The ACT For Dummies

Tips for Acing the ACT Exam

You’re a high school senior, taking all kinds of tests in your quest to get into college. The ACT is widely accepted and sometimes required for entrance to some universities, so make use of the following tips to make your test-taking less traumatic:

• The ACT has no penalty for wrong answers. Never leave any answer blank: guess, guess, guess!

• The ACT features four tests: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science Reasoning.

• The ACT does not have a verbal portion that specifically tests vocabulary.

• You are allowed to use a calculator on the Mathematics Test.

• Many colleges accept either the ACT or the SAT I. You may want to take both exams to maximize your chances of college admission.

• The ACT does not require an essay.

• All questions on the ACT have multiple-choice answers.

• Mark answers in the booklet and on the grid. When you answer a question, circle the answer in your test booklet first, and then shade in the appropriate circle on your test grid. Doing so can be your salvation if you make a mistake in your numbering on the grid and have to erase and start over again. This technique also helps you when you double-check your work.

The ACT English Test Do’s and Don’ts

You don’t need to worry about writing an essay for the ACT English test. A good score on this college entrance exam depends on your ability to answer a lot of questions — 75 to be exact. So, if you’re rushed for time, use these tips:

• Do look for diction (choosing between two words, such as lie and lay or affect and effect) and grammar (choosing the proper verb, adjective, or adverb) questions. They are usually the easiest to answer quickly.

• Don’t get trapped by time-consuming, potentially difficult box questions that require you to understand the passage as a whole.

• Don’t choose the OMIT option every time you see it; there’s no penalty for guessing wrong, so make a guess.

• Don’t automatically choose the “other” word in a diction or grammar question (choosing lie when lay is given or whom when who is given).

The ACT Mathematics Test Do’s and Don’ts

You can use a calculator during the ACT math test, and you should if you want a good result from this section of the ACT college entrance exam. Math in general is all about precision, so use the following tips as you work through the problems in the ACT Mathematics test:

• Do start in the middle when plugging in answer choices; you’ll know whether your answer needs to be larger or smaller.

• Do work forward and backward: Double-check the problem with your answer inserted.

• Don’t mess up on the answer sheet. The math questions are the only questions on the ACT with five answer choices rather than four.

• Don’t forget your calculator and extra batteries for it.

Do’s and Don’ts on the ACT Reading Test

In the Reading Test of the college entrance exam that is the ACT, you don’t have to worry about writing an essay or doing verbal analogies, but you do have to read passages and answer questions about them. Keep this information in mind when you encounter the Reading Test:

• Do preview the passages, decide on a strategy (reading quickly to finish all passages or going more slowly and carefully through only three out of the four passages), and pay special attention to the first and last paragraphs.

• Do summarize the information in your mind, looking for relationships and connections.

• Don’t expect to have to know specific information; the passages give or imply all the information you need in order to answer the questions. You do not need specific background knowledge.

• Don’t memorize the information; you may go back to the passage as often as you’d like.

Things to Do and Avoid on the ACT Science Reasoning Test

Science schmience! Science may be no big deal until you get to the Science Reasoning section of the ACT. As you analyze the data presented in this section of this college entrance exam, keep the following pointers in mind:

• Do note any trends or significant shifts in the data presented in the introductory text, tables, diagrams, or graphs.

• Do make sure that you can identify the purpose of the study, the experimental design, and the results in Research Summary passages.

• Do identify the viewpoint of each scientist, his or her main idea, and the evidence that supports or contradicts each point of view in the Conflicting Viewpoints questions.

• Don’t attempt to answer questions based on your own background knowledge; all necessary information is stated or implied in the passages, tables, and graphs.

Basic Information about the ACT Test

The ACT, like other college entrance exams, consists of several different tests that aim to pick your brain on a variety of subjects from math to English to science. The following table tells you about each test, how long you have to complete it, how many questions it presents, and the knowledge it tests.