Transcript ACT Pointers

Acing The ACT
J.Martin, BGHS
Today’s WN: ACT
Did you run out of time on the practice ACT
we did? Why?
How do you feel like you did?
How hard did you try?
What seemed to give you trouble?
Will you take the ACT again? When?
Why? (scholarships, get in college, etc.)
What score did you make last time?
What is your goal?
How many times have you taken
the ACT?
A.
B.
C.
D.
0
1
2
3 or more
What was your high score?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
15 or below
16-20
21-25
26-30
31-36
Haven’t Taken It
What have you done to prepare?
A.
B.
C.
D.
nothing
online
act books
ACT prep class
How well do you know the ACT?
A. clueless about it
B. a little, not much
C. I’m fairly
knowledgeable about
it.
D. I could pretty much
teach others about it.
Part 1: General
Information
ACT Warm Up Handout
Use this to answer questions as you
pay attention to the power point.
Who should take the ACT?
Anyone going to college after
H.S.
Anyone wanting scholarship $
Anyone who wants more KEES $.
Anyone going to a Vo-Tech
school requiring ACT scores.
Who should take the ACT?
What is the ACT?
A standardized test many
colleges use to assess which
students they will accept into their
college.
Required for some scholarships.
TIMED test.
Multiple Choice
When is the test?
September 8, 2012
October 27, 2012
December 8, 2012
February 9, 2013
April 13, 2013
June 8, 2013
(8-17-12)
(9-21-12)
(11-2-12)
(1-11-13)
(3-8-13)
(5-3-13)
Where is the test?
BGHS
WKU
Why me? I’m BRILLIANT!
Preparation can still give you an
edge—an edge you may need to get
in a certain school or nab an
awesome scholarship.
Why me? My Grades STINK!
Maybe you’re a
misunderstood
GENIOUS!
(Genious in
hiding?) If so,
a college may
want you even
with lousy
grades.
$$$$$ Do well, and you can
say, “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”
How Much does it cost?
$35.00 Regular Deadline
+$22.00 Late Registration
GET A COPY OF YOUR TEST &
SCORES?
list of your answers
copy of the multiple-choice
test questions
answer key
scoring instructions
How can you GET A COPY OF
YOUR TEST & SCORES?
Test Information Release
Dates:
Dec.
Apr.
Jun.
Fee:
$19.00
How Much does it cost?
Free or reduced lunch?
See your counselor for a fee
voucher.
2 per eligible person
Special Circumstances?
If you have an IEP, accommodations
can be made for you.
How many times can I take it?
As many as you want to
pay for.
Until you get the score you
want
Best to plan to take it more
than once. At least 1x Jr.
year & 1 x Sr.
What’s it like?
Multiple choice
Takes about 3 ½ hrs. with breaks
4 Sections
English 45 min. 75 questions
Math 60 min. 60 questions
Reading 35 min. 40 questions
Science Reasoning 35 min. 40 questions
Register Early
Registration Deadlines are
usually 1 month before the
test date.
Late registration= $22.00
more
How do you register?
Online with a credit card
OR
Snail mail with a check
Where can I get Information?
BGHS
Guidance
office
BGHS
Library
www.actstu
dent.org
So, what have you learned?
Part 2: General TestTaking Strategies
Take Notes on your
own paper.
1. Know the Directions before you
go
The directions are always the same.
Knowing them beforehand will save
you time.
2. Use your test booklet as scratch
paper.
Feel free to underline or circle things.
Draw diagrams in the margins.
Mark out answers you know are
incorrect.
Put question marks beside possible
answer choices.
Make a distinctive mark beside
questions you need to come back to if
you have time.
3. Answer easy questions 1st
• Quickly move through the entire section
and mark the questions you’re sure you
know the answers to. Mark each answer as
you go,
• Make note of which questions you guessed
on and come back to them later if you have
time.
• Don’t miss the opportunity to get all the
easy answers right because you spend too
much time on some hard ones.
4. Don’t get bogged down by a
hard question.
60-90 seconds is a LARGE amount of
time to answer 1 question on the ACT
If you find yourself spending
anywhere close to this amount of time
on one problem, it’s time to make a
guess and go on.
Come back to it later if you have time,
but you’ve got to keep moving.
5. Avoid carelessness
Don’t make mistakes because you move
too quickly
Answer choices often include tempting “partial
answers” Don’t mistake a partial answer for a
real one.
Take a deep breath, look at the question and
consider all the answer choices.
Don’t make mistakes because you become
frustrated or lack confidence.
Just because a question looks complicated,
doesn’t mean you can’t answer it.
6. Be careful bubbling in your
answers.
Avoid knowing the right answer and
bubbling in the wrong bubble.
Pay attention to the letters. That’s
why they have odds A-D and evens
F-J.
