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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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- – INTRODUCTION –
should take the ACT a second time. And because you have the option to send only your best score to the col-
leges you choose, you really have nothing to lose.
If you have already taken the ACT and are not happy with the score you received, you probably have
some idea why you did not do as well as you had hoped. Perhaps you did not pace yourself properly or the
Reading Test threw you for a loop. You should also look to your subscores to get an idea of which subjects
need more attention. But even if you have no idea why you did not do well, this book will help you do bet-
ter the second time.
P art 4: Over view of the Four Tests
Four distinct tests make up the ACT Assessment: English, math, reading, and science reasoning. Familiariz-
ing yourself with exactly what to expect when you are handed the ACT test booklet is one of the most impor-
tant ways to prepare for the exam. Because we fear the unknown, having confidence in the fact that nothing
will take you by surprise will remove a lot of pre-test anxiety. The only way to perform well on the ACT is to
relax and concentrate. Below you will find exactly what makes up each section of the ACT Assessment. Using
this information in combination with sample questions found in each section of the book will guarantee that
you will be prepared for what you will see on test day.
English
The ACT English Test assesses your ability to write clearly, organize your thoughts, and follow the rules of
grammar and punctuation. The 45-minute test is made up of five prose passages, each followed by 15 mul-
tiple-choice questions for a total of 75 questions. The questions can be broken down into two categories:
Rhetorical skills
writing strategy (12 questions)
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organization (11 questions)
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style (12 questions)
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Usage and mechanics
punctuation (10 questions)
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grammar and usage (12 questions)
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sentence structure (18 questions)
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Common questions in the English test involve reordering passages to make the text more clear, substi-
tuting alternate passages, fixing basic punctuation like commas, apostrophes and semicolons, eliminating
redundancy, and improving the clarity or word choice in a passage.
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- – INTRODUCTION –
M ath
The 60-minute, 60-question ACT Math Test covers subjects taught in most high schools up to the start of 12th
grade:
Pre-algebra (14 questions)
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Elementary algebra (10 questions)
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Intermediate algebra (9 questions)
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Coordinate geometry (9 questions)
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Plane geometry (14 questions)
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Trigonometry (4 questions)
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Like the other sections of the ACT, the math test requires you to use reasoning skills. This is good news
since it generally means that you do not need to remember every formula you were ever taught in algebra
class. You will, however, need a strong foundation of all the subjects above in order to do well on the math
test.
Reading
The 35-minute ACT Reading Test assesses your ability to read and understand what ACT considers college
freshman-level material. The test presents four passages, each of which is followed by ten multiple-choice
questions. The four passages (each around 800 words) come directly from original sources in four subjects
or genres:
Prose fiction: either a short story or a novel
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Social studies: anthropology, archaeology, business, economics, education, geography, history, political
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science, psychology, and sociology
Humanities: anthropology, archaeology, business, economics, education, geography, history, political
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science, psychology, and sociology
Natural science: anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, geology, medicine, meteorol-
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ogy, microbiology, natural history, physiology, physics, technology, and zoology
The ACT includes different types of passages to test your ability to read and understand many styles of
writing. Thankfully, this does not mean that you have to brush up on your meteorology or archaeology, or
even your vocabulary, for that matter, since all the information you need to answer the questions can be
gleaned from the passages themselves. In fact, 14 of the 40 questions ask for information that is taken word
for word from the passages (ACT calls these “referring” questions). Where do you get the answers to the other
26 questions? Some of the answers must be “inferred” from the information you read in the passages (ACT
calls these “reasoning” questions). In order to answer these questions, you need to fully understand the pas-
sages as well as be able to infer meaning from them and draw some reasonable conclusions from the passages
themselves.
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- – INTRODUCTION –
S cience Reasoning
The 35-minute ACT Science Reasoning Test aims to test your ability to think scientifically. You are given seven
passages, which are followed by 40 multiple-choice questions that test your ability to interpret, analyze, and
evaluate data.
