so I’m a sophomore about to be a junior and in June I’m going to take the act. Any advice?
Get the Real ACT Prep book and practice from that.
My strategy: Look up a list of ACT math formulas. Memorize it. Buy the ACT Red Book (It’s big. It’s red. It’s filled with practice tests from the ACT corporation, and I don’t know what it’s actually called. Take practice tests under real conditions (yes, you have to do it in one sitting so you’re not giving your brain extra recovery time between sections - that will skew your results). Grade your tests the next day, and in a notebook, write down every single mistake, and figure out why you messed up. If you don’t understand where the right answer comes from, look it up and ask someone else. Repeat the process every 2-3 weeks, maybe? Anytime you find a huge gap in your knowledge, look it up and teach yourself, maybe go to khan academy, and put all your notes in the notebook. If a problem requires a formula that you don’t know, add it to the formula list and the notebook. Read the notebook once a week.
My tips:
- Guess the same letter every time you have to guess unless you know it’s wrong
- in science and reading, read the questions before the actual material, or switch back and forth.
- the week before the test, take your formula list and make flashcards, INCLUDE HOW/WHEN TO USE EACH
- To get above a 34/35/36, work every problem. Chances are you’ll get something wrong no matter what, so you can’t afford to skip anything (obviously if it’s taking a really really long time, do others and come back later, or at least fill in the bubble)
Test day tip: the day of the test, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands on your hips, chin up, shoulders back, think positive thoughts for 5 whole minutes. This made me feel so ready and super hype, got a 36 Composite, which I never even got on a practice test lol.
Good luck!
Pay close attention to your timing! I found that the questions weren’t difficult but when I first started, I always ran out of time, especially for reading. To do well in the reading section, you need to make sure you skim-read the passages– don’t read every single word but make sure you get all the information. Try and make a map of the passage in your head or take notes in the margin so you know where to find answers. (I didn’t write out notes cause it slowed me down) I spent 7-8 minutes on each passage and moved on after 8-9 minutes no matter what. It’s really helpful to figure out how much time you need to allot for reading and how much you need for answering questions.
Also for math it may be helpful to start with the second half and do the first half at the end, since it’s easier to tackle the hard ones when your brain is fresh. And if you ever come across a question that looks like it’ll take you a while, just guess, circle it and go back later. That way you don’t end up spending five minutes on one problem and run out of time.
Overall, don’t over stress about it!! If you don’t make too much of a big deal over it, you’ll be less nervous on testing day. I got a 35 composite (better than any practice test) (I think my adrenaline helped me focus somehow XD I was pretty much in the zone for the math section.) If you have any other questions lmk and I’d b happy to help! Good luck!!!