You can mark your answers in the
test booklet, then go back and bubble
the answer sheet (five at a time or a
page at a time).
7. Should You Answer Every
Question?
YES!
8. Pace Yourself
It’s a timed test.
Take some timed practice tests to get a
feel for how quickly you’ll need to work.
Don’t spend too much time in one place.
Guess if you must, then come back to it if
you have time.
Wear a watch
Find a happy medium, a groove, a speed
at which you can be both accurate and
efficient.
9. When time is called
STOP!
10. It’s multiple choice
Only 1 right answer per question
matters.
The correct answer is right in front of
you.
Pick the right answer if you know it.
Eliminate wrong answers until you’re left
with the right answer.
Guess if you must.
11. Good Guessing
Eliminate as many wrong answers as
you can before you guess.
Sometimes you can look just at the
answers and notice patterns in the
choices that leave only one of them
different from the rest.
On the ENG test, less is more.
12. Review your work
If you have time at the end, check
your answers.
Make sure you’ve marked an answer
for every question.
Make sure your marks are dark and
all erased items are completely
erased.
Re-check answers to difficult
questions
13. Set a target score
Your target doesn’t have to be a 36.
Be realistic
14. Prepare
Study regularly
Schedule yourself time to study just for the
ACT
15 min a day? = 1 hr. 45 min a week
30 min per day? = 3 ½ hrs a week
Check out
http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/act/
chapter1.html
http://www.number2.com/
www.actstudent.org
Order of Difficulty
The ACT isn’t arranged in order
of difficulty.
Some easy & some harder
questions throughout.
So, how should you answer
questions?
Part II Review questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Why should you know the test directions before
you go?
Why do you need to pace yourself?
What can you do to help pace yourself?
Which questions should you answer 1st?
Why should you answer those questions 1st?
What are some strategies for answering harder
questions?
Why should you mark an answer for every
question?
What should you do if you have extra time at the
end?
What should you do when time is called?
Part 3: English Test
Take Notes on your
own paper.
English Test
5 Reading Passages with underlined
portions
75 Questions 45 Minutes
36 seconds per question
9 minutes per section
Measures standard written English
and rhetorical skills
2 Main Types of Questions
Standard English
Punctuation
Grammar
Usage
Sentence Structure
Rhetorical Skills
Strategy
Organization
Style
40 Usage/Mechanics Questions
Punctuation
10
Basic Grammar & Usage
12
Sentence Structure
18
35 Rhetorical Skills
Strategy
12
Organization
11
Style
12
Why not trust your ears?
The ACT is a test of formal
English, not the informal
English you speak daily or
the e-mail English you read
on a regular basis.
Look for Specific Errors
“You don’t need to be a strong writer to
do well on this test. You do need to
know what types of errors crop up
again and again, and how to fix
them.”
Cracking the ACT (25)
What does the test look like?
See Example
On the English Test. . .
Most of the “easier” punctuation,
grammar, & sentence structure
questions come 1st.
Rhetoric questions usually at the end,
but can be anywhere
Test taking tip:
Move through the test marking every
answer you’re SURE about, then go
through it again to think more about
the tougher ones
Can you trust your ear?
Pick what sounds right?
Do you speak in FORMAL ENGLISH?
Better to look for specific errors that
appear.
NO CHANGE is Correct
25% of the time
Don’t automatically pick it, but if
you’ve eliminated other incorrect
answers & are stuck, you might pick
“NO Change”
OMIT the underlined portion
Correct over 50% of the time
Don’t automatically pick it, but
consider it carefully.
Part 4: Basic Terminology
Under Construction– Do not
continue.
Simple Sentence
Tom broke the vase.
• 2 nouns
• 1verb
• 1 article
Tom
broke
the
vase
A Noun
Names a person, place,
thing or idea.
Tom
vase
Verb
Expresses action
broke
Article
Modifies or limits a noun
the
Subject
The person, place, or thing the
sentence is about
Tom broke the vase.
Object of the sentence
Receives the action of the verb.
Tom broke the vase.
Adverb
Modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb
Often ends in ly
Tom accidentally broke the big vase
of flowers.
Adjective
Word that modifies a noun
Tom accidentally broke the big vase of
flowers.
Preposition
Word that notes the relation of a noun
to an action or thing
Tom accidentally broke the big vase of
flowers
Phrase
A group of words that acts as a single
part of speech
Prepositional Phrase
Group of words beginning with a
preposition
Tom accidentally broke the big vase of
flowers.
Pronoun
Takes the place of a noun.
Clause
Group of words containing a subject &
a verb.
Independent Clause
(complete sentence) or part of a
sentence that can stand by itself as a
complete sentence
Dependent Clause
Contains a subject & verb but does
not express a complete thought—not
a complete sentence by itself.