The ACT

The best thing about the ACT: It is VERY predictable. This means that it is possible to learn exactly
what the testma!ers are testing" and e#entually spot their traps and outsmart them$
Remember that %&'Y your answer sheet will be used (or grading. This means that you are (ree to do
whate#er you)d li!e with your test boo!. *hysically cross out incorrect answers" ma!e diagrams"
underline" and ma!e notes in the margins. This will help to organi+e your mind and also" i( need be"
ma!e it easier to come bac! to your un(inished wor! later on in the test. ,-uring the same section" o(
course$.
/ ,or 0. 1ections:
English: 20 3uestions /0 minutes
4ath: 56 3uestions 56 minutes
Reading: /6 3uestions 70 minutes
1cience: /6 3uestions 70 minutes
,optional. Essay: 8 prompt 76 minutes
All 3uestions are worth 8 point each.
9uestions are ran!ed by the testma!es as easy" medium" or hard" depending on the number o( test
students that get each correct. Remember" all 3uestions are weighted e3ually$$$
Overall ACT Strategy
8. Three types o( 3uestions: -o now" do later" do ne#er. -% &%T waste too much time trying to
sol#e a hard 3uestion. All questions are weighted equally, so you might as well answer 7 easy
3uestions in the time it ta!es to get one di((icult one right.
:. ;se *rocess o( Elimination. 'iberally. There is only 8 correct answer" which means that there
are also at least 7 wrong answers. I( you can eliminate those" ,or a portion o( them." you are in
great shape e#en i( you did not !now the correct answer to begin with.
7. <uess on EVERY 3uestion and always choose the same answer choice: your =letter o( the day>
/. Approach to e#ery 3uestion:
Read: read the sentence?3uestion carefully" and determine the type o( sentence or 3uestion
being addressed.
Predict: In English and 1cience only" predict what you thin! the 3uestion is testing. In all
sections" ma!e a prediction o( what you thin! the answer might be @EA%RE you select your
answer choice.
Answer (and double-check): A(ter selecting the answer that most closely matches your
prediction" 3uic!ly doublechec! your response.
ACT nglish
(!" #in $" %)
&sage'(echanics %uestions (total o) !* +uestions)
Skills'Content Tested ,a#-les . o) %uestions
*unctuation commas" colons" semicolons ,#s
periods and commas.
86 3uestions
<rammar B ;sage subCect#erb agreement" noun
pronoun agreement" adCecti#es #s
ad#erbs" comparati#e #s superlati#e
modi(iers" idioms
8: 3uestions
1entence 1tructure subordinate clauses" runons and
comma splices" misplaced modi(iers"
#erb agreement" pronoun agreement"
parallelism
8D 3uestions
Rhetorical Skills %uestions (total o) /" +uestions)
Skills'Content Tested ,a#-les . o) %uestions
1trategy adding" re#ising" or deleting
sentencesE how a sentence (its with
the purpose o( a passage
8: 3uestions
%rgani+ation opening" transitional" and closing
phrases or statementsE order and (ocus
o( sentences or paragraphs
88 3uestions
1tyle writing style" tone" clarity" and
e((ecti#enessE eliminating ambiguity"
wordiness" and redundant material
8: 3uestions
1ome general tips:
8. 4ost important rule: C'EAR A&- C%&CI1E.
:. Aor ;sage?4echanics 3uestions" a#oid selecting an answer choice solely based on what =sounds
good> in e#eryday li(e. You must Custi(y each answer choice based on grammatical rules.
7. ;se the answer choices as clues to what is being tested. <et plenty o( practice doing this.
/. -o not be a(raid o( selecting the answer choice No Change. This is the correct answer :0F
o( the time. -o not try too hard loo!ing (or errors where there may not be any.
0. Ghen it appears" OMIT TH !N"#$IN" %O#TION is correct about 06F o( the time$
ACT RA0123
(/" (in !* %)
/ Types o( Reading:
8. *rose Aiction
:. 1ocial 1ciences
7. &atural 1cience
/. Humanities
Types o( 9uestions:
8. Vocabulary in Context
:. Aact
7. In(erence
/. -eduction
0. *oint o( View
5. 4ain Idea
@asic 1trategy:
8. -o the passages in the best order (or Y%;" not necessarily in the order they are gi#en to you on
the test. %#er the course o( our sessions" you will notice that certain types o( passages will be
easier (or you" and others will be harder. -o the test in order (rom easiest to hardest.
