ACT Preparation

Background

• ACT measures academic achievement

• People at ACT admit you can increase your score by preparing for the test – and even publish their own coaching book

• ACT is predictable – which is good!

• Test-taking strategies are designed to take advantage of the ACT’s predictability

College Entrance• It’s important to prepare for the test if you

have a 4.0 or a 2.0 GPA.

• “Many factors go into the acceptance of a student by a college. Test scores are only one of these factors. Grades in high school, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations are also important and may in some cases outweigh test scores”

College Entrance

• Of all the elements in your application “package,” your ACT score is the easiest to change.

• Good grades are not a guarantee that you will do well on the ACT.

• ACT only measures what’s on the test; doesn’t matter if you ‘hate’ a subject

ACT requirements (2011)

• WKU: 2.5 GPA and 20 ACT• UK: 22-27 average (of freshman class)• UL: 21-27 average (of freshman class)• KWC: 20 – average of freshman class• Brescia: 21 – average of freshman class• OCC – College level classes (for credit, 2011)

– Basic Algebra: 22– Basic College English: 20– College Entry level in Reading: 21

• OCTC – 17 ACT or equivalent Compass scores

College Expense Worksheet

Tuition, Fees

Room and Board (food)

Books, equip.

Clothing, etc.

Transportation (car, gas)

Entertainment

Total – 1 year

Total – all years

Scholarships

Test Format

• Multiple choice

• Three and a half hours, one break

• Four tests – English, Math, Reading, Science

• Must follow directions exactly or will be excused from testing room– cell phones, filling in answers after time has

been called are most common infractions

English Test

• 45 minutes – 75 questions

• Five passages

• Tests grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills

Math Test

• 60 minutes – 60 questions

• Level of difficulty is mixed

• Approx. one-third: pre-algebra and elementary algebra

• Less than one-third: intermediate algebra and coordinate geometry (graphing)

• Less than one-fourth: regular geometry

• Four questions: trigonometry

Reading Test

• 35 minutes – 40 questions (10 per passage)• Four passages of about 750 words each• Different types of passages:

– Prose fiction– Social science– Humanities– Natural science

• Passages always in this order

Science Reasoning Test

• 35 minutes – 40 questions• No specific scientific knowledge is

necessary • You will be asked to understand six set of

scientific information presented in graphs, charts, tables, and research summaries, and will have to make sense of one disagreement between two or three scientists.

ACT Scoring

• Scale of 1-36

• Four scores are averaged to form composite score.

• Three- to seven weeks for scores to be ‘in’

• $33 (no writing) to $48 (ACT plus writing) to take test – so take it for free in March and make it count!

Practice questions

Test-Taking Strategies Discussed inCracking the ACT, 2008 Edition by The Prentice

Review

• ACT Triage• Two Passes

• Process of Elimination

• Guessing

• Four-Step System (specific to Reading test)

Test Takers Struggle in Timed-Testing Situations

Use the same problem-solving process used in emergency rooms:

TRIAGE (“Now, Later, Never”)• Who needs immediate medical attention?• Who can wait in line a little longer?• Who cannot be helped despite

intervention?

Testing TRIAGE Step 1:What do I answer now, later, or never?

Questions to Answer Now: points you can earn easily

Questions to Try Later: try though you may get stumped

Questions That “Cannot be Cured”: avoid and sacrifice the point

Testing TRIAGE Step 2:Two Passes

Strategy to use for the ER patients who could wait.• Pass #1

– “Nail every single question you can answer.”– Put a big circle around questions that stump you, and

move on. (Marking in test booklet is allowed!)

• Pass #2– Perhaps a reread will reveal something you missed the

first time.– Decide again whether to answer now, later, or never

and keep testing.– Don’t worry about questions you just can’t do.

Testing TRIAGE Step 3:Process of Elimination (“POE”)

• No penalty for guessing

• Refer to Cracking the ACT for excellent illustrations of guessing and narrowing specific types of questions.

There’s guessing, and then there’s guessing.

Guess at Random “NEVERMORE!”

• Eliminate wrong answers.• Eliminate the option that is

logically absurd.• Eliminate the option that is

opposite of the correct

answer.

Narrowing to a fifty-fifty guess is a better gamble than a 1 in 4 random guess.

Guessing

• What is the French word for “eggplant?”

• A. • B. • C. Aubergine

• D.

Consistency is Key

Sometimes you have to guess; therefore, when guessing remember:

• To use the same letter for all “just can’t do” guesses on test day.

• That contrary to popular opinion, (C) does not yield more correct answers.

Summary of ACT Triage

Testing TRIAGE Point #1

Use ACT triage to “invest your time more profitably.”

• Unlike most test takers, you are likely to spend the majority of your time working on “doable” questions.

– Immediate Result: No dread when hearing “Okay, pencils down.”

– Eventual Result: Earning more points on the test.

Testing TRIAGE Point #2:

• Eliminate Answer Choices by Using POE

• After Pass #2, eliminate wrong answers to at least a 50-50 shot.

– Immediate Result: You can say you tried and even prove how!

– Eventual Result: Hopefully earning a few more points!

Testing TRIAGE Point #3:When all else fails, test like Cookie

Monster!

• Use a Letter of the Day for hopeless cases in your emergency room.

• Gobble up the remaining empty circles, kick back, and digest!

• Immediate Result: Time left to check answers and relax

• Eventual Result: Possibly more correct answers

Re-examine Practice Questions using TRIAGE

-Answer questions you know, circle those you don’t.

-Narrow choices to 50/50 -Guess with letter of the day