The seven passages fall into three categories:
Data representation (15 questions on scientific data in the form of charts or graphs)
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Research summaries (18 questions on the outcome of scientific experiments)
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Conflicting viewpoints (seven questions based on scientists’ differing hypotheses on the same subject)
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Like the math test, you will not need to memorize a lot of facts, but you will be asked to draw upon your
knowledge of biology, earth and space sciences, chemistry, and physics to answer the questions.
C ontacting ACT
If you have any questions about taking the ACT that are not answered here or you need any additional forms,
you should contact ACT directly:
ACT Universal Testing
P.O. Box 4028
Iowa City, IA 52243-4028
Tel: 319-337-1448
Fax: 319-337-1285
Website: www.act.org
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- ACT Assessment
CHAPTER
2 Study Skills
and Test-Taking
Strategies
The advice in this chapter will help you set up an effective learning
environment and create a successful study plan. You will also learn
important study strategies and test-taking tips.
P art 1: Study Skills
You probably feel as though you have spent practically your entire life studying, so why do you need to learn
how do study for the ACT? The ACT Assessment is different from any other test you have ever taken. Not only
is it longer and more important than any test you have had to study for, but multi-subject, standardized tests
require their own unique form of preparation.
You certainly do not have to scrap all the good study habits you have already learned, but you will most
likely have to adapt them to the specifics of the ACT Assessment. You may already be using some of the tech-
niques found in this chapter, but now is a good time to reevaluate your study habits and tailor them specif-
ically for the ACT.
In studying for the ACT, you will also learn which study habits do not work and be able to eliminate
wasted study time for good. Remember that the more effective your studying, the less time you will spend
studying and the more free time you will have to do what you really enjoy.
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- – ACT ASSESSMENT STUDY SKILLS AND TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES –
S tudy Environment and Attitude
T HE R IGHT M OOD
It will probably be pretty tough to carve out extra time to study for the ACT on top of your regular school-
work, your extracurricular activities, and your social life. These are all reasons that may lead you to procras-
tinate. But procrastinating can cause lots of trouble at test time. If you procrastinate too much or for too long,
you will not be prepared for the exam.
One of the best ways to beat procrastination is to use a reward system. We all like to be rewarded for a
job well done. And if we know there is going to be a reward at the end of our work, it is easier to get started.
So promise yourself a small reward for each study session. For example, you might promise yourself an hour
of watching TV or playing video games as a reward for an hour of study. You might promise to treat your-
self to a movie or a new CD after you finish a chapter in a test-prep book. Get your parents involved with your
reward plan, and maybe they will provide some rewards of their own.
Remember, your attitude is very important. It can dramatically affect how much you learn and how well
you learn it. Make sure that you have a positive attitude. You will study, you will learn, and you will do well.
Your study time will be time well spent.
T HE R IGHT C ONDITIONS
You can have the best attitude in the world, but if you are tired or distracted, you are going to have difficulty
studying. To be at your best, you need to be focused, alert, and calm. That means you need to study under
the right conditions.
Everyone is different, so you need to know what conditions work best for you. Here are some questions
to consider:
1. What time of day do you work best—morning, afternoon, or evening? How early in the day or late in
the night can you think clearly?
2. Do you work best in total silence? Or do you prefer music or other noise in the background?
3. If you prefer music, what kind? Classical music often helps people relax because the music is soft and
there are no words. But you may prefer music that energizes you. Others work best with music that has
special meaning to them and puts them in a positive state of mind.
4. Where do you like to work? Do you feel most comfortable sitting at the kitchen counter? At the dining
room table? At a desk in your bedroom? (Try to avoid studying in bed. You will probably be relaxed,
but you may be too comfortable and fall asleep.) Or do you prefer to study out of the house, in the
library or a local coffee shop?
5. What do you like to have around you when you work? Do you feel most comfortable in your favorite
chair? Do you like to have pictures of family and friends around?
6. What kind of lighting do you prefer? Does soft light make you sleepy? Do you need bright light? If it’s
too bright, you may feel uncomfortable. If it is too dark, you may feel sleepy. Remember that poor
lighting can also strain your eyes and give you a headache.
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