:. Aind trap answers$ There are 0 main types that we will learn to recogni+e: Highlighting minor
points" Extreme language" True but unstated" %pposite answers" and Hal(right answers.
7. 1pend your time understanding the 3uestions" rather than the passage. A(ter all" you are gi#en
IER% points (or simply reading the passage. It is there(ore more important to (ocus on getting
the 3uestions correct. 1ome o( these 3uestions may e#en be answered without reading the entire
passage at all.
/. -% &%T use the answers as clues" li!e we do in the English section. Co#er the answers and
*RE-ICT be(ore loo!ing at your choices. This will help a#oid the trap answers I mentioned in
J:.
0. Remember that the ACT is an openboo! test. All o( the answers that you need are right in (ront
o( you. ;nder no circumstances will they test !nowledge (rom outside the passage. %n the ACT"
i( something is not mentioned on the page" pretend that you do not !now it$ All that you !now
in the world is right there inside the paragraphs that they gi#e you. -o not use =common sense">
no matter how tempting it may be. A'GAY1 AI&- *R%%A AR%4 THE *A11A<E.
5. Aor each 3uestion" there is concrete -roo) to support the %&E correct answer. I( you cannot
(ind this proo(" do not select an answer based on a general =(eeling.> This is how the test ma!ers
trap you$ Instead" see i( you can eliminate any incorrect answers based on the passage and
arri#e at the correct one that way.
ACT Science
(/" (in4 !* %)
The science portion o( the ACT will always consist o( 2 passages" each with 02 corresponding
3uestions. The passages will co#er content ranging (rom biology" chemistry" and the physical sciences"
and will always ha#e a #ariety o( material presented ,ie" you will not get 2 passages all ha#ing to do
with chemistry.
%ne o( the most important things to wor! on within the ACT 1cience test is T1(1235 E#en more so
than some o( the other sections" the timing on the science portion is designed to be di((icult.
Aurthermore" unli!e the math and #erbal sections" the 3uestions are &%T generally ordered (rom =easy>
to =hard.> There(ore" in order to (inish as many 3uestions as possible in the gi#en amount o( time" it is
up to you to identi(y =easy> #s =hard> 3uestions" so that you are then able to complete the test in a
strategic order.
Science Passages are presented in 7 distinct categories:
8. Charts and <raphs 7 passages" 0 3uestions each
You will be pro#ided with at least one chart" graph" or illustration that will test your
ability to understand presented in(ormation.
:. Experiments 7 passages" 5 3uestions each
1e#eral experiments and their results will be presented to see how you (ollow and
interpret procedures.
7. Con(licting 1cientists 8 passage" 2 3uestions
These passages will pro#ide you with the #iewpoints (rom multiple scientists regarding
a scienti(ic argument. You will be as!ed about the con(lict and the e#idence supporting
each #iew. You could also be as!ed to speculate about what !ind o( in(ormation could
potentially sol#e the con(lict.
I ha#e listed these categories in order o( the general degree o( di((iculty each type o( passage typically
presents to students" ,8easiest?(astest" 7hardest?most time consuming. but you may (ind that this order
is di((erent (or you. Ghate#er the case may be" passages should be done in order o( easiest to hardest--
not necessarily in the order that is gi#en to you on the test.
Ty-es o) Science %uestions:
8. &etch the answer These 3uestions as! you to paraphrase part o( the passage or loo! up a #alue
on a chart. They are usually (ocused on one sentence" paragraph" or chart. Always answer these
)irst5
:. Analy'e (ased on gi)en infor*ation These are more detailed than (etch 3uestions" since you
will be as!ed about multiple parts o( a passage" and how they relate to eachother. You may be
as!ed to ma!e supported in(erences. ,Key word L supported$$. These 3uestions should be
answered second.
7. +enerali'e and *a,e conclusions These 3uestions will test your understanding o( the =big
picture.> They may as! you to summari+e the implications o( the data" or theori+e how the
passage would apply in the real world or within other experiments. 'ea#e these 3uestions (or
last" or" i( you are running short on time" ski- them" since they o(ten ta!e a lot o( time to
answer.