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Tag: ACT Test Tips

ACT Reading Test Overview

13 January, 2010 (06:41) | ACT Reading Test | By: Scott

Like each of the ACT test sections, the ACT Reading test has a very particular format.  That’s good for you, because the more you know about the test in advance, the better you can prepare. What do we know about the ACT Reading Test? You always get 35 minutes to take the test It always [...]

ACT Reading Test Tips

12 January, 2010 (23:39) | ACT Reading Test | By: Scott

I’ve been helping someone with tips on the reading test, so I’m kind of focused on that right now.  I’ll be posting some of those tips, along with other that I have, soon.  Be sure to check back in the next couple of days. Technorati Tags: ACT Reading Test, ACT Test, ACT Test Tips, reading, [...]

ACT Reading Test – Use Only the Information in the Passage

2 January, 2010 (23:06) | ACT Reading Test | By: Scott

A quick tip for the ACT Reading Test: Only use information from the passage to answer the question. Don’t use any outside information that you might have relative to the question being asked. All answers are found either explicitly in the passage text or are inferred directly from information in the text. If you try [...]

Format of the ACT English Test

11 January, 2009 (08:00) | ACT English Tips | By: Scott

The ACT English test consists of five passages with 15 questions for each passage, for a total of 75 questions. There are 40 questions based on usage and mechanics, and 35 questions based on rhetorical skills. There aren’t any questions on spelling or vocabulary, although having a good vocabulary will help you be able to [...]

Guessing on the ACT Test

10 January, 2009 (00:05) | ACT Tips | By: Scott

Guessing can be an important part of your ACT test taking strategy. Unlike the SAT, you’re not penalized for guessing on the ACT. On the SAT, when you get an answer wrong, your score is decreased by a certain amount. Not so an the ACT test. Hear some important tips that you may want to [...]

Use ACT Practice Tests to Prepare for June ACT Test

13 April, 2008 (00:59) | ACT Practice Tests, ACT Test Preparation, ACT Tips | By: Scott

Now that the April ACT test is over, it is time to get ready for the June ACT Test. Most schools will take the best of your scores, so there is no reason not to the ACT test again and see if you can improve your score.

Using ACT practice tests is one of the most important tools you have in getting ready for the test. If you haven’t downloaded the ACT sample test booklet yet, download it here now. The June ACT test will take place on June 14, 2008 so there is plenty of time to prepare for it still. Today’s ACT test scores will be available online starting April 23. It might be worth checking your scores out so you can decide if you want to take the ACT test again and get registered.

Check back here often for tips on using ACT practice tests to improve your ACT test scores

ACT Test | Are You Ready?

6 April, 2008 (22:57) | ACT Test Preparation, ACT Tips | By: Scott

The next ACT test date is now only a few days away. If you have procrastinated your ACT test preparation, it is not too late. You can still get significant ACT test preparation in before this next test. In order to maximize your time, you’ll need some help NOW. You can’t wait and lose a few days. That’s why the ACT Exam Secrets is ideal for late minute test preparation. This extraordinary set of ACT tips and tricks is delivered to you digitally. That means that no matter where you live, and no matter what time of the day it is, you can get this very helpful guide in a matter of just a few minutes.

Don’t waste time waiting for some ACT test guide to be delivered through the mail. It may take a few days at the very least and 7-10 days at the most. You don’t have time. Get the help you need right now.

The ACT Exam Secrets Study Guide will cost you a small amount (under $70), but what better way to spend your money than to invest directly in your future? Raising your ACT test scores just a few points can make the difference in getting into the college you want and can save you thousands of dollars by helping you become eligible for a scholarship. Isn’t a few dollars worth it to help you achieve your goals? You’ll also get 10 or so bonus guides that cover everything from tips for maximizing your use of time on the ACT to how to overcome test anxiety, and a whole lot in between.

It also comes with a 100% money back guarantee. You have nothing to lose. Except college admission and scholarship money. Don’t wait another minute and order the ACT Exam Secrets Study Guide right now.

ACT Practice Tests — A key to ACT Test Success

5 March, 2008 (22:53) | ACT Tips | By: Scott

Most books that have ACT practice tests have several. You can use them in a couple of different ways.

Use the first ACT practice test to carefully put into play the strategies that you have learned for taking the ACT. Don’t worry about time. Go back and review the strategy for each type of question if you need to. Make sure you understand each type of question and the best strategy for answering it. There are specific types of questions in each section of the ACT. Learn to recognize what type of question is being asked, because it will help you identify the strategy to be used. With no time pressures, you should be able to do very well on this practice test.

This approach is similar to a basketball or football practice where you walk through specific defensive or offensive sets and practice how to perform them and react to them. When I played baseball, I was taught that before each pitch I should think through scenarios. What should I do if the ball is hit on the ground to me? What if it is hit in the air? What if it is hit to the second baseman? And so on. Thinking about these before the actual pitch helped me be ready when I didn’t have a lot of time to think.

