Taking a full practice exam at home

<p>A lot of people recommend taking full practice ACT exams as part of preparation to improve their scores. How does one complete an entire exam at home? When is the best time? Who should time you? How do you stay focused? Any additional thoughts or suggestions?</p>

<p>Get away from the computer. Go to a nice, quiet desk-space where you cannot hear any voices in your home to be distracted. Don’t bring your phone or any other device you can easily communicate with. I have used my iPod touch timer for each section and put it to the side so it doesn’t distract me, but also allows me to check how much time I have left. I’d say mid-afternoon to night would be the best time to take the test. Though performance varies throughout the day, in my personal case, I found it to be quieter and less busy as the sun goes down. The only other thing worth mentioning is that you should NOT take significant breaks between the section because you want to simulate testing conditions as best as possible. Only take the full test if you have the time to do so. It is OK to complete two sections, take a 15-20 minute break, and finish the rest…just know you only have approximately 10 minutes for the actual exam. Also, disregard the fact that you have the answers to the practice test in the back of the book. Checking as you go, as tempting as it may seem, loses time and lessens the accuracy of your actual score.
Good luck!</p>

<p>

You sit down somewhere quiet and do the exam. It’s not that hard.

It differs from person to person. I prefer the morning.

Yourself? It’s your test anyway. Unless you really cannot time yourself, you should really not be getting anyone else.

I do like doing the ACT so…</p>

<p>I like taking the ACT too, I’ll probably take a practice exam this week. Now that I thing about, I have no idea why I asked who should time you lol.</p>

<p>I just took a book, sat down, and did it like I would have if it was the real thing. Except if I had extra time I just went ahead in sections instead of sticking to strict time limits.</p>

<p>I took mine at the library. I went to a quiet floor, and acted as if it were the real test. I set alarms on my iPod to go off at the right times. I did pretty well, I got a 28 overall, and I went over everything with a friend so we could discuss why things were right and wrong. The whole process was extremely helpful.</p>

<p>You should also mimic the time you take it and follow strict time limits and take the appropriate breaks.</p>