ACT TEST TAKING STRATEGIES ENGLISH TEST READING PASSAGES 1. Skim each paragraph, answer the questions that pertain to it, then read on. 2. The long answer is not always better. When in doubt, take it out. 3. Know the rules of economy for the English language: Redundancy: The text in a sentence should never repeat itself. Verbosity: Write concisely as long as it has correct grammar. Irrelevance: Omit complete ideas that are not directly related to the purpose of the passage. 4. Look at the entire passage and make sure that your answer goes along with its logical direction. ENGLISH GRAMMAR 1. Ask yourself, Does this belong here? Does the underlined section belong? Is it written concisely? If no, then choose the answer that gets rid of it. 2. Ask, Does this make sense? If no, choose the answer that turns the writing into a passage that makes sense. 3. Ask, Does this sound like English? Many grammar errors will sound wrong. 4. Good grammar makes sense. Completeness: At least one entire thought per sentence Tone: The tone of the text should be consistent Sentence Structure: Avoid fragments and run on sentences Modifiers: Should be as close as possible to the things they modify Idiom: Make sure words in the sentence are used in the correct manner Pronouns: Make sure it is explicit to whom or what it refers Logic: Is it logical when you read it? Verbs: Be sure that the verbs match their subject & tense. 5. 12 Classic Grammar Errors Singulars vs. Plurals ( it vs. they ) Commas or Dashes Run-ons and Comma Splits Fragments Misunderstood punctuation marks ly endings (adverbs & adjectives) Use of apostrophe ( its vs. it s ) there vs. their vs. they re and are vs. our Verb forms sang vs. sung, brang vs. brung More and most (-er and est)
Confusing between vs. among Confusing less vs. fewer READING TEST READING STRATEGIES When given a specific line reference, read a few additional sentences before and after it. Make inferences by combining bits of information from different parts of the passage. Look for words like: suggest, infer, inference, or imply in the question stem. Don t make your inference too extreme. Focus on the main point or purpose of the passage, author s attitude or tone, logic underlying the argument, how ideas relate to each other, and the difference between fact and opinion. Pre-read the passage with a first time skim through. Make sure you understand exactly what the question is asking Always look back at the passage and the question stem before choosing your answer. If you are running out of time: Don t reread the passage. Glance over the questions without reading the passage and do as many data interpretation questions as possible. CONFLICTING VIEWPOINT STRATEGIES Don t worry about figuring out which scientist is correct, just understand the different viewpoints. Identify the conflict. Don t mix up the scientists and their viewpoints. Focus on the questions and the countering evidence. Always carefully note the data of each scientist. READING TABLES & GRAPHS Determine what is being represented. Determine what the axes (or columns and rows) represent. Take note of the units of measurement. Look for trends or patterns in the data. THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAPHS AND TABLES Extremes (maximums and minimums): the highest and lowest points that indicators reach Critical Points: points of change, values at which something dramatic happens Variation (proportionality): the way that two different things change in relation to each other Direct Variations: two things vary in the same way Inverse Variations: two things vary in opposite ways
SCIENCE TEST SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS 1. Different Kinds of Logic General to Specific Thinking: Scientists use a general rule to find a specific fact. Specific to General thinking: Scientists look at something specific to hypothesize a general rule. (Most ACT questions are specific to general.) 2. You can tell what a researcher is trying to find out by identifying what is allowed to vary. 3. When looking at an experiment ask: What is the factor being varied? What is the control group? What do the results show? MATH TEST GENERAL STRATEGIES 1. Break down of question types 24 pre-algebra and elementary algebra 10 intermediate algebra 9 coordinate geometry 14 plane geometry 4 trigonometry questions (you can do these) 2. Understand, analyze and select 3. Stuck? Use estimates and guesstimates, don t forget to use diagrams 4. Important Technicalities Integers include 0 and negative whole numbers Evens & odds include 0 and negative whole numbers Prime numbers do not include 1 Remainders are integers Know the symbol that represents the positive square root Rectangles include squares 5. Make a ball park estimate 6. When in doubt, look at the diagrams 7. Worry about the right answers, not the right way to solve the problem 8. Make sure you know what the problem is asking ALGEBRA, COORDINATE GEOMETRY, PERCENTS & AVERAGES 1. Restate the problem: How would I handle an easy problem that tests the same principle? 2. Remove the disguise: A complex problem is often just an easier problem in disguise.
3. Pick numbers: Make abstract numbers more concrete by substituting numbers for the variables in the question. 4. Back solve: When using this strategy start with the middle choice. ( C or H) STORY PROBLEMS 1. Percent problems: Part = Percent x Whole 2. Percent increase & decrease problems: a. To increase a number by a certain percent, calculate the percent of the original number & add it on. b. To decrease a number by a certain percent, calculate the percent of the original number & subtract. c. Don t just add and subtract percents. Pick 100 as the original number & work from there. 3. Weighted Average Problems: a. To get a combined average, it s usually wrong just to average the averages b. As with regular average problems, the key is to use the sum. 4. Probability Problems: The probability of what will happen is not affected by what has happened already. GEOMETRY STRATEGIES 1. Know the textbook geometry equations: Area of square or other rectangle A= l x w Area of a circle Area of a trapezoid Pythagorean theorem Area of a triangle A= ½ bh2 2. If you get stuck, look for hidden information 3. Pencil in additions to the given diagrams 4. On figureless problems, draw your own diagrams 5. On multi-step problems, break them down into smaller steps WRITING TEST WRITING STRATEGIES Take 5 minutes to plan before you write Subject matter: Avoid emotional or offensive examples Use past readings, personal experiences, and remembered historical data Structure your essay: A clear introduction with a hook, a body with transitions, and a conclusion that ends with a bang Appearances count: Write 3-5 paragraphs, WRITE NEATLY
Stick with the plan: Don t introduce new ideas in the middle of your essay Write carefully: Low scores can result from misspellings & grammatical errors Make your writing direct & persuasive. Transitions: Make sure that your ideas follow each other logically Aim for 350 450 words Leave time to PROOF READ Organization and clarity are key to a above average score Use words from the prompt to tie paragraphs together Vary your sentence structure, sometimes using simple sentences and other times using compound and complex ones Adding a few college level vocabulary words will boost your score Save your best example for last & stress its relative importance Good luck on the exam!