After you have scored your untimed ACT practice test, evaluate where you need some review or polishing. Find strategies for those areas where you are weak. After you have completed that, do the rest of the ACT practice tests while being timed. This will help you practice the strategies you used on the first test in a timed environment, which is what you’ll being doing when take the real ACT.

This second approach is like a full-speed scrimmage. Once you have learned what you should do, then you have to practice it at full speed. If you get it wrong, you do it again, until you get it right. Hopefully, if you do that enough times, you will be ready for whatever comes your way in the real game.

One thing that you are trying to do with practice tests is to build up your speed. Time is your enemy on the ACT. The only way you can do that is by finding and taking as many practice tests as possible to practice your skills and strategies. If you use ACT practice tests in this way, you’ll greatly improve your chance of getting a high ACT test score.

The absolute best source of ACT tips that you can use while taking ACT practice tests is ACT Exam Secrets. This guide is packed full of tips and tricks to help you get the very best score on the ACT.

Sources for ACT Practice Problems

28 February, 2008 (14:59) | ACT Tips | By: Scott

If you are preparing for the ACT, you are probably looking for ACT practice problems. After all, ACT practice problems are some of your best resources for preparing. There are many sources for you to use to find practice problems to use in preparing for the ACT. Some sources are free and some cost. Some sources are better than others. Here are some possible sources:

Free Sources for ACT Practice Problems

  • The official ACT website provides several sources for ACT practice problems. You can download a free booklet called Preparing for the ACT on their website. This booklet should also be available in any high school’s counseling office. This booklet has a full ACT practice exam along with an answer key and categorization of the questions so you know what type of ACT question you are answering. It does not, however, have any explanation to help you understand why an answer is correct or incorrect.
  • The ACT website also has a section that provides ACT practice questions that allow you to interactively select the answer and then tells you the reason why the answer you chose is correct or incorrect. This is a great resource for you to use as part of your ACT test prep. Understanding the reason behind your answers is extremely important in your test preparation.
  • There are other sources of practice problems, but be careful. The two listed above are the only free sources provided by the makers of the ACT. My experience is that other providers may not provide sources that are nearly as realistic. While they may be helpful, the closer you can get to the real ACT, the more help the ACT practice problems you use will be for you.

Other Sources of ACT Practice Problems

  • The Real ACT Prep Guide is a book of ACT practice tests and tips that is published by the makers of the ACT test. It contains three full ACT practice tests with answer key and explanation. It is a great source of information. Click here to order this book. It is well worth your money.
  • While there are other sources, they also suffer the same problems as above. Since they are not provided by the ACT people, they are not as close to the real test. They may be helpful, but will not be as authentic. Some of those include:

Your best use of any of these resources is to use them along with a guide to ACT tip, secrets, and strategies. The very best source of ACT secrets is ACT Exam Secrets. This guide gives you information on exclusive ACT test taking techniques that will help you increase your ACT test scores beyond anything you could imagine. Practicing the secrets you will learn using the ACT practice tests is the key to higher scores on the ACT.

An ACT Practice Question Per Day

8 February, 2008 (15:58) | ACT Tips | By: Scott

A great way to prepare for the ACT is to answer an ACT practice question every day.
If you look around, you should be able to find a resource that has practice tests that you can take questions from. Take one of the practice tests and randomly pick a question from any of the sections. Take a minute to think about the tips and strategies you should have learned. Now answer the question. Your goal is to get every question right.

Don’t hurry; take your time and think about the question. The ACT test has some very definite types of questions. Figure out what kind of question it is? Review in your mind what you already know about that question type. For example, if the question is a math question and you don’t know how to do that problem, then go review the math principles related to the question before you answer it. If it is an English question do the same thing. If it is a question using commas and you are not sure you know the grammar rules for using commas, then review those rules before you answer the question. Remember that your goal answer every one of these questions correctly.

After you answer the question, check to see if your answer was right. If you got it correct and you are sure you know why it was correct, put a mark by that question that shows you got right. If you don’t know why you got that question right, it is very important for you to understand why the answer it correct. If you just guessed, you may miss out finding an area that you need to improve. When you are preparing, it does no good for you to get questions right by accident. If you don’t understand why you got the correct answer, make a notation next to the question that indicates the area that you need to improve on.

Likewise, if you got the wrong answer, make sure you understand why you got the wrong answer. Determine what type of mistake it was and learn from it. If it was a careless mistake, figure out why you are making that type of error. If it is a knowledge problem, add that area to the things that you review. Do this for every practice question you do. You will start to see areas that you need to review or to learn.

One practice question a day may not be enough. You may find that you should do multiple practice questions each day. The process you need to go through should be the same. Remember your goal is to get every question right and understand why you got it right. Just getting it right because you guessed doesn’t help much when preparing the ACT in this way.

Regular practice is almost always better than a couple of cram sessions right before the test. It gives you time to make sure you understand the questions and the answers and allows you time to improve those areas that you are weak in. Answer an ACT practice question every day and you’ll get a better test score.