Hello. I’m currently having trouble with the reading section on the ACT. I used to read through the whole passage and answer questions, but I realized that this method is not working at all. So I decided to read the questions and skim through the passages. However, I still run out of time. Is there anything wrong with the strategy I’m using? Are there better strategies? Any test prep books I can use to improve my reading score? Thanks for any help that you provide.
Hi! Reading used to be my worst section. I would score around 25-26. Now it’s one of my best, I got a 33 on the June ACT in Reading and it could have been higher.
So here’s what worked for me:
- Take Reading practice tests! There is no other way. Every time you take one, go through your errors thoroughly. Then, take notes on not what you missed, but WHY you missed it. For example I wrote one time: “make sure ALL parts of answer are supported by the passage, don’t assume anything based on prior knowledge.” I have no idea what I missed but I know that it was because I assumed something without verifying it in the passage. Now, I always verify.
So, I’ve never had a problem finishing, but I definitely used to feel rushed. Here’s some super specific tips that worked for me, but PLEASE personalize your own based on your practice tests.
- Spend only 7 minutes per passage (that leaves 7 minutes at the end for going back to ones I skipped/guessed on). Usually I only have 5 minutes left though.
- Read the passage before looking at the questions. But read fast!!!! I only spent maybe 3 minutes reading the passage. To remain focused I "annotate" because that's what I did in English class. I didn't take notes or anything on the margins, but I underline and circle and box phrases and paragraphs. It helps me for some reason. Some people say you should pretend the passage is the most interesting thing in the world... I don't really do that, but hey whatever works.
- If the question asks something about a certain line(s), always go back to the passage and look at the line(s) again.
- You should be able to answer any questions about overall tone or idea immediately. That's the major goal from your initial reading of the passage. You need to get a sense of the author's message and feelings (particularly for the arts/literature/social science).
- Always have evidence from the passage to support your answer! If you can't find it, then circle the question and come back after answering the other questions in the passage.
- For the questions that require thinking, rather than choosing one answer try to eliminate 3. This really worked for me if I was struggling with getting an answer.
- Don't stretch an answer to be true in your head. It has to be clearly true, supported by the passage. I always tell myself that the answer is obvious, I just need to find it. An answer choice is always directly supported by the passage. Always.
A couple more things I did:
- I didn’t bubble an answer after I answered each question. I would answer all the questions in a passage and then bubble all ten afterwards before moving to the next passage. This helped me to remain focused on the passage and also it saved me time.
- I did two rounds of going over skipped questions. Meaning: if I skipped a question I would go back at the end of answering the other questions of the passage first. If I could find the answer, I’d answer it. If I still felt unsure or couldn’t find it, I’d skip it again. (However, you should probably just guess if you think you’ll run out of time). Then, come back at the very end of the test and look again with fresh eyes.
Woah that was long. This was good for me, I’m looking to improve my ACT in September and this was a good recap of what I learned for reading. Good luck!!! I’m a big believer that every person can score perfect with enough practice!
Okay, one more thing! Sorry I just feel like I made this sound a lot more daunting than it actually was.
I learned all of this from only 3 Reading practice tests over the course of one week. So maybe a little over 2 hours of my time total.
Lesson: If you optimize your study time (try your best on every practice test and really analyze why you are missing questions and then make adjustments), it doesn’t take long before you’ll see improvement!
I’m also planning to take the ACT in September. Thanks for your advice and good luck to you too!