Preparing for the ACT 2025
Week 2- February 2/24
We are just over 2 weeks away from the ACT last week we covered knowing your purpose and setting a goal, study with a buddy and Methodize test prep. This week we are going to cover: time management, general test taking tips, English test tips.
Next week we will cover:
- Reading Test Tips
- Math Test Tips
- Calculator Tips
- Science Test Tips
- Build off your strengths
- You've got this!
The week of the test:
- You are ready
- Logistics
Time Management
One of the most important, and most challenging parts of the taking the ACT is, time management. Get used to how many questions in how many minutes you will need to answer for each test. This is where answering in order of how confident you feel is important. Know it? AWESOME! Answer it and move on. Uncertain? Leave it and come back? Truly have no idea? Pick your favorite letter, C is a good choice and use it EVERY TIME, it increases the probability of a right answer.
General Test Taking Tips
Just like so many things in life taking a standardized test is a skill, it takes preparation, practice and there are some quick tips that can help you improve your score.
1. Work questions out of order.
- Spending too much time on the hardest problems means you may rush through the easiest. Instead of working questions in order, ask yourself whether a question is a Do Now, Later, or Never.
- No need to agonize—this decision can be made very quickly:
- NOW: Does a question look okay? Do you know how to do it? Do it now.
- LATER: Will this question take a long time to work? Leave it and come back to it later. Circle the question number for easy reference.
- NEVER: Know the topics that are your worst, and learn the signs that flash danger. Don’t waste time on questions you should never do. Instead, use more time to answer the Now and Later questions accurately.
2. Choose a “Letter of the Day.”
- Just because you don’t work a question doesn’t mean you don’t answer it. There is no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT, so you should never leave any blanks on your answer sheet. When you guess on Never questions, pick your favorite two-letter combo of answers and stick with it. For example, always choose A/F or C/H. If you’re consistent, you’re more likely to pick up points.
(Source: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/4-act-tips)
Just like so many things in life taking a standardized test is a skill, it takes preparation, practice and there are some quick tips that can help you improve your score.
3. Forget the right answer—find the wrong ones.
- Multiple-choice tests offer one great advantage: They provide the correct answer right there on the page. ACT hides the correct answer behind wrong ones, but when you cross off just one or two wrong answers, the correct answer can become more obvious.
4. Tailor your strategy to each section of the ACT.
(Source: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/4-act-tips)English Test Taking Tips
Read the sentence and the paragraph carefully. On the Reading test, the three stage method of previewing, reading and reviewing is useful. Pay more attention to the big ideas and not the minute details in the passage. Be aware of how the ideas connect and take notes as you read along so you can quickly find the answers.
ACT English Test contains 75 questions to be answered in 45 minutes.
Be aware of the writing style used in each passage.
Consider the elements of writing that are included in each underlined portion of the passage. Some questions will ask you to base your decision on some specific element of writing, such as the tone or emphasis the text should convey.
Be aware of questions with no underlined portions—that means you will be asked about a section of the passage or about the passage as a whole.
Examine each answer choice and determine how it differs from the others. Many of the questions in the test will involve more than one aspect of writing.
Determine the best answer. Read and consider all of the answer choices before you choose the one that best responds to the question.
1. Remember the 4 C’s
Good writing should be in complete sentences.
Everything should be consistent.
The meaning should be clear .
The best answer, free of any errors, will be the most concise.
Even when you can’t figure out what type of error a question is really testing, apply the 4 C’s, and you’ll be able to eliminate answer choices.
2. Know what ACT Grammar Rules to Expect
You don’t need to memorize your grammar textbook to prep for the ACT. But it’s a smart move to review the most common grammar rules tested on the ACT English Test. You can expect to encounter grammar questions about the following topics (to name a few):
subject-verb agreement
pronoun agreement
adjectives and adverbs
comparisons and superlatives
punctuation
conjunctions
3. Let the Answers Help You
- The answer choices are your clues to identifying what the question is really asking. Do any of the words or punctuation change? Pay attention to what changes versus what stays the same in the answers to figure out what the potential error is.
4. Trust Your Ear (But Double-Check)
- Your ear is pretty reliable at raising the alarm for outright errors and clunky, awkward phrasing. Always verify what your ear is telling you by checking the answers to identify the topic and confirm there is no error. If something sounds off, investigate further, but remember to be careful for errors your ear won’t catch.
5. Cross Off Answers That Don’t Fix the Error
- To go from good to great on the English test, you can’t just fix a question in your head and then find an answer that matches. Instead, after you’ve identified what’s wrong, eliminate all the choices that do not fix the error.
6. Don’t Change What Isn’t Broken
- NO CHANGE is a legitimate answer choice. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that all questions have an error that you just can’t spot.
(Source: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/4-act-tips)