Preparing for the ACT 2025

We are just over 1 week away from the ACT last week we covered: time management, general test taking tips, English test tips. This week we will cover: reading test tips, math test tips, calculator tips, science test tips, build off your strengths, you've got this! Next week we will cover: You are ready and logistics.

ACT Reading Test contains 40 questions to be answered in 35 minutes.

• Read the passage(s) carefully.

• Read and consider all of the answer choices before you choose the one that best responds to the question.

• Refer to the passage(s) when answering the questions.

What’s on the ACT Reading Test? There are four ACT reading passages of about 800 words each, always in this order:

1. prose fiction

2. social science

3. humanities

4. natural science

After each passage, you’ll answer 10 questions that test you on what was directly stated as well as what meanings were implied in the text.

How to Tackle the ACT Reading Test

Now that you know what to expect, here are six ACT reading strategies that will help you approach any passage:

1. Choose Your Own Adventure

• On the ACT Reading Test, you only have 35 minutes to answer 40 questions. To earn your best possible reading score, you have to invest your time where it will do the most good. Always choose your own order, working first the passages that are easiest for you and leaving for last the most difficult. Learn more ACT strategies for working questions out of order.

• The best way to determine which categories you tend to ace is through repeated practice tests. Do you consistently do the best on social science? What types of questions do you find easy or difficult? Try some ACT reading practice or take a full-length ACT practice test .

• Reading actively means knowing in advance what you’re going to read. So, before you start in on the passage, take a look at the questions. You’ll know what important details to look for, and you won’t waste time on details that never appear in a question.
• 4. Keep Moving
• If you read something you don’t understand, do not reread it. Just keep going, and worry about it later only if you have to. Learn more about finding the right ACT pacing for you.
• (Source: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/4-act-tips)

You will have 60 minutes to answer 60 multiple-choice questions based on “topics covered in typical high school classes.” For those of you who aren’t sure if you went to a typical high school, these questions break down into rather precise areas of knowledge.

The ACT Math Test usually breaks down into 6 questions types: pre-algebra, elementary algebra, and intermediate algebra questions; plane geometry and coordinate geometry questions; and some trigonometry questions.

Not all standardized tests allow calculators. Fortunately, ACT does. Your calculator can help to save a ton of time on operations that are easy to mess up like multiplying decimals or working with big numbers. The place where you have to be really careful with your calculator, though, is on the easy ones. Be careful with negative numbers!

What kind of calculator should I bring?

TI-89, TI-92, and TI-Nspire CAS model calculators are not allowed on the ACT (among others). In our book ACT Premium Prep, we show you to how solve problems on the TI-83.

If you don’t plan to use a TI-83 on the test, we recommend you make sure your calculator is acceptable for use on the test and that it can do the following:

• handle positive, negative, and fractional exponents

• use parentheses

• graph simple functions

• convert fractions to decimals and vice versa

• change a linear equation into y = mx + b form

ACT Science Test contains 40 questions to be answered in 35 minutes.

• Read the passage carefully.

• Refer to the scientific information in the passage when answering the question.

• Read and consider all of the answer choices before you choose the one that best responds to the question.

• Note conflicting viewpoints in some passages.

1. Know What to Expect

• ACT Science prep begins with understanding what's on the ACT Science test.
• Format: 40 multiple choice questions about 7 science passages
• Topics: biology, chemistry, physics, and the Earth/space sciences such as astronomy, geology, and meteorology

• Look up data and trends

• Make predictions

• Synthesize information

2. Understand the ACT Science Passage Types

• All the science passages fall within 3 categories.

3. Order the Passages

• ACT doesn’t present the passages in order of difficulty. But on every exam, some are easier than others, while some are truly tough. Scan the passages and tackle the one that looks easiest, first. You don’t want to spend too much time on the most difficult passages only to run out of time on questions you can answer more easily.

4. Decide if you will do questions Now, Later, or Never

• Your goal with all the ACT science passages is to find the main point. You will spot the main point faster when those conclusions are presented in figures rather than in text. So, the easier the figures are to “read,” the faster you’ll crack the main point.
• The best passages to do Now have the most obvious patterns as well as a few other common characteristics. Look for small graphs, easy-to-spot trends, and short answers (especially answers with numbers and relationship words like “increase” or “decrease”).

5. Be Flexible

• Always be prepared to adapt your order based on what you see, both in practice and on a real test. If you choose a passage that looked good and then find yourself struggling, leave it and find another.

6. Stumped? Guess and move on.

• When you’re stumped, your first instinct may be to go back and read the passage or stare at the figure again, waiting for a flash of inspirational genius to suddenly make everything clear. Instead, use process of elimination to get rid of answers that can’t be right. Even if you can cross off only one answer, guess from what’s left and move on.

A common piece of test-taking advice is to tackle your weaknesses. Let’s be honest: this is great advice! However, it's difficult to pinpoint the skills you need to work on when you don’t understand what you are good at. By finding your strengths, you will ultimately have less stress and be able to set aside things you know you are good at to improve your skill. You can find your strengths on the ACT by taking practice tests or doing Methodize Modules.

The ACT is an important exam for all the reasons we have already talked about… but you are so much more than a test score. The ACT is not going to measure:

• Your creativity

• Your kindness

• Your leadership

• Your empathy

• Your compassion

• Your passion

• Your entrepreneurship

It is a snapshot of a specific set of skills in a specific setting on a specific day. It’s important to do your very best, but know it does not define you.

You’ve got this and we’ve got you!