every question, even if it is a total guess. If you do come across a ques-
tion that completely stumps you, look through the answers and try to find at least one that you know is
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- – INTRODUCTION –
wrong. The more answers you can eliminate, the better the odds that your guess will end up being the cor-
rect answer. (See specific strategies for answering multiple-choice questions on page 23.)
Know what to do before the test.
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The directions for each section of the ACT never change, so you should familiarize yourself with them
before the exam. The directions for all four tests are provided in the relevant sections of this book. If you
study them carefully before you take the test, it will save you time when it counts—on the test date.
Read each question carefully.
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It is all too easy when you are pressed for time to misread a question and get the answer wrong. Missing
a word like “except” can lead you to answer the question incorrectly. All parts of the ACT except for the
math section ask you to choose the “best” answer. Be sure you read and understand each question before
you try to answer it.
Read all the answers.
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If one answer jumps out at you and you are sure it is right, read all the other answers anyway. Something
may seem right just because the ACT has put it there to make you think it is the right answer. Spend the
time to at least quickly go through all the answers.
Answer the easiest questions first.
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Questions are not in order of difficulty on the ACT, but you should still answer the easiest questions first.
If you come across a question that seems too hard, skip it and come back later (be sure to circle it on the
test book).
Pace yourself.
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With the practice questions, you will get a good idea of how long you have to answer each question.
Answer the easy questions first. If you find one question is taking too long, circle it in the test book and
come back to it later. (Remember to leave space on the answer sheet so your answers are in the right order.)
Ignore all distractions.
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You may have tried to recreate the exact test-taking atmosphere during your practice exams. But when you
go for the real thing you will be in a room with many other people—maybe even someone with a cold
who is sneezing or coughing, or an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend you don’t want to talk to. Ignore it all
and concentrate on your test.
Do not talk about the test during the break.
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The temptation is huge to talk about particularly hard questions you are sure you blew. Resist! You have
no idea if the person you are talking to got the same questions right or wrong. This will only rattle your
nerves. Instead find someplace quiet and eat the snack you brought with you until the test starts up again.
Spot-check your answers.
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Because you have been marking the correct answers on the test pages before transferring them to the
answer sheet, you can pick a few questions at random to make sure that you have filled in the right ovals
on the answer sheet.
Relax.
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Take a deep breath. Put everything in perspective; this is just one factor that goes into how colleges decide
their admissions. If you totally blow it, you can always take the test again. In fact, you probably should take
the test a second time. Give yourself a pep talk, you are prepared, you know exactly what to expect.
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- – INTRODUCTION –
S coring the ACT
The way that ACT arrives at your test scores is more complicated than their just adding up your correct
answers. The first thing they do is take the number of correct answers on each test and then convert them to
scale scores, which allow each test, regardless of the number of questions, to have the same range: 1 being the
lowest and 36 being the highest. The composite score is the average of all four scores, rounded off to the near-
est whole number. The average ACT score in 2001 was 21, and only one student in 12,000 scored a perfect
36 that year.
S UBSCORES
The seven subscores break down the English, math, and reading scores into more specific subject-area scores.
These scores are made up of the questions on each test that apply to that specific area. Two subscores are
reported for the Reading Test: a social studies/sciences reading skills score and an arts/literature reading skills
score. Two subscores are also reported for the English Test: usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills. The Math
Test includes three subscores: pre-algebra and elementary algebra, intermediate algebra and coordinate geom-
etry, and plane geometry and trigonometry. There are no subscores for the Science Reasoning Test; only the
main score is reported. These subscores are computed the same way as the main scores, but on a different
scale: 1 being the lowest and 18 the highest.
Score Reporting
The ACT puts together three different score reports: the High School Report, the Student Report, and the Col-
lege Report. If you include your high school code when you register for the test, ACT mails a copy of your
High School Report to your high school counselor for your school records. They also automatically mail a
copy of your Student Report to your school. ACT will send your scores to your home if your high school
requests they do so or if your scores are reported from May through August.
When you register for the test, you may choose up to six colleges or scholarships to receive a copy of the
College Report. The College Report also includes grades you reported in up to 30 high school courses and
possibly predictions about your performance in college programs and courses.
If you plan on taking the ACT more than once (which you should), do not have the ACT automatically
send your tests to any schools. This way, the schools you choose will see only your best score. It will cost you
a little extra to send the scores separately, but it is worth it. You can expect to receive your scores four to seven
weeks after you take the test.
P art 3: How to Use This Book
Like it or not, an important factor in whether you are going to get into the college of your choice is decided
by how well you perform on the ACT. You have made an important first step in ensuring you will get the high-
est score possible by buying this book, but now what? ACT Exam Success will guide you through the entire
process of taking the ACT, from how to register to what to bring with you to the test center. More specifically,
ACT Exam Success will:
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- – INTRODUCTION –
explain the format of each section of the ACT.
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offer specific test-taking strategies that you can use on the exam.
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help you identify the areas on which you need to concentrate your study time.
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provide exercises that help you build the basic skills and practice the test-taking strategies you learn in
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each section.
Remember that many factors go into getting into the school of your choice, but your score on the ACT
is the easiest to improve.
Preparing for the ACT
Your approach to preparing for the ACT will be different from the way you have studied for any other test in
the past. Because of this, it is important to adjust your study habits to get the most out of the time you have
to prepare. In later chapters of this book, you will find detailed explanations of how to best manage your study
time. Cramming for the ACT is likely to do you very little good, which is why this book will help you to iden-
tify what you need to study, create a study plan, and help you stick with it.
One of the simplest ways to prepare for the ACT is to go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.
To this end, ACT Exam Success provides the complete instructions to all sections of the ACT broken down
and explained clearly, as well as numerous practice questions that follow the same format as those on the ACT.
Once you have worked through the sample questions, nothing on the ACT will surprise you.
Standardized exams like the ACT end up testing more than just what you have learned in school; they
also test how good of a test taker you are. In the following chapters, you will learn how to increase your
chances of getting test questions right, even if you do not necessarily know the answer. You will also get point-
ers on how to spot misleading answers, how to identify what the questions are really asking, and how to pace
yourself so you do not run out of time.
Using Test-prep Books
A trip to the local library or bookstore proves that there are plenty of test-prep books out there. Most of these
books focus on sample tests as a means of preparing you for the ACT. It is important to take as many prac-
tice tests as you realistically can (a free sample test is included in the ACT registration booklet available from
your guidance office), and this book can help you learn from the results of these tests.
For Remediation
Each chapter of this book includes a skill assessment, which will allow you to pinpoint areas you need to focus
on to improve your score. Armed with this information, you can create a study plan (see Creating a Study
Plan, page 17), that will devote more time to areas that need extra work.
To Boost Your Score a Second Time
Most students take the ACT more than once, and more than half improve their scores. Unless you are
absolutely thrilled with your score, you suffer from uncontrollable test anxiety, or time will not permit it, you
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