ACT Survival Guide
For most of us, the ACT can seem like a boring standardized test. Unfortunately, this one matters more than the others. As someone who has taken the test, here are some of the things you should know beforehand.
ANSWER EVERY QUESTION: The most important thing is to answer every question. Since only correct answers are counted for your total, it’s better to answer all the questions versus the alternative of only getting half of them right.
SKIP QUESTIONS YOU DON’T KNOW: Another helpful tip for all sections is to skip over questions you don’t understand. Don’t waste valuable time on trying to guess an answer to a question you have never seen before, use that time to work out problems you do understand, or to go back and doublecheck others.
USE READING TIME WISELY: The reading section is 40 questions in 35 minutes, and the questions are split up between about 4-5 stories. A quick tip is to read the questions before you read the passage, so you have a rough idea of what you are looking for. While you may want to try and read really carefully, the time is not very forgiving. Knowing the questions before you read will help you hone in on answers as you go.
USE CONTEXT CLUES: The English section can seem daunting with its 75 questions in a 45-minute time span, and with all its strange rules of grammar and large reading sections, it’s a huge challenge for many. Look out for context clues within the sentences, and don’t overthink basic rules of English.
REVIEW MATH FORMULAS AND RULE OUT WRONG ANSWERS FIRST: Math is another tough endeavor, featuring 60 questions in 60 minutes. While you are permitted a calculator, you still have to work quickly. This is a section that requires a good amount of studying of all the topics you have learned up to that point, lots of algebra concepts and even some geometric concepts. Study all the math rules and equations and rule out wrong answers when you can by checking if they make sense in the equation.
READ GRAPHS CAREFULLY: Rounding out the ACT, the science section is 40 questions in 35 minutes and it heavily uses graphs. Make sure to take your time because multiple questions are asked about each graph. Make sure the question you are answering links to the diagram shown. This section is a significant step down in difficulty compared to the others, but still take the time to refresh on basic scientific concepts.